Engage farmers in reversing deforestion in Zambia

Planting trees and restoring forests only make sense if you can ensure the trees will thrive in the long term. For that, you need the local communities to see more value in standing trees than in felled forests. In the Copperbelt region of Zambia, WeForest supports hundreds of farmers in restoring plots of native woodland on their farms that have been over-exploited for charcoal production. In the short term, farmers and their families benefit from our forestry training, get access to beehives and efficient wood cooking stoves, and plant grafted fruit trees to diversify their sources of livelihood. In the long term, this project helps farmers secure ownership of land, which will ensure the conservation and livelihood outcomes are long-lasting.

Thandi* is one of the project’s beneficiaries. She is 32 years old and lives together with her husband, two children and a newborn on their 9.7 hectare farm in Luanshya. Since the loss of her husband’s parents, Thandi and her husband no longer had the manpower to cultivate their farm. They were struggling to get enough income to feed the family and send the children to school.

Thandi's husband participated in our two-day training covering, among other topics, the economic benefits of forestry. Since parts of his farm already started to turn back into forest, he was convinced that this was the right project for him to join. In the first year, the family can earn approximately 500 ZMW only by harvesting and selling honey from the beehives installed on trees. This represents a substantial increase to a farming family’s income, which averages at approximately 3 000 ZMW per year. As Thandi explains: “The loss of my husband’s parents did not only touch us emotionally, it also made us financially more vulnerable. With this project, we hope to diversify and increase our farm income, without more labour for us.”

In Zambia, forest restoration and climate change mitigation go hand in hand with livelihood development. Thanks to your support, we can help Thandi and other families in the Copperbelt region implement simple, cost-efficient and effective solutions to both local and global issues.

*Name was edited to protect the privacy of the project participants.

As part of our efforts to restore the Miombo woodlands in Zambia, we are engaging local farmers in beekeeping and honey production. Since May 2017, 121 more beehives were mounted, which means that the total number of beehives across the intervention site rose to 990.

The first honey harvest is expected in December 2018. One beehive will easily be able to produce $20 in revenue per year. With enough space for around 4 beehives per hectare of woodland, each family can earn cca $80 per year per hectare. This represents a substantial increase to their existing income, which averages at $300 per year.

To manage the marketing and commercialization of the agro-forestry products produced by the farmers, WeForest supported the creation of the Luanshya Farm Forest Association. The association has 10 board members, four of whom are women, representing farmers from every area in the district. The first board meetings were held in July and August 2017.

Farmers from each area have also selected one of them to be their beekeeping mentor. In July 2017, mentors received training in beehive assembly and mounting, honey harvest, proper use of protective clothing and general bookkeeping. Now they are supporting their communities in honey production and beehive maintenance, assisting approximately 100 farmers living near them.

In Zambia, finding alternative sources of income is an inherent part of sustainable forest restoration. Thanks to your support, we can continue devising solutions that benefit people, planet and climate!