This project aims to restore the biodiversity of community forests by indigenous women by planting edible caterpillars in Mwenga in South Kivu province east of the DR Congo. The use of caterpillars as a food product on the one hand to alleviate the food insecurity of Aboriginal families, and on the other, to create a source of income for indigenous women to contribute to the improvement their social and economic conditions.
Our project is facing the problem of deforestation caused by lawless logging, particularly irrational logging of trees in the community forests of Mwenga for the production of ember to Bukavu. This contributes to the significant destruction of forest biodiversity, especially the scarcity of edible caterpillars to the detriment of indigenous women and households dependent on these forest products in Mwenga territory.
The planting of caterpillar trees by women will contribute to the restoration of forest biodiversity beneficial to indigenous women and households, particularly the food caterpillars that will be used as a food product to alleviate food insecurity, and on the other hand to create a source of income for the young and indigenous women of Mwenga.
By the end of this project the targeted indigenous women will have contributed to the restoration and rational and sustainable management of 350 ha of community forests by planting host trees of the caterpillars in the seven targeted groupings (Basimweda 1st-Kalundu, Irangi- Ilibo, Kigogo, Bawandeme, Bingili-Bazala, Byonga and Kitutu) due to 50 ha of community / group forest and the empowerment and food security of indigenous women and households in Mwenga territory
This project has provided additional documentation in a DOCX file (projdoc.docx).
