Forest Landscape Restoration
This is one of the components of the Tasintha project which is aimed at increasing retention of natural regeneration of tree crops and shrubs, Agroforestry, and fruit tree orchards on beneficiaries’ farm fields and homesteads. This is in response to the fact that tree and forest cover on the beneficiaries farm fields and homesteads is devastatingly low, resulting in poor soil health for increased crop production, poor access to fuel-wood and construction poles, lack of fruit-based dietary diversity, and inadequate shade for comfortable well-being in hot seasons of the year. The national assessment of restoration opportunities revealed that farmers are well positioned to scale up forest landscape restoration through the adoption of agricultural technologies such as Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration and Agroforestry.
Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration
FMNR is a rapid, low cost, easily replicated approach to restoring and improving agricultural, forested and pasture lands through reforestation and Agroforestry. It encourages natural tree re-growth by selecting, pruning and protecting naturally regenerating trees from living stumps, natural seed banks and roots in the soil making sprouting of trees easier. In Tasintha Project, FMNR is being considered as a promising climate-smart agricultural practice that represents an affordable means of enhancing rural livelihoods as well, and may contribute to climate change mitigation by sequestering substantial amounts of carbon in tree biomass and soil in addition to conserving biodiversity. It provides women and children with a voice, dignity and a means of meeting basic needs directly (food, fodder, wood) and indirectly through income generation. On farmland, FMNR makes a positive contribution to soil fertility, animal productivity and crop yields.
Agroforestry
Agroforestry is the interaction of agriculture and trees, including the agricultural use of trees. Interactions between trees and other components of agriculture may be important at a range of scales: in fields (where trees and crops are grown together), on farms (where trees may provide fodder for livestock, fuel, food, shelter or income from products including timber) and landscapes (where agricultural and forest land uses combine in determining the provision of ecosystem services).
Tasintha project provides agroforestry seedlings to all famers in all Farmers Field Schools to be planted systematically in farm fields and farm boundaries. JCED has a centralized nursery in Lilongwe where agroforestry seedlings, fruit seedlings and other exotic fruit seedlings are raised as demanded by the project beneficiaries.
Fruit trees
JCED is also working closely with farmers in planting of fruit trees in homesteads through Tasintha Project. JCED believes it is an important component of climate resilience project as it creates a natural incentive for people to protect their trees as fruit trees provides both food and income. Therefore, the cutting of fruit trees for energy and other purposes is not common as compared to other trees. JCED believes that incorporation of this component helps farmers in food security, nutrition and livelihood. Many people in Malawi go hungry and survive only on a staple carbohydrate called nsima (a porridge made from either maize or cassava), severely lacking many of the important vitamins and minerals which fruit can provide. Through Tasintha project, free access to a variety of fruit trees at household level is geared to improved health of vulnerable rural farming families, making them more resilient to the impacts of climate change.
This is one of the components of the Tasintha project which is aimed at increasing retention of natural regeneration of tree crops and shrubs, Agroforestry, and fruit tree orchards on beneficiaries’ farm fields and homesteads. This is in response to the fact that tree and forest cover on the beneficiaries farm fields and homesteads is devastatingly low, resulting in poor soil health for increased crop production, poor access to fuel-wood and construction poles, lack of fruit-based dietary diversity, and inadequate shade for comfortable well-being in hot seasons of the year. The national assessment of restoration opportunities revealed that farmers are well positioned to scale up forest landscape restoration through the adoption of agricultural technologies such as Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration and Agroforestry.
Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration
FMNR is a rapid, low cost, easily replicated approach to restoring and improving agricultural, forested and pasture lands through reforestation and Agroforestry. It encourages natural tree re-growth by selecting, pruning and protecting naturally regenerating trees from living stumps, natural seed banks and roots in the soil making sprouting of trees easier. In Tasintha Project, FMNR is being considered as a promising climate-smart agricultural practice that represents an affordable means of enhancing rural livelihoods as well, and may contribute to climate change mitigation by sequestering substantial amounts of carbon in tree biomass and soil in addition to conserving biodiversity. It provides women and children with a voice, dignity and a means of meeting basic needs directly (food, fodder, wood) and indirectly through income generation. On farmland, FMNR makes a positive contribution to soil fertility, animal productivity and crop yields.
Agroforestry
Agroforestry is the interaction of agriculture and trees, including the agricultural use of trees. Interactions between trees and other components of agriculture may be important at a range of scales: in fields (where trees and crops are grown together), on farms (where trees may provide fodder for livestock, fuel, food, shelter or income from products including timber) and landscapes (where agricultural and forest land uses combine in determining the provision of ecosystem services).
Tasintha project provides agroforestry seedlings to all famers in all Farmers Field Schools to be planted systematically in farm fields and farm boundaries. JCED has a centralized nursery in Lilongwe where agroforestry seedlings, fruit seedlings and other exotic fruit seedlings are raised as demanded by the project beneficiaries.
Fruit trees
JCED is also working closely with farmers in planting of fruit trees in homesteads through Tasintha Project. JCED believes it is an important component of climate resilience project as it creates a natural incentive for people to protect their trees as fruit trees provides both food and income. Therefore, the cutting of fruit trees for energy and other purposes is not common as compared to other trees. JCED believes that incorporation of this component helps farmers in food security, nutrition and livelihood. Many people in Malawi go hungry and survive only on a staple carbohydrate called nsima (a porridge made from either maize or cassava), severely lacking many of the important vitamins and minerals which fruit can provide. Through Tasintha project, free access to a variety of fruit trees at household level is geared to improved health of vulnerable rural farming families, making them more resilient to the impacts of climate change.
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Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration
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Agroforestry
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Fruit trees
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