Communities engaged to conserve environment

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ipple Africa has engaged community members in Salima District to use changu changu cooking stoves to protect the environment.

Addressing district executive committee members on Friday, the organisation’s country manager Force Ngwira said the stoves use less firewood, which helps to conserve trees.

He said the stoves will help reduce pressure on trees which he said have been depleted in most parts of the district.

Said Ngwira: “We did a survey in 2009 which indicates that a family that uses a traditional hearth uses three bundles of firewood in a week.

“But with changu changu stoves, a family will use one bundle of firewood a week.”

Therefore, he said they introduced changu changu stoves upon realising the increasing rate of deforestation due to high demand of charcoal and firewood.

Ngwira said they first introduced the project in Nkhata Bay in 2010 and extended it to Mzimba and Nkhotakota in 2019.

Salima district forestry officer Adam Jason welcomed the project, saying it has come at the right time because it is in line with the council’s plan of promoting sustainable forestry management.

He said the programme came at the right time when the district and the country are working hard to protect the environment.

“The project is also in line with the 2017-2027 National Charcoal Strategy pillars 1, 2 and 3,” said Jason.

Salima district director of planning and development Kelvin Harawa said the district needs such partners to complement government’s efforts in providing different services to the people.

With funding from Conserve Carbon Malawi to the tune of K506 million, the organisation will implement the project in salima’s 12 traditional authorities. 

According to the district forestry office, Salima loses about 500 hactares of forestry cover every year. n