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For many years, Zambia has been facing environmental degradation due to deforestation caused by population growth and immigration trends.
Thus, the country’s forest reserves have been depleting mainly due to illegal logging and conversion to non-forest methods, thereby
degrading and destroying many of Zambian protected areas.
It is worth mentioning that socio-economic causes and patterns of encroachment such as widespread poverty, limited fertile land availability, unemployment and poaching are said to be the main frontiers of deforestation.
Environment watchers hold that if no measures are adopted, the existing natural forests might be encroached and cause widespread deforestation due to charcoal production and the cutting down of trees.
Read more: 100,000 Zambian farmers gear up for tree-planting exercise in conservation initiative
More interventions have come through attempts to ‘sway away’ people from engaging in charcoal burning by introducing to communities economic activities that allow for forest perseveration.
This is the reason Community Markets for Conservation (COMACO) community initiatives to conserve nature are worth noting.
The social enterprises currently working with traditional leaders and the communities are implementing various initiatives to encourage
conservation agriculture and provide alternative livelihoods for the rural households.
Company is training small-scale farmers in climate-smart, sustainable agriculture, increasing crop yields.
Most importantly, the company is providing an amnesty to wildlife poachers in order for them to transform and engage in sustainable livelihood ventures, such as beekeeping and conservation agriculture as well as carbon trading.
Lawrence Mushiya, a reformed wildlife poacher has realised the importance of protecting game management area from illegal hunters, charcoal production and cutting down of trees.
He said he gave up illegal hunting due to the high risks involved and decided to start beekeeping in the Namwala Game Management Area (GMA).
Mushiya said from his beehives, he was able to harvest about 1,200 kilograms of honey, which he sales at K14.5. per kilogramme (Kg) to COMACO.
This, he said, has created a sustainable livelihood for him and his family.
About 3,200 beehives have been installed in the Mulilabanyama area, Itezhi-Tezhi District of Southern Province.
This is in a move to conserve the forest and provide an alternative livelihood for the rural community.
Chief Kaingu of Itezhi-Tezhi District said it was saddening to see the levels of deforestation in his area due to increased charcoal production and cutting down of trees.
The traditional leader said it was important for young people to engage in meaningful venture such as conservation farming instead of engaging in illegal hunting of wildlife and charcoal burning.
He said this will help reduce the poverty levels in the country through conservation farming.
“It’s a sad story, some years back when traveling to Itezhi-Tezhi District to the junction along the Mongu Lusaka road, you will see many animals along the road.
“Now they are not only tilling land but they are also becoming poachers and start killing animals at the national parks,” Chief Kaingu said.
He said there was need to intensify the education among the locals on the need to preserve the forests.
Commenting on the projects in the area, Project Coordinator, Doreen Mudenda-Banda, said farmers have set up 3,200 beehives in different places within the forest.
Mudenda-Banda explained that farmers had sat and realised that they needed to conserve the forest as a community.
“We came up with an alternative livelihood which are beekeeping activity. We have 3,200 beehives which have been put up by different farmers in different places within the forest.
“These farmers are put in groups and each of them is given five beehives by us so that they conserve the area as a community and once they do that we harvest the honey and provide a market for them,” she said.
On the beekeeping project, the company works mostly with the reformed poachers, who they have given a livelihood through beekeeping and
conservation farming.
Mudenda-Banda pointed out that apart from beekeeping through which farmers can harvest honey, the forest provides carbon credit for them.
She indicated that trees play an important role in climate change and giving a balance to the ecosystem as well as help farmers get other
forest products.
Mudenda-Banda said partners have come on board to buy the carbon from the farmers, thereby providing sustainable livelihood for
them.
This, she said the money can be used to better their communities such as improving water systems in the areas or facilitate initiatives that support the growth of the community.
“At the end of the day, the community will realise that there is potential in the forest, there is money in the forest.
“The community will begin to say it’s not just a tree I see and then turn it into charcoal but it’s a tree that I hung the beehives from and got honey from it. It’s able to sink the carbon, which partners are able to buy from the farmers,” she said.
Mudenda-Banda also said that they are working with 4,755 farmers in Itezhi-Tezhi District, where the institution was promoting sustainable
agriculture.
She added that they are working in six chiefdoms in Chief Kaingu, Chief Chinyabufu, Chief Muwezwa, Chief Shezongo, and Chief Shimbinzhi on issues of climate change.
Mudenda-Banda also noted that they were working with the honorary forest officers and community resource management board to help minimise the issue of charcoal production and cutting down of trees in the area.
Communication Manager, George Sichinga, also said they provide markets for the farmers they work with in the areas the company operates from.
Sichinga said the farmers in turn commit to doing conservation agriculture and protecting the forest.
Communities have come together to protect the game management area by ensuring that no harmful and destructive practices such as
charcoal production, cutting down of trees are practiced in the area, he said.
Sichinga added that as result of conserving the forest, farmers are able to do beekeeping, where the harvest honey and engage in other practices such as mushroom growing and collection of wild fruit.
“One thing that is encouraging us as a company is that, there is this phrase of saying that money doesn’t grow on trees, but what we
have seen in the communities is that they are seeing that money is growing on these trees they are growing and protecting because they
know there is production of honey, mushroom and wild fruits.
“They are also able to benefit from trees in terms of carbon,” he said.
On the carbon, Sichinga said they have been implementing the project since 2015 and the company has so far made three payments in the nine chiefdoms of Eastern Province.
He informed that the latest payment the company made was in excess of US$3.1 million.
Sichinga said the carbon project in terms of payment has been expanded to Central, Southern and Muchinga Provinces.
“We are expecting 16 more chiefdoms to come on board and receive the carbon payment this year. In Mumbwa and Itezhi-Tezhi we are also expecting 13 chiefdoms. Overall 57 to 60 chiefdoms will benefit from the carbon payment this year,” he said.
The COMACO conservation projects have come to show how critical it is to ensure that conservation agriculture was sustained with the various initiatives being undertaken.
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