Deforestation & Health Equity: Community Reforestation in Malawi
Co-written by Jessica Stephens and Emma Heneine. Interviews conducted by Smart Bwanali.
An emerging infectious disease likely originating in bats and introduced in wet markets in Wuhan, China is enveloping the globe. COVID-19 begs for heightened attention to the nexus of public and planetary health and the need for integrated systems and solutions. The CDC reports three out of four emerging infectious diseases, such as Ebola and HIV/AIDS, originate in animals. Furthermore, evidence shows that deforestation is a major driver of increased exposure to animals and potentially harmful viruses like the novel coronavirus.
The link between deforestation and health equity in Malawi exemplifies the interactions between ecosystems, public health, economic stability, and community resilience. Although only scratching the surface of our complex systems, this story demonstrates the urgent need for greater attention to the environment and its short- and long-term effects on global health equity.
Malawi was one of the last countries to report cases of COVID-19. While we hope this delay allowed for evidence-informed preparation, Malawi’s health system is already severely under-resourced, with only seven ventilators nationwide. Moreover, Malawi’s populace may be highly susceptible to COVID-19’s harmful effects as the country has a high burden of disease, including HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis. Experts worry that Malawi, like many low-income countries, is not well prepared to manage this new epidemic. For these reasons, debt relief for countries, such as Malawi, is critical in the fight against COVID-19 as well as equal access to protective equipment and other essential medical supplies.
There is no question that the impact of COVID-19 will be universal. But just how equitable — or inequitable — its impact will be across different continents, countries, and communities is yet to be determined. Today, we urge the global community to draw attention and support for the most marginalized communities in order to promote health equity in the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.
In October 2019, the 2018–2019 Global Health Corps (GHC) Malawi cohort hiked the Zomba Plateau, a well-known forest reserve in Malawi’s Southern Region. Expecting to walk under towering trees and lush greenery, we were instead confronted with Zomba’s severe deforestation. As we ascended the plateau, flocks of people descended bearing stacks of firewood. Atop the plateau, we were greeted by 360 degree views of tree stumps. Unfortunately, these sites are not uncommon in Malawi, which has the highest rates of deforestation in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region.
As we commemorate Earth Day and this year’s theme of Climate Action, we must call attention to communities which are most vulnerable to the adverse effects of environmental degradation and climate change. We also celebrate the one-year anniversary of the 2018–2019 GHC Malawi cohort’s reforestation project in partnership with the Malakamu community on Zomba Plateau and The Reforestation of the Environment and Ecosystem of Zomba (Zomba TREEZ). We planted seedlings in the hopes that they will bring long-lasting sources of wealth in the form of energy, sustenance, building material, environmental protection, and health. Just one year later, is this long-term impact in sight? And what climate action is needed to mitigate Malawi’s deforestation and preserve the natural environment while promoting public health?
Malawi’s Devastating Deforestation
Between 1972 and 1990, Malawi lost over 40 percent of forest coverage and 15 percent of its forest and woodland habitat from 1990 to 2005. Today, only three percent of Malawi is forested. Such high rates of deforestation can be attributed, in large part, to unsustainable land management and agricultural practices. Over 85 percent of Malawians are smallholder subsistence maize farmers, the majority of whom cultivate only one or two main cash crops: maize or tobacco. As a result, arable lands are often over-cultivated, overgrazed, and degraded by lack of crop variety, referred to as mono-culture. As lands are overused, the yields diminish and farmers are forced to expand to new plots, often requiring cutting down more trees, repeating a vicious cycle.
In line with these trends, shifting agricultural practice has been the leading driver of tree cover loss in Malawi since 2001. In addition to cutting down trees to meet the food needs of Malawi’s growing population, trees are also used as biomass, which currently comprises 89 percent of Malawi’s energy supply.
This dependence on land and agricultural strength cannot be overstated. Malawians have a saying “chimanga ndi umoyo” which means “maize for life.” In effect, a good harvest can feed a family and be sold for profit to support future investments. On the other hand, a bad harvest can lead to household hunger and bankruptcy. At the national level, the land and its yields essentially determine national food security and the economy.
Deforestation’s Effects on Health & Well-being
Deforestation is the most visible driver of global environmental change, especially in cases of human populations expanding into previous forested areas. It has been connected to the spread of infectious diseases including malaria, Ebola, and COVID-19. In the absence of tree roots to hold soil together and keep water underground, water readily passes atop soil, eroding its top layers and diminishing underground reserves. Domestic or agricultural contaminants are often carried off, contaminating clean water and increasing water-borne illness. For these same reasons, deforestation contributes to flooding as the soil is unable to retain rainfall. Ironically, deforestation also contributes to droughts. Trees are needed to expel water from the ground and rain back into the air as vapor, bringing clouds and regular rainfall. Floods and droughts directly impact public health as they can exacerbate food insecurity.
Sadly, Malawi is no stranger to droughts and floods which comprise an estimated 1.7 percent loss of the country’s gross domestic product annually. The human and financial costs of natural disasters is monstrous without the resilient infrastructure and safeguards in place. The infamous Cyclone Idai pillaged through Malawi, Mozambique, and Zimbabwe just over a year ago, destroying an estimated 224,000 homes, displacing more than 160,000 people, and causing large-scale food shortages and aggregate poverty. Unfortunately, Cyclone Idai is not an exception — floods accounted for about half of environmental disasters in Malawi between 1946 and 2013.
Climate change is expected to increase the frequency and intensity of such disasters, in addition to other emerging challenges including air pollution, allergens, wildfires, extreme temperatures, extreme precipitation, widespread disease, greater food and waterborne disease, food insecurity, and mental health disorders — many of which Malawi is already experiencing.
Notably, not all climate change is created equal — the greatest impacts of climate change fall on the most vulnerable populations. Inequity is apparent in the fact that although the continent is one of the smallest contributors to climate change, Africa is projected to be hit hardest by the effects of climate change second only to the North and South poles.
Zomba Plateau: The Need for Reforestation
The Zomba Plateau, the water source for all of Zomba district, is disproportionately devastated by deforestation. It is estimated that one million trees are deforested in Zomba each year, translating into about 18 percent forest loss since 2000. Residents in Malakumu on the Zomba Plateau are acutely aware of the effects of deforestation and climate change in their community, citing challenges like insufficient firewood, frequent forest fires, reduced rainfall, lower river levels, fewer water catchments, and inadequate water levels for irrigation farming. Many households struggle to harvest enough to provide for their families. Furthermore, women bear the brunt of these challenges as their domestic work involves responsibilities like collecting water for cleaning and preparing meals.
The Malawi GHC cohort worked closely with Zomba TREEZ, a local organization committed to protecting and preserving the Zomba Plateau’s natural environment. Zomba TREEZ works hand-in-hand with local communities — bringing awareness, educating, and implementing reforestation projects. With these critical partnerships, the Malawi GHC cohort successfully facilitated a project to bring public attention and community-driven action to mitigate the effects of deforestation in Zomba. Mobilizing about $1,500 in financial resources, we planted 3,620 seedlings of various tree species in community woodlots and household gardens. Once mature, the trees will provide food (mangos, guavas, avocados, lemons, oranges, and masuku) for consumption and sale. Furthermore, the forest will provide lumber for use and sale (Mtangatanga, with 96 percent of Malawi’s population depending on wood or charcoal for cooking), improve soil nitrogen levels (Gliricidia, a vital nutrient leached from mono-culture), serve as a windbreak to protect crops from storms, strengthen the soil against flooding, promote regular rainfall, and beautify the community.
Planting tree seedlings was a huge first step to address Malakumu’s deforestation stressors. However, to ensure they actually provide for future generations, the trees must be nurtured and protected — especially during their first 10 years of maturation. For that reason, women and children played a leading role in the planting as they are integral to sustaining the trees and reaping their benefits. Furthermore, the project is being sustained by community members beyond Malakamu, demonstrating the district-wide investment in reforestation efforts. Our cohort also donated $1,000 to Zomba TREEZ’s initiatives to protect against forest fires, including building firefighter watch towers and providing rakes and boots for community members to protect their new forests.
Growth in the Past Year and Future Outlook
We checked in with Malakumu community members to see how the seedlings are growing and reflect on the value of the reforestation efforts. After speaking with Malakumu’s Chief and three resident beneficiaries, it was clear that the community is grateful for the project and expectant for future benefits the trees will bring:
“Ours are only words of appreciation. We thank GHC for supporting us with tree seedlings. As villagers we always want to plant trees but we don’t know where we can access tree seedlings. We are very grateful to GHC.” — Melida Moforo
All of the community members explained how trees are sources of community wealth:
“Trees are wealth because they provide multiple benefits like fuel wood, food, income, and other services. For example, the fruit trees we have planted will be a source of income in the future. We have also planted eucalyptus trees which will provide an immediate source of building materials such as poles.” — Adam Yusuf
They also pointed out the environmental benefits:
“The project is very helpful because trees are important in different ways. For example, the trees that we have planted will protect us from stormy wind. Even for us to receive good rains and fresh air we depend on trees. And in the future once the trees have matured we will also get money by selling the trees.” — Isaac Bwanali
And, stated how they will protect the seedlings:
“We will take care of the trees by slashing and making firebreaks. Currently, we are all prohibited from leaving our goats moving around in the village. We are doing all this in order to sustain the trees.” — Isaac Bwanali
Finally, the Chief explained the importance of engaging the youth in the reforestation activities for sustainability:
“As one way of ensuring sustainability, we encourage active participation of the youth in planting and caring for trees. I know that young people are important in such projects because they are the strongest segment of the community. Young people are the true heirs of any community development. Deforestation affects all of us, but the magnitude of the impacts is worse on the youth. That is why we have to ensure that the youth understand and participate actively in tree planting projects.” — Chief Enock Katembe
Although Malakumu community’s gratitude and commitment to the trees is promising, the real impact of the reforestation efforts will take years to fully realize and must go beyond isolated communities for large-scale impact. The Malawi government has committed two million USD to support youth in restoring more than 50,000 hectares of land. Though this is a step in the right direction, this commitment is less than half of what the government originally promised and will not go far to replenish Malawi’s millions of deforested hectares. Ultimately, much greater investments and climate action are needed to protect sustainable food and water supplies, prevent land degradation, mitigate the effects of drought, prevent flooding, and promote health equity.
Jessica Stephens and Emma Heneine were 2018–2019 Global Health Corps fellows in Malawi. Smart Bwanali is a member of the Malakumu Community working with ZombaTREEZ.
Global Health Corps (GHC) is a leadership development organization building the next generation of health equity leaders around the world. All GHC fellows, partners, and supporters are united in a common belief: health is a human right. There is a role for everyone in the movement for health equity. To learn more, visit our website and connect with us on Twitter/Instagram/Facebook.
