One Acre Fund Boosts Tree Planting in Dowa

One Acre Fund (Farmers First) has pledged to support Dowa District’s efforts to combat environmental degradation through tree planting and reforestation.

The organisation is supporting government initiatives by establishing community nurseries, where volunteer Nursery Managers raise seedlings for distribution to registered farmers free of charge.

Presenting the 2025/26 season progress report to the Dowa District Executive Committee (DEC), One Acre Fund Compliance Coordinator Thandiwe Ngwira Selemani said 151 nurseries in Chibvala, Nachisaka, Mvera and Nalunga Extension Planning Areas (EPAs) produced and distributed 1,655,589 tree seedlings for planting across the district.

Selemani said the programme aims to empower farmers to plant trees as a long-term investment while restoring the environment through agroforestry.

She said the programme also seeks to contribute to poverty reduction by introducing high-value timber species and other tree-based products and services over the next 10 years.

In the short term, the programme targets distributing more than 120 million quality tree seedlings to over two million farmers across Malawi by 2030, with a target survival rate of 65 percent.

Selemani said the programme has recorded successes in Dowa, including strong coordination with the District Forestry Office and EPA staff, community commitment to nurseries, capacity building for Nursery Managers and job creation.

However, she cited challenges including misunderstandings over nursery timelines and land use, low commitment among some Nursery Managers in urban-like areas, limited local support, seed sourcing and quality issues, and delays in the delivery of polythene tubes.

For the 2026/27 season, One Acre Fund plans to reach 2,880 hectares and 80,000 farmers, distributing 3.2 million tree seedlings, with each farmer receiving 25 seedlings.

“The programme has also expanded to new EPAs such as Bowe, Chisepo, Nambuma and Madisi, with a total of 349,110 tree seedlings to be distributed,” Selemani said.

Meanwhile, Dowa Civil Society Organisations Network Chairperson Maxwell Kadutsa urged partners implementing agricultural interventions to support the programme in achieving its objectives.

Kadutsa also encouraged One Acre Fund to continue sharing progress reports to promote cooperation, transparency and accountability in the district.

The programme is being implemented in collaboration with stakeholders including the Forestry Research Institute of Malawi (FRIM), District Forestry Office, Village Natural Resources Management Committees, Land Resources and Polypack.