The Department of Forestry in Ntcheu district has said it has a target of 1.3 million trees to be planted in the year 2024.
Speaking in an interview, senior assistant forestry officer for the district Clotrilda Kandota said which are being that planted are not only from the department but also partners.
Among others, she some trees are from non-governmental organizations like World Vision, Save the Children, smallholder farmers that are connected to tobacco companies, private tree growers, and the village natural resources management committee.
“Despite the drought being the main challenge that we have, we have still managed to start planting trees this month which will go on through the whole forest season which started from December 15, 2023 to April 15, 2024,” Kandota says.
According to the ADFO, crop growing seasons act as a challenge for tree planting since it hinders people from planting trees because people prefer going to their farms rather than planting trees in their communities.
“To ensure that trees are still being planted according to our time frame we facilitate tree planting, and have had a lot of tree planting launches to encourage people to plant trees,” Kandota emphasized
Kandota further said that it is not enough to plant trees but rather the communities also have a responsibility to take care of these trees and nature them because by doing so they are investing in their future and they will enjoy the benefits of them even for generations to come.
