How irrigation is helping women leave charcoal behind
Most women living around Katanino Forest Reserve in Masaiti District, Zambia, earned a living by packaging and/or selling charcoal produced illegally inside the Forest Reserve. With the inception of the Katanino Project, alternative sustainable livelihoods were introduced within the communities to replace the unsustainable ones that were putting pressure on forest resources.
Agroforestry: When trees and crop grows together
Most people think of farming and forests as separate things. You either grow crops or you nurture trees. But in many parts of the world, farmers have known for generations that the two belong together.
Inter-cropping: Results over the years
Mr. Kazonde has been restoring his lot for the last four years with pines and legumes. See the photos and watch the transformation.
We did not just save the land, we are doing it, together
Mulu, 43, is a mother of five. In her hands she holds her father’s old hoe, its handle worn, smooth by decades of use. ”Before WeForest came, for years, I had watched the rain steal our soil. Every rainy season, the water came rushing down the bare slope, carving deep wounds into the nearby fields, taking everything needed to heal our degraded land. The land was leaving us gradually and we had nothing to hold onto.”
Restoration relies on trust
When funders, companies and donors want to give money to an ecological restoration project, they encounter a problem: How to make sure what they are funding is having real impact?
How drones are transforming mangrove monitoring in Senegal
Stretching across the Sine-Saloum Delta and Casamance Estuary, our restoration projects in Senegal span 7,019 hectares of coastline, an area roughly the size of 10,000 football fields.
Why does restoration need women’s wisdom?
At WeForest, we’ve learned two things. First: elderly women and men hold traditional ecological knowledge that is related to their line of work. Women in particular are holders of irreplaceable wisdom about soils, seeds, water, and forests. Second: including women doesn’t mean counting how many attend a meeting. It means accommodating their needs to make space for them to be heard and shape decisions.
Guardians of Wof-Washa: A Legacy of Conservation and Protection
The Wof-Washa Forest has been a protected natural treasure for centuries. Conservation efforts have evolved, from strict timber control and reforestation programs to community-driven restoration approaches. Today, the forest’s preservation depends on the dedication of local forest guards, participatory forest management cooperatives, conservation workers, and residents who continue the mission of safeguarding this historic landscape.
The power of putting learning into practice
The final instalment of our series focusing on the women leaders at WeForest Zambia, our spotlight turns to Ing’utu Simasiku, our Forest Advisor and Leah Banda Project Manager of Copperbelt.
“When women are part of the solution, their influence ripples through families and communities”
Continuing our series of women leaders at WeForest Zambia we have MULAKO M. MUIMUI, Manager of our Kantanino Project and Natasha Watts, Head of Project Development. They were interviewed in November about their experiences working in conservation and leading teams.
