Project 04Ongoing programmeClimate Action & Restoration

Climate & Environment Programme

Community-led tree planting, land restoration and practical environmental stewardship.

SURCOD's climate and environment work supports communities to restore degraded land, strengthen local environmental stewardship and connect ecosystem health with rural livelihoods. During the 2017 tree-planting season, the Sustainable Land Resources Management initiative planted thousands of trees across Chididi villages.

Location: Chididi communities, Nsanje District, Malawi
Dates: 2017 tree-planting season
Countries: Malawi
Community reach: 10,000 trees planted across Chididi villages during the 2017 season

Project overview

Restoration built through community mobilisation.

Communities in southern Malawi face recurring drought, floods, soil degradation and pressure on woodland resources. SURCOD's environmental work responds by combining practical restoration activities with community awareness and local participation.

In the 2017 tree-planting season, SURCOD brought communities together in Chididi for environmental action. A public launch in Mpangira Village involved local leaders, district officials, NGOs and residents.

Related SURCOD programme

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Objectives

What the environmental programme set out to achieve.

Restore degraded community landscapes through locally organised tree planting.

Strengthen awareness of the relationship between environmental health and rural livelihoods.

Promote community responsibility for the protection and survival of planted trees.

Engage local leadership and district institutions in practical climate and environmental action.

Build longer-term community resilience to environmental degradation and changing weather patterns.

Methodology

Community-led, visible and connected to local stewardship.

SURCOD combines visible community action with public environmental education. Tree planting is organised with local leaders, district structures and community members so that restoration is understood as a shared local responsibility rather than an externally delivered activity.

Activities

Community tree-planting campaigns in Chididi villages.
Public environmental-awareness and mobilisation events.
Engagement of traditional leaders, district forestry personnel and local organisations.
Promotion of local stewardship for planted trees and surrounding natural resources.
Linking land restoration with broader climate-resilience and livelihood discussions.

SURCOD implementation role

Bringing communities and local institutions into shared environmental action.

✓SURCOD mobilised communities and local institutions around practical restoration activities.
✓The organisation coordinated community participation during the 2017 planting season.
✓Local authorities and community leaders were engaged to strengthen ownership and visibility.
✓Environmental action was linked to SURCOD's wider work on agriculture, livelihoods and resilience.

Results

A large community mobilisation for land restoration.

10,000 trees planted

Communities planted 10,000 trees across several villages in Chididi during the 2017 planting season.

5,000 trees planted in Mpangira

Mpangira Village accounted for 5,000 of the 10,000 trees planted during the 2017 season through the Sustainable Land Resources Management initiative.

Around 3,000 people attended the launch

The Mpangira opening ceremony brought together approximately 3,000 people, including district leaders, traditional authorities, NGOs and community members.

Impact and follow-up

The 2017 campaign demonstrates SURCOD's ability to mobilise communities and local institutions around environmental restoration at meaningful scale.

The programme's long-term value lies in connecting visible restoration work with community stewardship, land management and the wider resilience of agriculture-dependent households.

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