On 16th January 2018, it was one of the happiest days at the Forestry Research Institute of Malawi (FRIM) when National Commission for Science and Technology (NCST) officials represented by the Director General descended to Zomba, a city on the South Eastern side of Malawi. Zomba is an intellectual hub of Malawi and is a…

Forests vs Agriculture: Tackling food security and poverty in Malawi In sub Saharan Africa population growth, land degradation and lack of suitable land for agriculture has driven farmers into forested areas. But the relationship between forests, agriculture and wellbeing is complex and the gains that farmers make here are often not enough to keep them…

Tackling poverty traps and enhancing safety nets The crucial role of miombo for poverty mitigation is in spite of the fact that miombo is of low productivity and is not well-endowed with high-value timber resources. This makes them less interesting to commercial concerns, but what matters is their high local value to tens of millions…

Mulanje Mountain In sub Saharan Africa population growth, land degradation and lack of suitable land for agriculture has driven farmers into forested areas. But the relationship between forests, agriculture and wellbeing is complex and the gains that farmers make here are often not enough to keep them out of poverty and can result in the…