People urged to restore degraded landscapes

Lilongwe District Council has urged community members in the district to work hard to restore degraded landscapes and build resilience against climate change shocks.

Speaking on Saturday in Kamwendo Village, Traditional Authority Masula during a catchment management plan under Climate Smart Enhanced Public Works Programme, the council’s chief environmental officer Boniface Mwanza said the programme is an opportunity to conserve the environment.

He said: “Environmental degradation is worsening effects of climate change, affecting crop production and people’s livelihoods.

“In the project, people will be involved in watershed management activities to conserve soil and water for improved agricultural productivity.”

Mwanza said they  have embraced a bottom-up approach to address shortfalls in the district safety net plans.

He urged participants in the district’s 22 catchment areas to own the activities.

The district’s community development assistant Cecil Lihuhu said they expect sustainable socio-economic development after implementing the programme.

“The activities will make land productive once again, which will help the targeted participants, who are mostly the poor, to achieve food and nutrition security,” he said.

Group village head Kamwendo said they were committed to sustain the activities in the project.

The programme is implemented by National Local Government Finance Committee with funding from the World Bank.