lessons and recommendations for sustainable agroforestry initiatives with smallholder farmers

Since 2020, Inter Aide has been implementing agroforestry projects in Malawi’s Lilongwe and Phalombe districts. One of the objectives is to increase rural households’ energy autonomy and generate incomes by selling wood-based products. Yet, trees bring along multiple benefits, such as autonomy in fuelwood, water conservation on the farmlands, protection against drought and erosion, and improve soil fertility. For farmers, tree planting and management are closely related to the delimitation of their land and the right to benefit from the products. Women are most involved in agroforestry and nursery setup and management.

In order to better understand the current gender dynamics in agroforestry , Inter Aide has conducted a study to explore to what extent the factors of gender and land could potentially influence men’s and women’s capabilities to participate, access, and benefit from agro-forestry programs in two districts of the country.