Ecobank Malawi Limited recently pledged its continued support to projects aimed at combating the effects of climate change.

The pledge was made at Ntchisi, a district in central Malawi, as the bank made the last payment of a 3 year carbon sequestration tree planting project worth $7,500. The project is implemented by the World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF) in cooperation with the Sustainability Science Programme at Harvard University.
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By Nyongesa Josephat

504 Kenyan farmers have received 799,724 Kenya Shillings (US$ 8,886) this year from industrialists and conservation groups around Lake Naivasha, for land use practices that ensure adequate flow of clean water into the lake through the Malewa River.

Water Resources Director, Mr John Nyaoro (left) receives a cheque from LANAWRUA chairman Mr. Richard Fox (right) before handing it over to the Upper Turasha WRUA members (seen behind). PHOTO: WWF-Naivasha staff

The payments are the second for an environmental services scheme at the upper catchment area of the Malewa River. The first payment in May 2010 was of US$10,000 from the Lake Naivasha Water Resource Users Association (LANAWRUA) to 470 farmers in the catchment.

LANAWRUA, which represents 23 member commercial farms around Lake Naivasha, is composed of the Lake Naivasha Growers Group (LNGG) and the Lake Naivasha Riparian Association (LNRA).

At this year’s event, LANAWRUA presented two cheques to the Upper Turasha-Kinja and the Wanjohi Water Resource User Associations (WRUAs). The two WRUAs represent the 504 farmers.

Wanjohi WRUA received 438, 815 Kenya Shillings (US$4,903) while Upper Turasha WRUA received 360,909 Kenya Shillings (US$4,033). The upstream WRUAs are located in the Wanjohi  and Turasha sub-catchments of the Malewa River, which flows into Lake Naivasha from the western foothills of the Aberdare Mountains.

Lake Naivasha is crucial for Kenya’s horticulture and flower production, for geothermal power generation and for tourism around the lake and Nakuru town.
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Strengthening local institutions is key to ensuring the involvement of smallholder farmers in payments for environmental service (PES) deals. PRESA worked with Nature Harness Initiatives (NAHI) in Uganda to prepare local stakeholders for participation in carbon PES along River Wambabya in the Albertine Rift, and watershed PES at the Rushebeya-Kanyabaha wetland.

A wetland in Uganda. PHOTO: NAHI

The work involved cataloguing the potential sellers, intermediaries and private-sector buyers of environmental services in the two landscapes. Awareness creation was conducted among potential sellers at community level. These included existing groups and networks of land owners, forest owners, people engaged in forest and wetland-based enterprises, parish wetland management committees and other users of forest and wetland resources.

The potential buyers included Kisiizi Hospital Power Company (at Rushebeya-Kanyabaha) and British American Tobacco and McLeod Russel Uganda( at Wambabya). Dialogue on PES was initiated among the potential buyers and government institutions. At the Wambabya riverine forest system, the two private sector companies have contributed greatly to ecosystem conservation in their areas of operation.
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177 small holder farmers in Malawi continue to benefit from cash rewards for green house gas emission reduction from planting indigenous trees.

Mr Yohane Manda (centre), one of the participating farmers, talks about his involvement in the tree planting project.

The initiative is facilitated by the World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF – International Centre for Research in Agroforestry) using funds pledged by Ecobank Malawi.

The pilot project, which is in its second year, is being conducted in Joni village in the area of Malenga in Ntchisi District.

According to the World Agroforestry Centre’s senior agriculture economist Olu Ajayi, the 177 farmers were each given 50 seedlings of an indigenous tree species with the promise that those who look after the trees successfully will be rewarded.

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Previous articles on the same topic:

Ecobank funding farmers in Malawi carbon project

Payments for trees: useful lessons from Malawi

Over 200 households in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, were interviewed in a survey by PRESA, to find out whether consumers of water in the city are willing to pay for watershed conservation.

Left to right: Bedru Balana from the Macaulay Institute for Land Use Research reviews a survey questionnaire with Mwangi Gathenya and John Kimani Mwangi, both from the Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture & Technology in Kenya.

The survey, held from 19 – 26 October is part of PRESA activities of linking communities living in the catchment area of Sasumua Dam with water users in Nairobi. Sasumua Dam supplies the city with about 20% of its fresh water needs.

The one-week survey was done in six sub-locations in central and Northwestern parts of the city: Ruthimitu, Loresho, Mountain View, Gatina, Maziwa, and Upper-Parklands. According to the Nairobi City Water and Sewerage Company (NCWSC), these are some of the areas that receive water from Sasumua Dam.

There were also two focus group discussions held at the World Agroforestry Centre offices. The Centre’s staff living in the targeted areas were invited to participate. The discussions brought up issues of water availability and quality of service from Nairobi’s water company.
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On Thursday, May 20, 2010, environmental service sellers and buyers signed one of the very first environmental service contracts in Kenya. The aim is to secure livelihoods and habitats for biodiversity and economic development in the Lake Naivasha catchment.

Members of the Wanjohi Water Resource Users Association (left and centre) receive a cheque from Mr. Eugene Reeksting (right), Vice Chairman of the Lake Naivasha Water Users Association. PHOTO/Mukele Nyongesa Josephat

With support from the Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF) and CARE- Kenya, the contract was signed after a careful process of stakeholder analysis and dialogue followed by identification of environmental service sellers and buyers, trust building, development of a memorandum of understanding and fine tuning seller – buyer negotiations.

The Lake Naivasha environmental services contract is part of a joint WWF and CARE- Kenya scheme known as Equitable Payment for Watershed Services (EPWS). This environmental services scheme is geared towards providing downstream water users with quality water as the environmental service. The water is needed for agriculture, horticulture, ecotourism, fisheries, geothermal power generation and for the timber industry.
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Cheque presentation. Left to right: Mr Benson Jambo (Ecobank), Mr. Vilipo Munthali (Financial Controller, Ecobank), Mr Henry Kwavale (ICRAF) and Mr. Mdowoka (District Commissioner and Guest of Honour)

Ecobank Malawi, a pan African Bank present in 31 countries, has pledged continued support to over 170 small holder farmers to plant trees in Ntchisi District, central region of Malawi. The project, where farmers will be receiving cash in exchange for investing land and labor, is aimed at promoting the planting of the indigenous M’bawa trees – one of Malawi’s flagship species – on half an acre of their land.

The program will capture and store harmful carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere. Together with similar programs all over Africa, this initiative will help slow down the rate of climate change across the globe. The trees will eventually serve as a source of fuelwood and timber for these rural families.

Ecobank has pledged $2,500 a year for the first three years of the project. The first Ecobank-supported payment to farmers was made in December 2009. The small incentive payments are based on the number of surviving trees and will encourage farmers to invest the necessary energy into protecting and nurturing the trees while they are young.
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