It is mid-morning down in the Shire Valley district of Chikwawa and despite the scorching sun, students at Chikwawa Secondary School are moving between rows of tree seedlings with shovels, hoes and watering canes in their hands.
They are planting trees around their school in a bid to restore the environment and combat climate change.
“We want to make a significant impact on the environment so that we can keep our school green and safe from climate change effects,” said Patience Khamu, a Form Four student at the school. “Trees provide shade, improve air quality and also provide protection to our school during hailstorms.”
Enoch Balalika, Head teacher of the school, said this initiative is part of a larger effort to promote sustainability and educate young minds about the importance of environmental conservation. Apart from just planting, since last year, students adopted trees and safeguarded them through watering, weeding and monitoring their growth.
A national problem
Scenes like this unfold across Malawi every year during the National Forestry Season, observed from December to March. The campaign is designed to promote sustainable forest management nationwide.
Yet, as the seasons fades away, familiar questions resurface: Where are the millions of trees planted every year? How many trees survive and attain significant growth after being planted?
The uncomfortable reality is that survival rates remain low, with countless seedlings perishing before they even reach knee height.
In the 2024/25 national forestry season, government and its partners targeted to plant 40 million trees. At the end of the season, the Department of Forestry reported that the country had planted 50 million trees, beating the target by 10 million.
On paper, the outcome appeared impressive, but after a few months, the millions of trees planted were nowhere to be seen, as only a fraction survived, according o the Department of Forestry.
Data from the Department of Forestry indicates that at least 75 percent of the trees planted in government-managed plantations survive, but the figure drops to 60 to 65 percent on customary land.
The department believes that members of the community, who are the custodians of customary land, leave the trees to ruin due to, among others, lack of support and incentives to take care of the trees and the environment.
Environmental activist Gift Nyamuka agrees that the recurring challenge lies not in planting, but in stewardship.
“Who is going to take care of the trees after the pomp and fanfare during the launch vanish?” he queried.
Business conglomerate Press Corporation and its subsidiaries believes it has found part of the answer: community empowerment coupled with incentives. The company argues that with the right support and motivation, communities can move beyond ceremonial planting to sustained tree stewardship.
Last year, PCL launched “Press for Nature”, the group’s wide environmental sustainability initiative focused on reforestation, community engagement, and long-term climate resilience in Chikwawa. Since its inception, 20,000 trees have been planted across schools and surrounding communities.
According to its Chief Executive Officer, Ronald Mangani, the initiative is beyond tree planting.
He said institutions such as Chikwawa Secondary School and communities are actively involved in nurturing the trees, with survival and growth monitored in collaboration with the Department of Forestry.
“Communities and schools demonstrating strong stewardship and high survival rates continue to be recognised and awarded with various gifts to reinforce ownership and long-term responsibility,” he said.
He added that because of this approach, the survival rate of the trees planted last year now stands at 65 percent, which he said is encouraging.
Building on this foundation, the corporation has planted an additional 10,000 trees in the district, committing a total investment of K 95 million.
The initiative is already receiving praise from Department of Forestry officials in Chikwawa.
The district’s Assistant Forestry Officer, Stanley Ndiwo, said incentivising tree planting gives communities a sense of ownership to oversee the growth of the trees.
“In Chikwawa, when trees are left unattended they are consumed by livestock at a tender age, as you know, the population of livestock in the district is enormous,” said Ndiwo. “For most, tree planting ends where ceremonies end. Trees are planted, but most do not come back to check the progress, in the end wasting millions of resources.”
He said a lot of companies only come once the planting season commences. He believes proper planning is needed before planting.
As part of energising the communities to take care of the planted trees, PCL recently awarded Chikwawa Secondary School with solar-powered electricity for taking care of the trees planted around the school campus.
And Balalika said the school is geared to take care of the trees, not only because of the incentives attached to it, but also the long-term benefits of the trees to the school.
“Chikwawa is prone to different disasters every year, and this school is not spared. We have been significantly affected by hailstorms almost every year, and the damage is dire,” he said. “Planting trees is non-negotiable, and they shield us from the catastrophic effects of climate change.”
He said students, too, are more aware of their role in environmental protection, and they safeguard the trees.
“We always teach them that taking care of the trees is everyone’s responsibility,” Balalika said.
With each tree planted, the students are taking ownership of their environment and cultivating a sense of responsibility.
“We believe that even if they leave this place, they will continue planting and taking care of trees in their homes or their surroundings.”
