The Kulera Project was a $7 million program funded by USAID from October 2009 to December 2013. The aim was to assist and support the Government of Malawi’s goal of ensuring biodiversity conservation in five key protected areas: Nyika National Park, Vwaza Wildlife Reserve, Nkhotakota Wildlife Reserve, Mkuwazi Forest Reserve and Ntchisi Forest Reserve. Kulera is targeting 45,000 resource-poor households living in villages around the five protected areas (PAs), which collectively encompass an area 6,102 km, excluding the 10 km zone around their perimeter. Building on achievements, lessons and institutional structures established to date, the biodiversity challenges in these areas are being tackled from a community-based cross-sectoral perspective. This ultimate goal involves a vision to help transform impoverished communities on degraded lands around their borders to prosperous communities on healthy lands. The project’s objectives were achieved through a 2-pronged approach: 1) engaging communities in the management and use of protected areas under a participatory governance structure that provides sustainable economic incentives for participation, and 2) improving the livelihoods of these communities through interventions that involve agriculture and enterprise development with sound management of natural resources. This integrated strategy helped reduce incentives to exploit resources in the targeted protected areas.

FAO Agreement GFTS/RAF/394ITA over the period July 2007 to June 2010. The project was funded by the Italian Government and coordinated by the Food and Agriculture Organization. TLC was implementing the program in partnership with the International Institute for Tropical Agriculture (IITA). The objectives of the project were: i) extend improved production and on-farm value addition of cassava and other traditional staples; ii) strengthen the capacity of farmers, farmer’s groups and cooperatives to plan, implement, and manage value addition and improve market access for produce; and iii) identify, appraise and promote entry for cassava and alternative high value farm products in rural and urban markets. The project was implemented in Central Malawi with a budget for TLC of US$211,141 for a period of 2 years. Contact person at the FAO Malawi office is Alick Nkhoma (Deputy Resident Representative) – email: Alick.Nkhoma@fao.org; Tel No.: +265 1 773 255 / 564.

Funded by Japan Tobacco Group with a total funding of US$3,556,058 from 2007 to 2015. TLC was in consortium led by Washington State University. The project covered Urambo North & South, Sikonge North & South, Ulyankulu East & West of Tabora region, Tanzania. The goal was to improve the lives and livelihoods of rural farm communities with the purpose of increasing the productivity, resilience and sustainability of smallholder tobacco growers.

Project objectives:

1. Improve the economic use and management of natural resources to increase the sustainable supply of wood for domestic and farm uses, to improve the efficiency of wood use for curing tobacco and for cooking and to reduce deforestation.

2. Increase and diversify farm productivity to improve household food security, nutrition, and incomes through low-cost, sustainable systems of irrigation linked to good markets.

3. Enhance rural health standards by introducing safe water and sanitation

Key Results:

⇒ Beneficiary households: 9,761 impacting approximately 49,000 people.

⇒ Nurseries: 12.1 million tree seedlings were raised in village nurseries with 128,727 bamboos.

⇒ Out-Planting: 10.67 million tree seedlings and 116,647 bamboos were out-planted covering approximately 4320 ha.

⇒ Natural Woodland Regeneration: 1266 ha were under management with over 3 million trees.

⇒ Commercial Village Woodlots & Natural Regeneration: A pilot trial was implemented with 10 villages groups comprising 77 members who established 94 ha of woodlots with 234,000 trees to sale wood and demarcated 47 ha of natural regeneration for conservation and management.

⇒ Improved Stoves: 6115 households built and used improved cook-stoves impacting 30,000 people.

⇒ Rocket Barns: 41 were built with smallholder tobacco farmers demonstrating a fuelwood savings of over 60%. Responsibility was transferred to tobacco companies to scale up construction.

⇒ Treadle pump Irrigation: 1327 households were supported with treadle pumps to irrigate high value cash and vegetable crops on 241 ha impacting 6,635 people.

⇒ Solar irrigation: Two successful pilot solar irrigation systems were established with 27 farmers to grow high value vegetable and cash crops.

⇒ Conservation Agriculture: CA was introduced in the last 2 years with 145 households on 58 ha.

⇒ Potable Water: 260 shallow wells were installed with hand-pumps, benefiting 95 villages and 4855 households impacting over 24,000 people.

⇒Sanitation: 2594 households in 254 villages were supported to build eco-pit latrines impacting over 13,000 people.

Funded by ExxonMobil Exploration and Production Tanzania Limited with a total of $304,496 (included TLC's cost share of $127,967) from 2016 to 2018. TLC was in a consortium led by Kickstart International. The project covered Kilosa, Mvomero and Masasi from Morogoro and Mtwara regions, Tanzania.

The goal was to improve the livelihoods of rural communities with enhanced resilience to climate change.

Project Objectives:

1. Increase production of irrigated crops for home consumption and sale.

2. Improve access to markets by beneficiary households.

Key Results:

⇒ Treadle pump Irrigation: 346 households were supported with treadle pumps to irrigate high value cash and vegetable crops on 94 ha impacting 1730 people.

⇒ Tree planting: 331 households planted 38,012 seedlings on 15 ha of land.

⇒ Improved Stoves: 255 households built and used improved cook-stoves impacting 785 people.

Funded by Japan Tobacco International and Japan Tobacco with a total funding of US$ 2,000,000 from 2010 to 2015. TLC implemented the project in Chipata and Lundazi district in Eastern province, Zambia.

The overall goal was to improve the livelihoods of 20,000 households of rural communities in Eastern Zambia.

Objectives:

⇒ Reduce deforestation by improving the economic use and management of natural resources to supply wood energy and construction materials building and domestic household needs focusing on tree and bamboo planting, sustainable management of natural trees and woodlands, fuel-efficient cook stoves;

⇒ Increase and diversify farm productivity to improve household food security, nutrition, and incomes using low-cost, sustainable systems of rain-fed agriculture and irrigation linked to good markets;

⇒ Enhance rural health with safe water and sanitation.

Key Results:

⇒ 14,047 households (HHs) from 671 villages planted 8,703,060 trees and 461,557 bamboos;

⇒ 287 ha of village forests were placed under management by 7,851 HHs in 278 villages;

⇒ 334 ha were managed as individual forest areas by 1,801 HHs in 302 villages;

⇒ 6,591 HHs in 495 villages constructed the fuel-efficient cook-stove;

⇒ 2,060 HHs practiced conservation agriculture in 222 villages on 1,506 ha.

Phase II of the project was funded by Japan Tobacco International with a total funding of US$ 624,330 from 2015 to 2018. TLC implemented the project in Chipata and Lundazi district in Eastern province, Zambia.

The overall goal was to improve the livelihoods of 20,000 households of rural communities in Eastern Zambia.

Key Results:

⇒ 9,847 HHs in 346 villages planted 2.6 million trees;

⇒ 93 ha were under natural regeneration;

⇒ 2189 HHs installed improved TLC stoves.

Project was funded by International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) with a total funding of US$ 4,512,569 from 2015 to 2019. TLC implemented the project through a consortium led by the Zambian Ministry of Agriculture. The project covered Kawambwa, Mansa, Samfya, Luwingu, Kasama, Mungwi, Mbala and Senga districts of Luapula and Northern provinces.

The goal was to improve income levels and food and nutrition security of 60000 poor rural households, in three provinces of Zambia

Objectives:

1. Increase production, productivity, nutrition security and sales of key smallholder crops in Northern Zambia with enhanced resilience to climate change and other external risks to livelihoods.

Key Results:

⇒ Overall, 26,149 HHs benefited from TLC interventions;

⇒ 22,597 HHs undertook Good Agricultural Practices and Climate Smart Practices;

⇒ 22,597 HHs produced and sold 1,773 tons of high value crops;

⇒ 636 HHs produced/sold 186 tons of certified beans on 120 ha;

⇒ 11,000 HHs built improved TLC rocket stoves with half-wall kitchens for good ventilation;

⇒ 160 HHs have treadle pumps or solar kits to irrigate and sell high value crops.

Funded by Jump Start Foundation at a total cost of US$ 1,000,000 from 2018 to 2021. TLC was working in consortium led by African Parks. The project covered Liuwa National Park – Kalabo in the Western province of Zambia.

The goal of the project was to secure the long term conservation and biodiversity of the LPNP

Objectives:

1. Food Security, farm productivity, diversification and marketing increased among rural households

2. Community resilience strengthened through mitigation and adaptation to climate change.

Key Results:

⇒ Overall 1,674 households benefited from TLC interventions

⇒ 270 farmer field schools were established

⇒ 727 farmers benefited treadle pumps

⇒ 1,442 households built improved TLC rocket stoves with half-wall kitchens for ventilation

⇒ 8,650 different tree species were planted