Coordinating restoration efforts
Restoring forests and strengthening agroecological transitions for climate resilience in Nyimba district.
An NDFA member tends to a tomato garden in Ndake established with support from the Forest and Farm Facility (Photo: Emmanuel Kabila/FAO)
The Nyimba District Farmers Association (NDFA) is a network representing 121 cooperatives, women’s groups and information centres.
When it was established, NDFA was operating in an increasingly fragile ecological landscape. Across all four chiefdoms of Nyimba district, uncontrolled charcoal production, widespread deforestation and unsustainable land-use practices had accelerated forest loss and soil degradation, leading to declining agricultural productivity and non-timber forest products.
No community forest management groups existed in the area and farmers had limited knowledge of agroforestry, climate-smart agroecology or sustainable land management.
The impacts were felt most acutely by women and youth, who walked longer distances to collect firewood and lost supplementary income from forest products. Communities lacked both the authority and capacity to protect, restore or sustainably benefit from their forest landscapes.
Forest and Farm Facility activities
Financial and technical support from the Forest and Farm Facility (FFF) between 2021 and 2024 enabled NDFA to establish 20 community forest management groups (CFMGs). NDFA received training from consultants, the district forest department and the network’s own trained internal facilitators in community forest governance, nursery establishment, sustainable harvesting, restoration planning and compliance with national forestry guidelines.
This coordinated approach resulted in Nyimba district’s first organised and legally recognised community-led forest protection and restoration system, laying the foundation for long-term, community-led stewardship.
FFF support financed a four-hectare agroecology demonstration site in Ndake, fitted with a borehole and drip irrigation system. The site integrates cassava, maize, bananas and agroforestry species, providing a practical, climate-smart model that farmers can replicate for resilient and water-efficient food production.
With these systems in place, communities mobilised to plant 48,000 trees and bring over 3,000 hectares under sustainable forest management.
Three CFMGs have achieved formal recognition and now lead firebreak creation and forest patrols, which have dramatically reduced illegal cutting and charcoal production. Restored areas show visible improvements in vegetation cover, soil fertility and ecosystem recovery.
Significance of impact
The impact on livelihoods has been substantial. More than 8,600 farmers now benefit from improved forest resources and active participation of women and youth in tree nurseries, planting campaigns and forest governance. This has reduced gender-differentiated climate burdens and opened new livelihood opportunities.
NDFA also supported Nyimba Boarding Secondary School to adopt energy-efficient electric cooking pots, eliminating the use of 120 truckloads of firewood annually and easing pressure on surrounding forests.
Conclusion
Today, NDFA’s restoration efforts stand as a leading example of community-driven, nature-based climate action, reviving degraded landscapes, strengthening local resilience, and offering a scalable model for sustainable land management across Zambia.
Further reading
Forest and Farm Facility 2023 annual report: climate resilient landscapes and improved livelihoods, Forest and Farm Facility (2024)
Insight: Strengthening climate resilience through agroforestry and community forestry, Stephen Mwangi (November 2024)