We sought the audience headman Chikwela in Chongwe today were we asked his permission to start agroforestry meetings and trainings in his village ahead of the onset of the rain season.

The headman welcomed our Chongwe Agroforestry Initiative project where we are going to be planting Leucaena trees around maize fields to improve soil fertility and help prevent water runoff in cases where there is excess rain. The Leucaena trees will act as a live fence and help prevent flooding.

The headman commended our project for the initiative and said he was going to organize his subjects for the agroforestry training and meetings.

The Chongwe Agroforestry Initiative is a 4 month project that will run from November to February 2025 where we are going to plant more than 10,000 Leucaena trees.

The initial phase of the project started with the collection of more than 20,000 Leucaena seeds.

Leucaena is the perfect tree for agroforestry as it absorbs nitrogen into the soil, which means farmers can minimize use of synthetic fertilizers, which damage the soil in the long run.

Leucaena tree leaves are also nutritious to goats, sheep and cows and can provide ample fodder to this animals, especially in times of drought when there is no grass for them to feed.