Forestry development must be focused on strategies to create employment,
generate cash, improve production of tree products, conserve habitat and
biodiversity, improve soil and water conservation contributing towards
agricultural productivity, improved health and education. These products
and tree services call for the maintenance of a well-directed research,
development and extension programme. FRIM's operations are organised following
a programme-based structure. This approach enables a more focused
response to problem-oriented research, particularly research designed to
address key issues of poverty alleviation, sustainable resource use and
environmental conservation. FRIM’s research and development activities
are implemented through the following four core strategy areas:
Indigenous woodland management
Trees on farms
Plantations
Seed and tree improvement
Each strategy area (research programme), led by a co-ordinator, comprises
several research projects. To increase stakeholder involvement in research
planning, design and implementation, each strategy area has a co-ordinating
committee made up of research users and experts to monitor research progress
and plan future work. Each committee meets biannually. For effective management
of the research programme, FRIM has a SISTEM+ database which is used as
an operational tool for management systems.
1. Indigenous woodland management
Malawi is mostly covered by miombo woodlands, which are poor in commercial
timber species but provide many products, which underpin rural life in
addition to variable service functions. Increased land pressure has resulted
in extensive clearance and severe degradation of the miombo woodlands.
Repeated late burning has compounded the problem. Since miombo woodlands
are the major sources of non-timber forest products (NTFP) and intangible
benefits, they cannot be managed effectively centrally. Devolution of control
to communities implies enabling technical support, definition of limits
and monitoring sustainable stewardship. The process is one of co-operation,
rural communities must therefore receive benefits as quickly as possible
without compromising sustainability. The research challenge is to assist
development of simple woodland management systems, which sustainably provide
NTFPs and timber products while ensuring soil, water and biodiversity conservation.
FRIM has developed an active research programme in indigenous woodland
management aimed at maximising socio-economic benefits through co-management
of existing resources. The current research focuses on: productivity, and
utilization; ecology and reproductive biology, silvicultural and community
based management systems of the miombo woodlands.
2. Trees on farm
The role and potential of agroforestry as a development vehicle in Malawi
has largely not been fulfilled. It is therefore imperative that research
should be focused on generation of appropriate, science-based technologies
of wide applicability or improvement of the existing traditional practices
– especially under resource-poor conditions and in smallholder farming
systems. There is a range of well-established traditional agroforestry
practices in Malawi which have the potential to contribute significantly
to the alleviation of rural poverty through amelioration of the environment,
improved nutrition and the production of non timber and timber products.
FRIM’s major focus in this respect is the development of improved management
guidelines for existing traditional agroforestry practices, domestication
of indigenous fruit trees for incorporation into smallholder farming systems
and development of an integrated pest management scheme for agroforestry
species.
3. Plantations
The plantation sector has dominated forestry in Malawi for the last four
decades. There is now a substantial softwood plantation resource and extensive
estate plantings. Softwood plantations are of great importance in terms
of economic development and in employment generation. Continued genetic
improvement of softwood and hardwood plantation species offers considerable
opportunities for increased productivity and economic development. Estate
plantings provide vital fuel for the tea and tobacco industries, which
earn some 80% of foreign exchange. Estate self-sufficiency in fuel and
tree products is an important goal. Urban fuelwood supplies also draw increasingly
on plantation technology. Scope exists for smallholders to contribute to
both these aims given appropriate technologies. Research in Plantations
forestry focuses at improving management and productivity of plantations.
Priority research activities are: improving the supply of high quality
propagation material, productivity and stand dynamics, diversifying plantation
species, pest and disease control, harvesting and wood utilization.
4. Seed and tree improvement
The quality of seed used in tree planting is a critical factor in the success
of achieving any tree planting programme objectives. The Malawi National
Forestry Policy calls for “promotion and improvement of the supply of high
quality and improved tree seed”. The purpose of this strategy area is thus
to optimise the quantity of good quality seed of both indigenous and exotic
tree species for plantations and agroforestry programmes in Malawi. This
therefore calls for a well-designed tree improvement and seed production
and management programme. The research focus is on genetic improvement
of important plantation and agroforestry species, establishment and management
of seed production areas, identification and certification of in-situ seed
collection areas for indigenous species and studies in seed technology.
The National Tree Seed Centre (NTSC) is responsible for supplying improved
tree seed of various species for all types of tree planting activities
in Malawi.
