Green Gold Social recently held a community training on agroforestry and reforestation with persons living with disabilities (PWDs) in Kampekete Village, Chongwe District, bringing together participants from Kampekete and Chilyabale Villages alongside local leaders and the Chongwe Network for People Living with Disabilities.

Out of 30 expected participants, 23 attended with women (13) outnumbering men (10)-a strong show of women’s leadership in climate action and sustainable livelihoods.

During the session, participants learned about intercropping trees with food crops and were introduced to three climate-smart species, Leucaena, Musangu (Faidherbia albida) and Gliricidia Sepium, which can improve soil fertility, crop yields, and resilience to climate change. Community members also shared their lived experiences with compost and fertilizer use.

One participant, Ms. Patricia Mwalongo shared:

“I have followed this training very well, and I can see that this initiative will really benefit us. I can give you an example of how I observed yellowing of maize when I used fertilizer and greener crops when I used compost. I believe intercropping trees with maize will result in healthier soil and better yields of crops.”

The training also introduced inclusive income-generating opportunities such as tree nursery management and seedling growbag production, which were warmly welcomed by participants who are often left out of mainstream livelihood programs such as Cash for Work.

Green Gold Social will support the community to establish a tree nursery, commence growbag production, and set up agroforestry demonstration plots, with follow-up mentorship visits to guide implementation.