Non Sustainable livelihoods of people in TA Mphuka

Non - Sustainable life experienced by communities in TA Mphuka in Thyolo District in Malawi
This presentation is basically focused on non sustainable situation of communities in Traditional Authority Mphuka in Thyolo District. Generally the area terrain is sloppy surrounded by mountains and rivers/streams. The soil is roam clay and some parts are rocky.

TA Mphuka is about 40 kilometers from Thyolo District Council (60 km from Luchenza). The road network is relatively good, but the quality of the roads is poor. This is compounded by the undulating nature of the plain that is characterized by steep descents and the rocky formation of the road surface.
There are 39 villages in TA Mphuka. These villages fall under 5 Group Village Headmen (GVH) also known as Village Development Committees (VDC) and 2 sub VDCs. Average household size is 5.8. There is an approximate total population of 63,710 in 15,071 households in scattered nuclear settlements. The majority of the people are Amang’anja and partly Alomwe tribes.
Findings
In the past decade, Malawi has experienced the greatest land degradation as a result of cutting down of trees for firewood, charcoal production, timber sawing, wood carving and expansion of agricultural land. It has been estimated that on average, Malawi has been losing 2.3% of forest cover per year since 1972 due to deforestation. The deforestation has necessitated the siltation on the rivers hence reducing the quantity of water in the rivers. District Coordination Team (DCT) quarterly flow measure report of October to December 2009 revealed that flows are declining. The quarterly flows measures are being undertaken by Ministry of Irrigation and Water Development in conjunction with Thyolo District Council. The depletion of natural resources at Mphuka is causing a series of problems which include; poor quality of water supply hence high incidences of water borne diseases within the area and loss of biodiversity.
There is a severe and widespread environmental degradation taking place in TA Mphuka and surrounding areas.<ref name=Honadle/> There are cultivations in the river beds and banks at the sources which have to be discouraged by all means. The practice accelerates siltation and the rivers will eventually dry up. It is feared that if pragmatic measures are not put in place to address this problem, it can become worse.

The major causes of this environmental degradation include poverty and high population growth. Some of the notable environmental problems in Mphuka that were mentioned by local communities especially Group Village headman Chitimbe include:
* River siltation/sedimentation.
* Drying up of perennial rivers.
* Soil erosion.
* Reduced water levels in the rivers.
* Rampant deforestation along the river banks.
* Lack of respect for the Forest Reserve boundary at Dzimbiri Headquarters and surrounding villages
* Water resources degradation and depletion.
* Loss of vegetation cover and creation of bare hills.
* Climate change among others
In addition, deforestation and agricultural expansion taking place in Mphuka due to population growth has lowered the water table of the entire Mphuka Area.
The study involved people living in TA Mphuka participated and indicated that the main root cause of environmental degradation in the area is poverty coupled with dwindling crop production due to scarcity of land for agricultural activities. This problem has forced the local communities to encroach the forest reserve and cultivate in the buffer zone of the rivers and streams.
Besides poverty and low crop production, it appears that general lack of environmental education, communication and awareness raising has also compounded to the widespread of environmental degradation. It was envisaged that many people think that nature takes care of itself hence there is no need for local communities to conserve it.
Conclusion
It is noted that the local communities lack basic information on the importance of nature and the environment and reasons why it is important to conserve natural resources. It is therefore, believed that if local communities’ needs, assets, interests and aspirations are taken into account, there is need to promote and yield substantial and long lasting solutions to nature conservation in the area for the benefit of the present and future generations. Furthermore, in line with the Malawi Growth and Development Strategy (MGDS) which, among other things, seek to promote sustainable management and use of natural resources and improve the quantity and quality of water supplies.

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