Mthunzi – Payment for Ecosystem Services

Mthunzi – a holistic approach to tackling systemic issues linked to climate change and gender inequality, using tree planting as a link to tea farmers, women, their communities, and the environment.

Piloting stewardship of nature as a sustainable solution for Malawian tea

The term “Mthunzi” meaning shade, is used to describe protection. Trees offer shade and protection from sunlight, and the income generated from planting trees — whether through fruit production or hanging beehives — helps provide financial security, shielding individuals from the negative effects of poverty and mitigating gender inequalities.

We are piloting the Mthunzi project to potentially achieve three things: to financially support tea farmers, to strengthen gender equality, and to adapt to climate change.

  • 2023-2027
  • Status: On-track
Project
Economics
Environment
Equality
Climate resilient agriculture
Decent livelihoods
Equal opportunities
Net zero tea
Zero deforestation
Malawi

Programme overview

The Mthunzi programme uses a variety of initiatives to achieve its objectives. These include farmer onboarding, tree seedling production, tree planting, bee keeping, family business and management training, and gender mainstreaming. With these interventions, over 7,000 smallholder farmers have been supported to date against a target of 10,000 farmers by the end of the project.

Programme partners

Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) Work and Opportunities for Women (WOW) programme, Tata Consumer Products Ltd., Taylors of Harrogate, and Ringtons Ltd.

The programme is helping incentivise smallholder tea farmers to reforest areas around their farms and homes to increase their resilience to climate change and support resilient livelihoods. The right trees protect soil from weather damage and degradation and give tea crops shade to avoid scorching, and diversifying production by planting fruit crops like avocado and mango could boost farm incomes through sales at local markets.

The programme also presents the opportunity to address gender inequality and improve women’s social standing in the community by involving women in household businesses and decision making.

Diversifying by planting fruit crops like avocado and mango could boost farm incomes through sales at local markets.

And it also presents the opportunity to address women’s social standing in the community by involving them in household level businesses.

The programme focuses on:

  • Leveraging an agroforestry approach, using shade, boundary, and fruit trees on smallholder farms for best outcomes (in terms of climate impacts and livelihoods prospects).
  • Promoting income generating activities for self-sustaining households.
  • Weaving gender equality actions into every aspect of the project.

This project is being implemented within the two largest tea smallholder associations, with approximately 21,000 farmers in Mulanje and Thyolo districts.

So far, the project has:

  • Convened, in collaboration with the Malawi government, the first ever carbon financing conference in Malawi, bringing together over 100 like-minded organisations and companies. This resulted in Malawi developing its own Carbon Market Framework which was launched in August 2025.
  • Increased tree survival rates through the skills imparted to farmers on tree planting and care.
  • Provided technical advice and support messages to farmers through ‘Tea Talk’ radio programmes aired on Malawi Broadcasting Corporation (MBC).
  • Meaningfully engaged the local communities, ensuring that project activities are tailored to local needs and foster long-term commitment to support sustainability.
Key achievements
2,900

smallholder farmers trained in tree planting and management. 

412,705 seedlings

produced at the Sukambizi Association Trust and Thuchira Tea Association tree nurseries to date

90 farmers

trained in bee keeping, providing additional incomes to the households involved.

120 couples

trained in family business and management, enabling them to envision their household goals and work towards achieving their family dreams. 

Two nurseries and greenhouses

are now operating, guaranteeing farmers a steady supply of seedlings every year. 

Built the capacity of lead farmers in collection of project data by using mobile phones for timely project progress measurement.

Key contacts

Liberal Seburikoko 

Deputy CEO – Head of Africa & Asia

Lickson Mchepa

Programme Manager

Thwango Ndalama

Country Manager