Restore Africa: Community-Led Land Restoration and Carbon Finance for Smallholder Resilience in MW

Project Summary

Restore Africa (RESAF) is a five-year land and livelihood restoration initiative in Machinga and Zomba Districts, Malawi, and implemented by OSSEDI as part of a national consortium led by Catholic Relief Services (CRS). Funded by Climate Asset Management (CAM) through the Global Evergreening Alliance (GEA), RESAF's goal is to improve smallholder resilience to climate shocks by restoring degraded landscapes and improving livelihoods. Its primary innovation is connecting community tree restoration directly to Gold Standard-certified carbon credit generation channeling global climate finance to rural households through 30-year Livelihood and Carbon Development Agreements (LCDAs). Communities restore land using Farmer-Managed Natural Regeneration (FMNR), agroforestry, woodlots, and riverine planting. OSSEDI has registered 16,980 households across both districts, and planted over 1.5 million trees

Presentation of the Organization

OSSEDI Malawi is a local NGO established on 26th May 2004. It is registered with the Government of Malawi and its NGO Regulatory Authority. OSSEDI's mission is to support poor and marginalized communities through innovative, participatory development processes for Malawi's socioeconomic advancement. OSSEDI uses a build-engage-empower approach centred on community ownership, gender equity, and market integration.