Total LandCare (TLC) was originally founded by Trent Bunderson, Zwide Jere and Ian Hayes in 1999 to continue the successful services and programs provided under a 12 year project funded by USAID– the Malawi Agroforestry Extension Project.  TLC is a non-profit, non government organization registered and operating in Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia and Tanzania. It is affiliated to Washington State University (WSU) through a memorandum of agreement. TLC’s mandate is to improve the livelihoods of smallholder farmers in the region with a focus on community based approaches to increase agricultural production, food security and incomes with sound management of their natural resources. A key thrust is to provide information to decision-makers to improve policies that support economic development and growth in a sustainable manner.

 

Focus and Experience

TLC is managed by personnel with over 25 years of experience implementing programs on forestry, natural resource management and agriculture with communities in East and Southern Africa. The key focus is to improve rural livelihoods with emphasis on the following areas:

• Reforestation and agroforestry with various forms of tree planting on communal lands, homesteads, farms, roadsides, stream banks and degraded hillsides.
• Soil and water conservation including conservation agriculture, vetiver grass hedgerows, perennial tree crops, gulley reclamation, silt traps, and raised footpaths.
• Sustainable farming practices to restore and maintain soil fertility through organic manures, agroforestry, intercropping and crop rotations to reduce dependence on costly chemical inputs.
• Crop diversification with high value crops – rice, groundnuts, beans, soybeans, roots and tuber crops, tree crops, vegetables and spices.
• Low-cost irrigation with treadle pumps, drip kits, stream diversion and simple water harvesting techniques to expand and diversify farm productivity for increased food security, nutrition and incomes.
• Introduction and promotion of improved low-cost, fuel efficient wood stoves.
• Supply of safe drinking water and eco-sanitation to reduce the incidence of disease.

 

Funding and Collaboration

TLC attracts funding from diverse donor organizations, foundations, and corporations through the preparation of proposals in response to funding opportunities. Funding sources include the United States Agency for International Development, the Norwegian Government, Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), the European Union, international NGOs such as WaterAide and African Leadership, and various private sector firms and foundations. Many programs have involved partnership arrangements with other organizations and institutions to expand the scale, scope and effectiveness of programs with farmers.  These programs have involved many government agencies, NGOs such as Care International, Catholic Relief Services, and ActionAid; International Research Centers such as CIMMYT, IITA, ICRISAT and the World Agroforestry Center; private firms such as Terra Global Capital, Agricane Malawi Ltd. and the National Farmers Association of Malawi;  and educational institutions such as Bunda College of Agriculture and Mzuzu University.