{"id":{"repo_id":"ag-u-iceland","oai_identifier":"oai:skemman.is:1946/50577"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/ag-u-iceland/oai:skemman.is:1946/50577","repository":{"repo_id":"ag-u-iceland","name":"Agricultural University of Iceland","base_url":"https://skemman.is/oai/request"},"display":{"title":"Challenges and opportunities of Catchment Management Approach in Mitigating Land degradation: The case of Mkuwazi catchment, Malawi","abstract":"Land degradation is a major environmental challenge affecting many parts of the world, including Malawi, with significant impacts on agricultural productivity and livelihoods. The government of Malawi, with support from the World Bank, is implementing integrated catchment management (ICM) as a sustainable approach to manage water and land resources and to halt land degradation. Integrated Catchment Management promotes the integration of environmental, social, and economic factors within a catchment to ensure sustainable land management. The aim of this research was to identify challenges and opportunities associated with the implementation of ICM in the Mkuwazi Catchment in Malawi. To shed light on this focus group discussions and key informant interviews were conducted. The key challenges identified include governance and policy gaps, financial and payment difficulties, structural and technical limitations, logistical and administrative constraints, occupational and safety risks, and socioeconomic barriers hindering participation. Despite these challenges, ICM presents opportunities, such as economic benefits for local communities and improved land productivity. Participants considered swale construction and gully reclamation to be the most effective interventions involved in the catchment management. However, governance structures surrounding the ICM in the Mkuwazi catchment need to be strengthened, finance mechanisms improved, technical capacity enhanced, and community involvement promoted to address the challenges involved. Such measures will help reverse land degradation and support sustainable livelihoods in Malawi.","abstract_html":"Land degradation is a major environmental challenge affecting many parts of the world, including Malawi, with significant impacts on agricultural productivity and livelihoods. The government of Malawi, with support from the World Bank, is implementing integrated catchment management (ICM) as a sustainable approach to manage water and land resources and to halt land degradation. Integrated Catchment Management promotes the integration of environmental, social, and economic factors within a catchment to ensure sustainable land management. The aim of this research was to identify challenges and opportunities associated with the implementation of ICM in the Mkuwazi Catchment in Malawi. To shed light on this focus group discussions and key informant interviews were conducted. The key challenges identified include governance and policy gaps, financial and payment difficulties, structural and technical limitations, logistical and administrative constraints, occupational and safety risks, and socioeconomic barriers hindering participation. Despite these challenges, ICM presents opportunities, such as economic benefits for local communities and improved land productivity. Participants considered swale construction and gully reclamation to be the most effective interventions involved in the catchment management. However, governance structures surrounding the ICM in the Mkuwazi catchment need to be strengthened, finance mechanisms improved, technical capacity enhanced, and community involvement promoted to address the challenges involved. Such measures will help reverse land degradation and support sustainable livelihoods in Malawi.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Binna Kipandula 1984-"],"institution":null,"degree_name":null,"degree_level":null,"degree_discipline":null,"degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Landbúnaðarháskóli Íslands"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2025,"date_issued":"2025-06-11T11:28:42Z","date_published":"2025-06-11T11:28:42Z","updated_at":"2026-07-27T18:39:44Z","subjects":["Endurheimt vistkerfa","Restoration ecology","Land degradation","Integrated Catchment Management","Sustainable land management","Improved land productivity","Community participation"],"languages":["en"],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://hdl.handle.net/1946/50577","outbound_label":"Handle","outbound_source":"dc:identifier.uri"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Landbúnaðarháskóli Íslands"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Binna Kipandula 1984-"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.accessioned","label":"Dc Date Accessioned","values":["2025-06-11T11:28:41Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2025-06-11T11:28:41Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.issued","label":"Date","values":["2025-06-11T11:28:42Z"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["Thesis"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Endurheimt vistkerfa","Restoration ecology","Land degradation","Integrated Catchment Management","Sustainable land management","Improved land productivity","Community participation"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language.iso","label":"Language (ISO)","values":["en"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier.uri","label":"Identifier URI","values":["https://hdl.handle.net/1946/50577"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description","label":"Description","values":["This thesis explores the challenges and opportunities of catchment management in addressing land degradation in Malawi. The study used a qualitative research design to understand the issues faced by both local communities and institutions. Data was collected through interviews with stakeholders in the Mkuwazi Catchment area. The findings highlight the importance of community involvement, improving institutional coordination, and promoting sustainable land use practices. The study aims to support both academic understanding and practical solutions for better catchment management."]},{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Land degradation is a major environmental challenge affecting many parts of the world, including Malawi, with significant impacts on agricultural productivity and livelihoods. The government of Malawi, with support from the World Bank, is implementing integrated catchment management (ICM) as a sustainable approach to manage water and land resources and to halt land degradation. Integrated Catchment Management promotes the integration of environmental, social, and economic factors within a catchment to ensure sustainable land management. The aim of this research was to identify challenges and opportunities associated with the implementation of ICM in the Mkuwazi Catchment in Malawi. To shed light on this focus group discussions and key informant interviews were conducted. The key challenges identified include governance and policy gaps, financial and payment difficulties, structural and technical limitations, logistical and administrative constraints, occupational and safety risks, and socioeconomic barriers hindering participation. Despite these challenges, ICM presents opportunities, such as economic benefits for local communities and improved land productivity. Participants considered swale construction and gully reclamation to be the most effective interventions involved in the catchment management. However, governance structures surrounding the ICM in the Mkuwazi catchment need to be strengthened, finance mechanisms improved, technical capacity enhanced, and community involvement promoted to address the challenges involved. Such measures will help reverse land degradation and support sustainable livelihoods in Malawi.","Landeyðing er eitt helsta umhverfisvandamál heims og hefur áhrif víða, þar á meðal í Malaví, og hefur umtalsverð áhrif á framleiðni í landbúnaði og á lífsviðurværi fólks. Ríkisstjórn Malaví, með stuðningi Alþjóðabankans, vinnur að innleiðingu vatnasviðastjórnunar til að stýra vatns- og landauðlindum á sjálfbærari hátt og sporna við landeyðingu. Vatnasviðastjórnun stuðlar að samþættingu umhverfis-, félags- og efnahagslegra þátta innan vatnasviðs með það að markmiði að tryggja sjálfbæra nýtingu lands. Markmið þessarar rannsóknar var að greina þær áskoranir og tækifæri sem tengjast innleiðingu vatnasviðastjórnunar á Mkuwazi vatnasviðinu í Malaví. Til að varpa ljósi á rannsóknaspurninguna voru haldnir viðtalshópar og einstaklingsviðtöl tekin við lykil hagaðila. Helstu áskoranir sem fram komu voru meðal annars ágallar í stjórnsýslu- og stefnumótun, fjárhags- og greiðsluerfiðleikar, takmarkanir tengdar skipulagi og tæknikunnáttu, rekstri, öryggis- og vinnuvernd sem og félagslegar og efnahagslegar hindranir sem torvelda þátttöku. Þrátt fyrir þessar áskoranir felur vatnasviðastjórnun í sér margvísleg tækifæri, svo sem efnahagslegan ávinning fyrir nærsamfélög og bætta framleiðni lands. Þátttakendur töldu byggingu svelgja (e. swale) og uppgræðslu djúpra vatnsrása (e. gully) áhrifaríkustu aðgerðirnar innan vatnasviðastjórnunar. Hins vegar þarf að efla stjórnskipulag tengt vatnasviðastjórnun á Mkuwazi vatnasviðinu, bæta fjármögnunarleiðir, auka tæknilega getu og hvetja til virkari þátttöku samfélagsins til að takast á við þær áskoranir sem um ræðir. Slíkar aðgerðir munu draga úr landeyðingu og styðja við sjálfbærara lífsviðurværi í Malaví."]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Challenges and opportunities of Catchment Management Approach in Mitigating Land degradation: The case of Mkuwazi catchment, Malawi","Áskoranir og tækifæri í vatnasviðastjórnun við að draga úr landeyðingu: Dæmi frá Mkuwazi vatnasviðinu í Malaví"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Landbúnaðarháskóli Íslands"],"dc:creator":["Binna Kipandula 1984-"],"dc:date.accessioned":["2025-06-11T11:28:41Z"],"dc:date.available":["2025-06-11T11:28:41Z"],"dc:date.issued":["2025-06-11T11:28:42Z"],"dc:description":["This thesis explores the challenges and opportunities of catchment management in addressing land degradation in Malawi. The study used a qualitative research design to understand the issues faced by both local communities and institutions. Data was collected through interviews with stakeholders in the Mkuwazi Catchment area. The findings highlight the importance of community involvement, improving institutional coordination, and promoting sustainable land use practices. The study aims to support both academic understanding and practical solutions for better catchment management."],"dc:description.abstract":["Land degradation is a major environmental challenge affecting many parts of the world, including Malawi, with significant impacts on agricultural productivity and livelihoods. The government of Malawi, with support from the World Bank, is implementing integrated catchment management (ICM) as a sustainable approach to manage water and land resources and to halt land degradation. Integrated Catchment Management promotes the integration of environmental, social, and economic factors within a catchment to ensure sustainable land management. The aim of this research was to identify challenges and opportunities associated with the implementation of ICM in the Mkuwazi Catchment in Malawi. To shed light on this focus group discussions and key informant interviews were conducted. The key challenges identified include governance and policy gaps, financial and payment difficulties, structural and technical limitations, logistical and administrative constraints, occupational and safety risks, and socioeconomic barriers hindering participation. Despite these challenges, ICM presents opportunities, such as economic benefits for local communities and improved land productivity. Participants considered swale construction and gully reclamation to be the most effective interventions involved in the catchment management. However, governance structures surrounding the ICM in the Mkuwazi catchment need to be strengthened, finance mechanisms improved, technical capacity enhanced, and community involvement promoted to address the challenges involved. Such measures will help reverse land degradation and support sustainable livelihoods in Malawi.","Landeyðing er eitt helsta umhverfisvandamál heims og hefur áhrif víða, þar á meðal í Malaví, og hefur umtalsverð áhrif á framleiðni í landbúnaði og á lífsviðurværi fólks. Ríkisstjórn Malaví, með stuðningi Alþjóðabankans, vinnur að innleiðingu vatnasviðastjórnunar til að stýra vatns- og landauðlindum á sjálfbærari hátt og sporna við landeyðingu. Vatnasviðastjórnun stuðlar að samþættingu umhverfis-, félags- og efnahagslegra þátta innan vatnasviðs með það að markmiði að tryggja sjálfbæra nýtingu lands. Markmið þessarar rannsóknar var að greina þær áskoranir og tækifæri sem tengjast innleiðingu vatnasviðastjórnunar á Mkuwazi vatnasviðinu í Malaví. Til að varpa ljósi á rannsóknaspurninguna voru haldnir viðtalshópar og einstaklingsviðtöl tekin við lykil hagaðila. Helstu áskoranir sem fram komu voru meðal annars ágallar í stjórnsýslu- og stefnumótun, fjárhags- og greiðsluerfiðleikar, takmarkanir tengdar skipulagi og tæknikunnáttu, rekstri, öryggis- og vinnuvernd sem og félagslegar og efnahagslegar hindranir sem torvelda þátttöku. Þrátt fyrir þessar áskoranir felur vatnasviðastjórnun í sér margvísleg tækifæri, svo sem efnahagslegan ávinning fyrir nærsamfélög og bætta framleiðni lands. Þátttakendur töldu byggingu svelgja (e. swale) og uppgræðslu djúpra vatnsrása (e. gully) áhrifaríkustu aðgerðirnar innan vatnasviðastjórnunar. Hins vegar þarf að efla stjórnskipulag tengt vatnasviðastjórnun á Mkuwazi vatnasviðinu, bæta fjármögnunarleiðir, auka tæknilega getu og hvetja til virkari þátttöku samfélagsins til að takast á við þær áskoranir sem um ræðir. Slíkar aðgerðir munu draga úr landeyðingu og styðja við sjálfbærara lífsviðurværi í Malaví."],"dc:identifier.uri":["https://hdl.handle.net/1946/50577"],"dc:language.iso":["en"],"dc:subject":["Endurheimt vistkerfa","Restoration ecology","Land degradation","Integrated Catchment Management","Sustainable land management","Improved land productivity","Community participation"],"dc:title":["Challenges and opportunities of Catchment Management Approach in Mitigating Land degradation: The case of Mkuwazi catchment, Malawi","Áskoranir og tækifæri í vatnasviðastjórnun við að draga úr landeyðingu: Dæmi frá Mkuwazi vatnasviðinu í Malaví"],"dc:type":["Thesis"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-27T18:39:44Z"}