It is a question that needs to be asked while reasonable solutions are still within reach. Between 2004 and 2017, Malawi lost an estimated 1.7 percent of its forest cover every year, and according to Zacharia Magombo, Principal Scientific Officer at the National Herbarium and Botanic Gardens of Malawi, the demand for fuel wood will exceed the number of trees that can be regenerated in the country’s forests, farms and tree plantations within the next five years. As more and more trees are cut down to meet fuel and construction needs, deforestation is leading to increased soil erosion, more flood and drought events, and reduced crop productivity. Using firewood and charcoal for cooking fuel is the number one driver of deforestation, as 90 percent of Malawians do not have electrical power or other sources of energy with which to cook.

In many ways, Malawi’s future is a race against time. With a current fertility rate of 4.4 children per woman, Malawi’s population of 17.5 million will double to 35 million by 2040, if fertility remains steady. If this comes to pass, it is difficult to imagine how the Government of Malawi (GoM) can achieve its education, health, and economic development goals. There will simply be too many citizens for Malawi’s growing systems to absorb. If the fertility rate remains at 4.4 children per woman, for example, the resulting population growth would mean that in 2050, Malawi will need 6,936 more schools than if the fertility rate were 2.3 children per woman.