IT’S a long way from Benbecula to Africa but as a crofter who was anxiously waiting for rain in the Western Isles, Chris MacLullich has at least some idea of the worry created by climate change in the hardest-hit countries.
Unlike those who face certain starvation if their crops fail, however, he is not dependent on his croft for an income as he also works for the Scottish Catholic International Aid Fund (SCIAF).
MacLullich is, in fact, the programme manager for Malawi where an innovative project is showing how to engage communities in the fight against climate change.
It is a salutary example of the importance of involving local people – in stark contrast to the furore in Scotland over the attempt to introduce Highly Protected Marine Areas.
Blasted as a potential “Second Highland Clearances”, the attempt to protect some of Scotland’s coast was shelved in 2023 after protests from the fishing industry and Highland and island communities that it would affect their incomes.
The project at Lake Chilwa, by contrast, has been running for two years and is already bringing benefits both to those who fish the waters and those who depend on the farmland beside the rivers feeding the lake.
It is actually funded by the Jersey government, at a time when the UK and the US have made drastic cuts to their overseas aid budgets.
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MacLullich told the Sunday National that the project was the result of consultation with the people, many of whom were facing starvation because of climate change but were wary of any changes that might affect their meagre incomes. Some were so poor they were turning to prostitution or migration in order to survive.
“It is a fantastic project and is very much in line with SCIAF’s philosophy of community engagement,” he said. “You can’t improve people’s livelihoods unless you take care of the environment and you can’t take care of the environment unless you involve the people and they see the benefits of it.”
Before the charity got involved, the people around Lake Chilwa were suffering badly because of climate change and deforestation which led to communities along the river banks losing precious topsoil while the lake filled up with silt which was affecting the fishing communities.
Now the project is helping to protect the river banks and the livelihoods of the people on the river banks.
“They’re regenerating forests that have been lost and they’re also helping the communities who fish on the lake so it’s the whole ecosystem, from the upland streams and rivers right down to the lake,” said MacLullich.
“There are communities at every level helping each other. It’s not something imposed from above and it’s got strong emphasis on women and people with disabilities.”
Results so far are very encouraging, with one of the main impacts being increased income for farmers who are growing more diverse crops and raising animals as well as protecting the river banks.
“They’re not losing all the soil so they’re able to feed their kids and improve their agricultural production,” said MacLullich.
“The fishing communities are benefitting as the lake is healthier and there are more women, young people and people with disabilities in leadership positions – people who’d normally be marginalised.”
Resistance to the changes initially came mostly from those cutting down trees in order to make charcoal they could sell as a cooking fuel but alternative forms of making a living were offered such as keeping bees for honey.
As three or four bags of charcoal still did not provide enough to feed a family, the people were willing to try out alternatives.
Supporters of political parties like Reform – and increasingly the Labour and Conservative parties – maintain charity begins at home so why is SCIAF so keen to help people in Africa?
MacLullich believes there is increasing pressure within the political sphere to ask that question and it could become more of a debate in Scotland but there are many reasons why people here should care.
“First of all, there’s the ethical and moral reasons that we care about people wherever they are,” he said.
“And then there’s the climate justice argument, which is that all of these problems of climate that are happening in Malawi or similar countries have come about as a result of the carbon that we in the richer countries have put into the environment.”
Finally there is the pragmatic reason which is that unless developing countries are able to provide for themselves, there will be pressure on wealthier countries from economic migrants.
“It’s in our interest to stop that constant flow of migrants and refugees by helping them to have a decent livelihood where they live,” said MacLullich.
“If we don’t address that, it’s just going to get much, much worse. It has to be turned around. There has to be a moment in which the whole world says we need to deal with impacts of climate change. Otherwise, we’re going to have incredible levels of people not even able to survive in the communities where they were born and just having to move.”
Supporters of Reform and others also tend to argue that it is up to the governments of the developing countries to help their people but MacLullich points out that often their powers are limited.
“They are doing what they can with the small resources that they have,” he said. “The Malawi government does actually do a lot for its own people on much fewer resources than we have and a lot of the Malawi economy is spent servicing debts rather than spending on its own people. That’s why SCIAF is campaigning that debt should be reduced.”
Those on the right also argue that governments of developing countries are corrupt so should not be given aid but MacLullich pointed out that it’s not just those governments and presidents who are fond of lining their own pockets.
“Actually, one of the things that SCIAF does very well is support NGOs who are engaged in promoting transparency and accountability in their countries. They’re asking questions of government. They’re looking at where the money is being spent. The Catholic Church in Malawi doesn’t just do development projects. It does a huge amount around politics and holding the government account. It’s a comprehensive approach,” MacLullich said.
