About SFS
Strengthening land rights, agroforestry knowledge, and leadership capacity
Our Story
Nature-Based Solutions, Powered by Communities
Sustainable Farming Solutions (SFS) is a restoration enterprise helping smallholder farmers regenerate their land and earn from nature-based outcomes. We connect grassroots restoration to global climate finance using smart tools, trusted relationships, and proven field models.
The Challenge
Millions of smallholder farmers work degraded land but are excluded from restoration finance.
The Barriers
Weak land tenure. Fragmented monitoring. Lack of trusted intermediaries.
The Opportunity
Verified ecological outcomes like tree cover and soil health can generate climate finance and create new income for rural farmers.
Who we are?
SFS is a Malawian team of foresters, agronomists, technologists, and community organisers. We co-developed Smart-Tree, a simple system that links field data, remote sensing, and bank payouts so farmers are paid fairly for verified work. We partner with local leaders and public agencies to align by-laws, protect community user rights, and reduce fire risk.
What we measure?
We do not count planting events, we count care and survival. Each plot has a GPS trace, a fixed photo point, and short seasonal notes. We set clear thresholds at six and twelve months. Data are checked by agents, reconciled with satellite views, and tied to the right farmer for transparent payouts.
Why we exist?
SFS was built from lived experience. Our founder grew up between town and village life in Malawi, saw how quickly a stable household can fall into precarity, and watched women carry the heaviest load, farming, water, fuel, care, with little financial control. That experience shaped SFS, a practical way to make farming families more secure while restoring their land.
Meet Our Team
Tonthoza Uganja
Founder & CEO
PhD researcher in Forest Landscape Restoration and expert in agroforestry and smallholder farming with over 12 years of experience. Leads vision, strategy, and partnerships.
Vanessa Simwela
Director, Agroforestry & Food Security
Specialist in irrigated farming with BSc in Forestry and MSc in Agroforestry & Food Security.
Enock Mbewe
IT and Innovation Director
Malawian computer scientist leading Smart-Tree at SFS, bridging digital innovation and climate-smart farming.
Keith Chirambo
Financial Director
Finance and strategy expert, responsible for budgeting, auditing, and planning.
Thembi Uganja
Livelihoods and Sustainability Lead
Leads sustainability at SFS, empowering women and youth through land restoration.
Chrispine Chinangwa
Monitoring & Mapping Coordinator
MRV Coordinator at SFS, specializing in forestry, climate mitigation, and GIS-based restoration.
Blandina Nankondwa
Founders Associate
Founder’s Associate at SFS, supporting strategy and advocacy in climate governance.
Rowena Soko
Finance & Admin Officer
Accounting Officer at SFS, ensuring financial transparency and smooth operations.
John Chavula
Water Resources Management Coordinator
Water Resources Coordinator at SFS, promoting efficient water use and climate-smart farming.
Jackson kamwambi
Field Officer
Field Officer at SFS, training farmers in sustainable and climate-smart agriculture.
Petros Mtonga
Tree Nursery Technician
Nursery Technician at SFS, managing tree nurseries for reforestation projects.
Giving Back
Community Involvement
We support local farmers especially women in restoring their farms and leading community restoration projects. By giving back, we strengthen livelihoods, restore ecosystems, and create lasting impacts for entire communities
Get involved
If you want to fund restoration that lasts and benefits households, or if you want traceable nature outcomes in your supply chain, we would like to speak with you.