Africa-Press – Malawi. Claim: The claim that Malawi lost 59,000 football fields’ worth of forests (archived here) between 2015 and 2020 was made in a news piece published by the NyasaTimes online daily on April 16, 2025. The argument equates the loss of forests to football fields, a frequent statistic used to demonstrate catastrophic environmental repercussions.
According to the publication, Charles Chimombo, Director of Operations at World Vision Malawi, cites numbers that show Malawi lost trees equivalent to 59,000 football pitches between 2015 and 2020.
Verdict: False
Methodology
This report contextualises the extent of forest loss and assesses the veracity of this claim using primary sources, such as government and international organisation publications.
Evidence and Analysis
According to standardised conversions, one football pitch is equal to 0.714 hectares. As a result, 42,126 hectares, or 59,000 football fields, would be lost. An annual deforestation rate of 1.8% between 2015 and 2020 is highlighted in the FAO’s 2020 report for Malawi, which was turned in by the Malawian government. In 2020, the total area of forests was 3.2 million hectares.
Based on these numbers, 57,600 hectares of forest are lost annually. Between 2015 and 2020, this amounts to 288,000 hectares. This equals 403,361 football fields when converted to football fields. Compared to the reported 59,000 pitches, this is almost seven times greater.
While World Vision Malawi, which has not made its methodology publicly available, is the source of the 59,000 figure, the FAO study is based on data supplied by the government and remote sensing.
Conclusion
Based on the most reliable and up-to-date official data, the statement is false. Malawi’s deforestation is overstated.
References
https://www.fao.org/4/ab585e/AB585E04.htm
https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/8/3/48
https://openknowledge.fao.org/server/api/core/bitstreams/bb629af6-5342-4a8e-9830-d5483e06f2fe/content
https://globaldatabase.ecpat.org/pdf/sign-pdf-form/Citations/B1N0/index_htm_files/1-Football-Field-In-Hectares.pdf
This fact-check was produced by Collins Mtika of the Centre for Investigative Journalism Malawi (CIJM) as part of the African Fact-Checking Alliance’s (AFCA) incubation programme. It was produced with peer-mentorship from Code for Africa’s fact-checking initiative, PesaCheck, with financial support from Norway.
AFCA mentorship respects the journalistic independence of the researchers, offering access to advanced techniques and tools. Editorial decision-making remains with the Centre for Investigative Journalism Malawi. Want to learn more? Visit: https://factcheck.africa/
ENDS
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