SUSTAINABLE FOOD SYSTEMS: FORESTS

It is estimated that
billions of people depend on
forests and trees. This is true for
many people living in developing
countries, for whom forests are
an essential part of a sustainable
food system.
Action is needed to better
manage forests and their genetic
resources to ensure long-term
availability of these food
resources to rural people who
depend on them for their
nutrition and livelihoods. Such
action requires heightened
awareness of the important
contribution of forests and trees
to food security and nutrition,
especially among policymakers.
“People normally associate
forests with trees and the wood
they provide, but most people
don’t see a direct link to food
security,” said Eva Muller, Director
of the Food and Agriculture
Organization of the UN (FAO)
Forest Economics, Policy and
Products Division, adding that
there are many valuable food
sources that come from forests –
in the form of leaves, honey,
fruits, seeds, nuts, roots, tubers,
mushrooms, insects and wild
animals. The wood is a source of
energy for cooking for 2.4 billion
people in many parts of the
world.
Yet forest foods are often
neglected, despite some being
important sources of high-calorie
and nutritious foods needed by
people living in hunger or
poverty. One such example is the
purple fruit of the Bush butter
tree (Dacryodes edulis), which
makes a popular snack in big
cities in Cameroon yet is a
forgotten food in smaller villages.
What can be done? Experts say
research can inform policies that
could improve forest
management for sustainable
resources, and a new policy brief
Towards food security and
improved nutrition: increasing
the contribution of forests and
trees available from FAO includes
five specific recommendations
for policymakers and documents
the many contributions of food
from forests.
Bioversity International
researcher Julius Tieguhong is
working on traditional
management systems of forest-
based foods through a project
called ’Beyond Timber:
Reconciling the needs of the
logging industry with those of
forest-dependent people’. The
project team studies the
nutritional value of selected
forest foods as a step towards
understanding conflicting needs
of forest dwellers and the
logging industry in two timber
concessions and surrounding
villages in Cameroon, Gabon and
the Democratic Republic of
Congo (DRC).
“The Congo Basin houses the
second largest rainforest in the
world, and logging companies
have an impact on the livelihoods
of a large number of forest-
dependent people living in or
near the forests.” said
Tieguhong. “Our aim is to
produce information, tools and
guidelines to safeguard the local
peoples' access to tree resources,
such as fruits and bark, by
reducing conflicts between the
harvesting of timber and non-
timber forest products.”
‘Beyond Timber’ is looking for a
compromise that allows forest-
dependent communities and
concessionaires access to the
resources they require, while
managing those resources in a
way that will ensure their
sustainability.