Forests,

food security
and nutrition
Many forest foods are With the world’s population projected to reach 9 billion people by
2050, the imperative to produce more food — with an emphasis
loaded with nutrients on calories — drives global food policies and plans.1 Related
concerns about the rapid loss of the world’s forests are leading to
and freely available – sustainable intensification efforts, which aim to grow more food
per hectare.2 Nevertheless, experts argue that farming continues
just two of the ways to expand at the expense of natural resources, including forests.1, 2
that forests support Paradoxically, forests and trees make an essential contribution
food security and to food security through the biodiversity that they harbor.3
Wild foods provide nutrients for millions of people, and forest
nutrition. ecosystem services and biodiversity are vital to agriculture.1
Recent figures indicate that forest foods contribute only a small
amount (0.6%) of the world’s food supply,4 but food security is
about more than calories.5, 6

Food security exists when all people, at all

times, have physical and economic access
to sufficient safe and nutritious food to meet
their dietary needs and food preferences
for a healthy and active life.7
Key Facts

Forests and the four pillars of food security

The UN Food and Agricultural Organization points out that food security has four pillars. Forests support all of them.

Food availability Access to food

Both wild and cultivated foods rely on good Forests are like supermarkets for many
soil quality and pollinators — two of the of the world’s poor, and give millions a
many ecosystem services supported by means to earn cash — a key resource
forests. for increasing access to food.

Stability over time Food use

Forests and their resources are more Medicinal forest plants and nutrients
resilient to climate variability and market in wild food keep many healthy, and
fluctuations than farming systems.13 fuelwood from forests makes cooking
possible.

Forest foods provide essential micronutrients

Foods from forests — leaves, seeds, nuts, fruits, mushrooms, honey, insects and
wild animals — are rich in micronutrients. Globally, they tend to contribute only
a small amount of caloric energy,4 but make an important contribution to diet
diversity and nutrition.6, 8, 9 For example, in rural parts of Tanzania, wild foods
contribute 2% of energy intake and 19–30% of vitamin A, vitamin C and iron.9 In
developing countries, where people with micronutrient deficiencies number in the
billions,5 forest foods contribute to the fight against this so-called “hidden hunger”.

Stable access to food is income sensitive

Cash income can give households greater access to nutritious foods and serve as
a buffer when their own food production has gone awry. Forests provide formal
employment to 13.2 million people worldwide and a source of income in informal
systems to at least another 41 million.4 Fuelwood and charcoal production are
estimated to contribute to the income of 20% of Africa’s population.4

Wood energy allows billions to get the most out of

available food
In developing countries, 40% of the population relies on fuelwood for cooking,
and 784 million of those people use it for boiling water.4 Being able to cook
expands the variety of foods consumed, which is key to nutrition.10 Yet
overextraction is reducing the availability of fuelwood. In rural areas of developing
countries, where people have no alternative energy sources, the lack can reduce
the quality and variety of food consumed.1,8,10
 A study of 21 African
countries showed that
children eat a wider variety
of foods, including more
fruit and vegetables, with
increased tree cover.6

Forests provide stability through resilience and fill gaps

Forest foods are rarely the sole source of caloric energy for families.12 Yet people
eat more wild foods — including those from forests and trees — in seasons when
other food is less plentiful.9 For some households, forests also provide safety nets
in times of scarcity.13 Having access to wild foods for both household consumption
and sale can increase households’ diversification and hence strengthen their
resilience to climate variability and external shocks.1 Globally, forests also hold up
to 80% of terrestrial biodiversity, a repository of genetic resources that may prove
crucial for adapting to climate change in the future.1
Feast and famine
Many forest ecosystem services underpin food production The global food paradox
Forests protect soil and water, maintain soil quality, help regulate local climates,
provide habitats for pollinators and predators of agricultural pests, and are Between 2011 and
storehouses for biodiversity.8, 10 These ecosystem services are crucial for 2013, 842 million people
maintaining the sustainability and nutrition sensitivity of farms, and provide a
strong case for mosaic landscapes that integrate trees with agriculture.1 — 12% of the world’s
population — were
Empowering women can strengthen food security for chronically hungry.
communities Millions more were
The roles of women and men in collecting, producing and using tree and forest
resources tend to differ, depending on the region.14 Usually, women’s specialist
micronutrient deficient.5
knowledge revolves around household food and nutrition, and is crucial for At the same time,
communities navigating through food crises.15 Yet women often have limited more than 10% of the
access to and benefits from forests and trees.5 Researchers argue that empowering
women in the forestry sector and achieving gender balance in decision-making world’s adult population
groups will help increase the contribution of forests to food security.15 was obese.11
 MIX
C002350

References
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Nasi R and Padoch C. 2013. Food Security and Nutrition: The Organization. [Link]
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2. Padoch C and Sunderland T. 2013. Managing landscapes for from farm and forest in the East Usambara Mountains, Tanzania.
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Conference on Nutrition 2. Rome: Food and Agricultural

Photo credits
Mutamba (cover), Aulia Erlangga, Ollivier Girard, Tri Saputro

Produced as part of

Fund

July 2014 [Link] | [Link]

Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR)

CIFOR advances human well-being, environmental conservation and equity by conducting research to help shape policies
and practices that affect forests in developing countries. CIFOR is a member of the CGIAR Consortium. Our headquarters
are in Bogor, Indonesia, with offices in Asia, Africa and Latin America.