Forests, trees and wild species key to healthy agrifood systems – FAO
Seoul – Forests and wild-harvested forest foods are crucial to achieving global interconnected biodiversity, climate and nutrition goals but are often overlooked in agrifood systems policies and programmes, according to a new brief by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and partners.
The joint brief by FAO, People and Plants International and the Alliance of Biodiversity International and the International Center for Tropical Agriculture highlights the importance of forests for the more than five billion people who use them and non-wood forest products (NWFPs) for food, medicine and livelihoods.
Forests, trees and wild species in agrifood systems underlines that forests provide essential habitats for much of the world’s terrestrial biodiversity, which in turn is key for local livelihoods, healthy diets and resilient agrifood systems – but only if they are conserved and used sustainably.
The brief identifies ways in which the forest sector can contribute to healthy and sustainable agrifood systems and highlights areas that need to be targeted. These include optimizing the use of biodiversity in nutrition interventions and for sustainable, healthy and resilient value chains, among others.
It also explains that data collection on the role of forest foods and traditional food systems is often non-existent or poor, hampering the effectiveness of agrifood system policies, which fail to account for the many of the environmental, health and livelihood benefits of forest and wild foods.
“Forests can help feed the world,” said FAO Forestry Director Zhimin Wu. “Wild-harvested food species are a critical yet often overlooked part of smallholder food systems. They play a vital role in the conservation of biodiversity, sustainable food production, and improving food security and nutrition, and are increasingly making important contributions to local and global trade.”
Number of species
According to the brief, wild species are not just beneficial to the local communities that know how to grow, harvest and prepare them. In fact, some 50,000 wild specifies are used worldwide for food, medicines, energy, income, cultural identity and other practices.
While modern food systems rely on fewer than 200 plant species - and only nine account for 66 per cent of total crop production - rural peoples often forage and manage hundreds of wild species, many gathered from the forest, the brief explains. Current research suggests a positive correlation between the number of different species consumed per day and diet quality.
Despite the importance of these species, however, many are in decline because of habitat destruction or change, as well as pollution, overexploitation and climate change.
Recommendations
Containing several case studies, the brief supports governments and policymakers as they take action to create a future in which forests are protected, while also encouraging them to further support existing systems of sustainable use and promoting diversity in future food systems as a contribution to a sustainable bioeconomy.
The brief’s recommendations range from robust data collection to knowledge sharing and mainstreaming biodiversity into policies and nutrition interventions. It also calls for building capacity in communities to enable sustainable harvesting of wild and forest foods and producing guidance on sustainable harvest and equitable and legal trade.
In addition, the brief highlights the importance of improving the conservation and management of nutritious non-wood forest products in forest and land-use planning, and enhancing sustainable use.
It was prepared for partner countries participating in the FAO Technical Cooperation Project “Strengthening country capacities to enable forest-based contributions to healthy and sustainable agrifood systems” as well as in the FAO-led training programme in the Republic of Korea on 23-31 October, in concomitance with the 75th anniversary of the FAO-Republic of Korea partnership.
