Non-wood forest products (NWFPs) have been defined by FAO as “goods of biological origin other than wood derived from forests and other wooded land and trees outside forests” (Unasylva, 1999). Different variations of the term are also widely used, for example, non-timber forest products (NTFPs), wild species or wild edible plants (WEPs) and animals.
Examples of NWFPs include products used as food and food additives (edible nuts, vegetables, mushrooms, fruits, herbs, spices and condiments, aromatic plants, game, insects), fibres (used in construction, furniture, clothing or utensils), resins, gums, and plant and animal products used for medicinal, cosmetic or cultural purposes.
Other terms commonly used include gathering or harvesting - the collection of untended foods and other products not grown intentionally. The term “wild” (species) refers to “populations existing and reproducing without human agency”, “spontaneous forest products of biological origin”, or “untended biological resources obtained from the activity of gathering” and by extension not grown intentionally. However, many “wild” products are semi-domesticated, cultivated or managed to some degree by people, and most habitats considered “wild” have been shown to be managed and modified by humans over time.
Read more about terms: Into the wild: disentangling non-wood terms and definitions for improved forest statistics
Key facts
#1
There are 2.77 billion rural non-timber forest products users in the Global South. The use rates were 92.8 percent in Africa, 91.2 percent in Asia, and 89.5 percent in Latin America. There are 0.79 billion users in the Global North, with a total for global urban and rural areas of 5.8 billion NTFP users (Shackleton & de Vos, 2022).
#2
Some 50,000 wild species are used by half of the global population and 70 percent of the world’s poor for food, medicine, energy, income and other practices, some 20 percent of which (10,000 species) are used as food for humans (IPBES 2022).
#3
Rural peoples forage and manage hundreds of wild species, many gathered from the forest, averaging 100 useful species per location, and between 300-800 aggregately per country (Barucha & Pretty, 2010), reaching as high as 1 403 species in some countries such as India (Ray et al. 2020).
#4
Management of wild foods and non-wood forest products occurs along a continuum, or gradient, from low intensity subsistence harvests to global bulk trade.
#5
Contributions of forests to rural households, particularly in the Global South, range from 15-40 percent of total household income (Aung et al, 2014). In India alone, non-wood forest products support close to 275 million people, with Indigenous Peoples and local communities deriving up to 40 percent of their annual income from NWFP collection (Government of India, 2023).
#6
In Europe, non-wood forest products represent an estimated economic value of €23 billion per year, including formal and informally marketed and self-consumed products (Lovric et al 2020).
Relevant links
- FAO Forestry Division
- FAO Nutrition Division
- Forests for food security, nutrition and human health
- Management of Non-Wood Forest Products module
- FAO sustainable circular bioeconomy
- Action Against Desertification
- Agroforestry
- International Network of Food Data Systems (INFOODS)
- Sustainable Wildlife Management Programme
Highlights
Projects
FAO's support to countries.
Insects for food and for feed
Discover the edible insects and the countries where entomophagy - the practice of consuming insects - is widespread.
Publications
Forests, trees and wild species in agrifood systems - Optimizing benefits for biodiversity, climate and health
2024
This brief is a product of an ongoing collaboration between FAO, People and Plants International, and the Alliance of Bioversity International and the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT). It serves as a background document for partner countries and stakeholders involved in the FAO Technical Cooperation Programme Project on “Strengthening country capacities to enable forest-based contributions to healthy and sustainable agrifood systems”.
Wildcheck – Assessing the risks and opportunities of trade in wild plant ingredients
2022
Thousands of consumer products around the world contain ingredients obtained from wild plants. Wild harvest accounts for some or all the harvest of the great majority of plant species in trade (between 60-90 percent). Wild-harvested plants often come from the most biodiverse ecosystems on earth and many have been used traditionally or by local communities for generations.
Non-wood forest products for people, nature and the green economy. Recommendations for policy priorities in Europe - A white paper based on lessons learned from around the Mediterranean
2021
Non-wood forest products (NWFP) are a multifaceted part of Europe’s cultural legacy. From cork to natural resins, from mushrooms to medicinal plants, and the many varieties of nuts and berries, NWFP are an intrinsic part of daily living.