Forestry

©FAO Luis Tato©FAO Joan Manual Baliellas

People and forests

News
©FAO Dakshina Murthy
20/10/2022
Rome – Some 75 percent of the global population living outside urban areas are within 1 km of a forest, according to new research by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) that aims to improve our understanding of human-forest interactions.
©FAO Giuseppe Carotenuto
04/10/2022
Rome – Investing in a sustainable future means investing in youth, QU Dongyu, the Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) today told attendees of the event A bright future for forestry: Investing in youth career development.
©MVIWAARUSHA/Damian James Sulumo
02/10/2022
FAO and partners set up school clubs for Tanzania’s children for a forest-friendly future.

Publications

Prosperity in place for youth: Meaningful work for mobile youth that enhances forest landscapes
2020

This report examines the drivers of youth migration from rural to urban areas and sets out recommendations on how to engage young people in forest work – whether they remain in the community, leave for the cities, or return after a period away.

2020

This brief explains how social protection measures could shield the rural poor from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic while providing a series of social protection measures countries adopted around the world as a response to COVID-19.

Strengthening National Forest Policy in Timor-Leste
2020

The first ever National Forest Policy was formulated with technical assistance from FAO, and enacted in 2007. In order to promote sustainable forest management for the benefit of local people, the Government of Timor-Leste requested that FAO assist in reviewing the NFP, and in formulating the Forest Law as a legal instrument for NFP implementation.

Videos

Forest monitoring and Indigenous-led restoration in Brazil
17/11/2025

From satellite-based monitoring to community and indigenous-led restoration, Brazil’s approach is inspiring a global movement for forest protection...

The Green Cities Initiative – In my Green City
27/10/2025

In this video, eight people aged between 6 and 18 years share their experiences and ideas of what life in a sustainable, just and green city might look...

The Green Cities Initiative - a better future for all
15/10/2025

Cities around the world are grow rapidly. This growth offers immense opportunities but also creates rising pressure on infrastructure, resources and...

The Green Cities Initiative – in Action for Africa
15/10/2025

With support from Italy’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, the FAO’s Green Cities Initiative is helping ten cities in five...

The Green Cities Initiative - a virtual Green Cities walk
14/10/2025

Step into a reimagined urban world – a world in which cities are not just growing, but thriving.

‘Greening’ the humanitarian response in Uganda and Djibouti
20/06/2025

The Greening the Humanitarian Response project, funded by the European Union and implemented by FAO in collaboration with UNHCR, aims to strengthen...

Nepali women’s community group is turning fire prevention into a climate-resilient green enterprise
22/04/2025

Women from the Binayi Triveni Municipality in Nepal’s western region collect forest litter – the bark, leaves and sticks on the forest floor that can...

Transforming the asaí value chain in Bolivia through traditional methods and modern ingenuity
27/03/2025

In Porvenir, Bolivia, Indigenous communities are proving that forest conservation and prosperity can go hand in hand.

Schoolchildren learn about forests and food security in Rome’s FAO Park
21/03/2025

More than five billion people use forest and non-timber forest products for food, medicine and livelihoods. Watch the video and see how schoolchildren...

Rodrigo Pacheco's edible forest
21/03/2025

FAO National Goodwill Ambassador for Ecuador and world-famous chef Rodrigo Pacheco takes us on a walk through his own edible forests.