Forests, trees and agroforestry: What role in food security and nutrition?

THINKING beyond the canopy

Forests, trees and agroforestry: What role in food security and

nutrition?

Terry SunderlandGlobal Landscapes Forum, Lima, Peru

7thDecember 2014

THINKING beyond the canopy

Forests and livelihoods: the evidence• One billion+ people rely on forest products

for nutrition and income in some way (Agrawal et al 2013)

• One fifth of rural income derived from the environment (Wunder et al 2014)

• Wild harvested meat provides 30-50% of protein intake for many rural communities (Nasi et al 2011)

• 80% of world’s population rely on biodiversity for primary health care (IUCN 2013)

• 40% of global food production comes from diverse small-holder agricultural systems in multi-functional landscapes (FAO 2010)

• Long tradition of managing forests for food (IUFRO 2013)

• Forests sustaining agriculture: ecosystem services provision (Foli et a. 2014)

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Are forests and trees important for food and nutrition security?

Collection of nutritious NTFPs

Farming mosaics may promote more diverse diets

Agroforestry and farming systems

Ecosystem services of forests & trees for agriculture

Availability of fuel wood Provision of ‘back up’ foods

for lean season = safety nets

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• Study using DHS nutrition data from 21 countries in Africa, integrated with GIS (Modis) data on % tree cover to test the relationship between tree cover and child nutrition indicators

• Sample: ca.93,000 children between ages 13 and 59 months in over 9,500 communities

Testing the hypothesis

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• There is a statistically significant positive relationship between % tree cover and dietary diversity

• Fruit and vegetable consumption first increases and then decreases with tree cover (peak tree cover is ca. 45%)

• There is no statistically significant relationship between tree cover and animal source foods

Results

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“Forests sustaining agriculture”

Nutrient Cycling:

All studies conducted in agroforestry systems (AFS)

79% studies showed a positive effect of tree presence

Pollination:

87% of studies showed a positive effect of nearby (0.3 – 1.6km) forest/forest fragment

Climate regulation:

Yields of some tree crops diminish, further from forests

Forests, trees = resilience

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Multi-functionality at landscape scale

• Combination of separate land units with different functions (spatial segregation)

• Different functions on the same unit of land but separated in time (temporal segregation)

• Different functions on the same unit of land at the same time (functional integration or “real multi-functionality)

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GFEP review: Key conclusions

• Diverse forest and tree-based production systems offer advantages over mono-crops because of their adaptability and resilience.

• There are a multitude of ecosystem services provided by forests and trees that simultaneously support food production, sustainability and environmental and human health.

• Managing landscapes on a multi-functional basis that combines food production, biodiversity conservation and the maintenance of ecosystem services provides opportunities to achieve food and nutritional security

• Forests and trees alone will not achieve global food security, but can play a major role

THINKING beyond the canopy

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