Forest bounty feeds the world

From the lush Amazon to the mangroves of Senegal and the dry woodlands of the Sahel, forests shape the fortunes and food systems of rural people around the world.

Over 5 billion people, almost half of them in developing countries, draw on forest products aside from wood for sustenance, medicine and other essential resources.

By sustainably harvesting valuable forest products, rural people can earn more and buy quality food for their families. Small-scale farmers also rely increasingly on agroforestry, a farming method in which crops and livestock are integrated into a diverse and healthy environment, rich with trees and shrubs, to produce varied and nutritious foods.

Food production worldwide relies on healthy forests that host pollinators, keep the soil and water healthy, regulate local weather and provide shelter for animals and crops.

Meet some of the rural people that IFAD works with to celebrate and nurture the bounty of our forests.

Zgougou, or Aleppo pine nuts, have special significance in Tunisia. They are the crucial ingredient in asidat zgougou, a dessert shared with family and friends to celebrate religious occasions.

Communities in Siliana see the kernels as a gift from the area's forests, where Aleppo pines thrive. In the autumn, people collect cones from the forests and bake them in traditional ovens to extract the nuts. Once the nuts have been harvested, the empty cones are discarded.

But Hassan, a 34-year-old entrepreneur, has spotted a way to make use of the waste – and to give back to the forest. He devised a system to combine the empty pinecones with manure and branches from thinned trees that would normally be burnt, then turn them all into high-grade compost.

With funding from the IFAD-supported PROFITS project, Hassan's idea has become a reality. He now employs up to five helpers who produce the compost and market it online. “I am very proud of the fact that my project is friendly to nature,” says Hassan.

In northern Tanzania, honey has long been central to the traditional diet of the Hadzabe people, one of the last remaining hunter-gatherer communities in Africa. Now, with hives provided by the IFAD-supported LDFS project, young Hadzabe like Ngotina and Shakwa are producing this delicious honey for themselves and the world while protecting the forests they call home.

LDFS has provided modern hives that are suspended from trees in the forest. The bees are thriving on the nectar from baobab, acacia and other native trees, producing 5–10 litres of honey per hive. And when Ngotina and Shakwa monitor their hives, they also keep an eye on the forest’s wellbeing.

“My life is spent in the wild, we are surrounded by the wild. I love living in this environment,” says Shakwa.

In the semi-arid Caatinga region of Brazil, young people like 18-year-old Iris are eagerly learning how to tend home gardens with a variety of trees, vegetables and medicinal plants. These home gardens, which were tailored to their local environment by the IFAD-supported PSA project, contributed to a 10 per cent decline in the number of families who faced difficulty obtaining enough food.

A student at an Escola Família Agrícola (Family Agricultural School), Iris has learned how to use Agrocaatinga, a technique designed to conserve native Caatinga and food plants. Like the other students, she applies this practice at home, passing on her studies about sustainability and agroforestry to her parents.

Iris is just one of many guardians of the Caatinga woodlands who have partnered with PSA. Rural women like Adeline and her granddaughter Jucimara collect seeds and propagate creole varieties and native plants, which are adapted to local conditions. In doing so, they preserve the lush diversity of the Caatinga for future generations.

The world’s forests give us all the requirements of life: clean air, pure water and diverse food. Rural people are protecting their future and ensuring that they continue to nourish us through diverse and sustainable food systems.