1. Forests, trees and agroforestry:
What role in food security and
nutrition?
Terry Sunderland
Global Landscapes Forum, Lima, Peru
7thDecember 2014
THINKING beyond the canopy

2. 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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3. 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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4. Testing the hypothesis
• 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
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5. • 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
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Results

6. “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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7. 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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8. 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
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9. http://www.landscapes.org/
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10. http://www.landscapes.org/
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