The document summarizes the ASSETS project which examines the link between ecosystem services, food security, and nutritional health for rural communities near forests. The project is a multi-institutional collaboration that will study these relationships in Colombia, Peru, and Malawi. The project aims to better understand how changes in ecosystem services can impact food security and health, identify crises and tipping points, and strengthen the science-policy interface on these issues.

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Dr. Gisella S. Cruz-García
DAPA
g.s.cruz@cgiar.org
ASSETS: Ecosystem services, food security and
nutritional health in the forest-agriculture interface

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Ecosystem services
• Supporting: nutrient cycling, soil formation
• Regulating: climate, flood, disease regulation
• Provisioning: food, timber, fodder, fuel
• Cultural: spiritual, aesthetic, recreational
Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, 2005

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Human dimensions
of ecosystem services
• Ecosystem services offer benefits to the rural poor:
• direct and indirect
• material and non-material
• monetary and non-monetary
• These benefits are reflected in human wellbeing.

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Food security
framework
• Availability: having a supply of enough quality food
• Access: having adequate economic resources and/or physical access
or entitlements to acquire food
• Utilization: the food consumed is offering then energy and all
nutrients required for a healthy life (including dietary diversity)
• Stability: availability, access and utilization are satisfied throughout
the year and at all times
(FAO 1996)

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ASSETS Project
“Managing ecosystem services for food security and the
nutritional health of the rural poor at the
forest-agriculture interface”
• Multi-institutional collaboration part of ESPA Initiative.
• Themes:
1. Linkages between food security, nutritional health and ES
2. Crises and tipping points involving past, current and future
interactions between food security and ES
3. Science – policy interface

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UK:
• University of Southampton (PI Poppy)
• University of Dundee
USA:
• Conservation International
Spain:
• Basque Centre for Climate Change
Colombia:
• CIAT
• Universidad Nacional de Colombia
Peru
• Instituto de Investigación de la Amazonia Peruana - IIAP
Malawi:
• Chancellor College (Co-PI Chiotha)
• LEAD Southern and Eastern Africa plus Ministry of Forestry, Forest Research
Institute of Malawi
• Rhodes University South Africa
The team

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Study sites: Colombia, Peru and Malawi

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Focus group – ES matrix rating
Men
Puerto Cordoba
Focus group – ES matrix rating
Women
Comeyafú

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Thank you for your attention
g.s.cruz@cgiar.org