Forest resources improve nutrition security in low- and middle-income countries, experts reveal

24 Jul 2024 --- A new study looking at data collected in the West African nation of Liberia suggests that the rural households engaged in forest-based activities, such as the processing of timber and the hunting and gathering of edible plants, were less likely to experience nutrition insecurity, while also capturing carbon.

“Previous research has shown that forests benefit people, but now we have evidence on a national scale. Forests are a vital source of food security for forest-adjacent households in Liberia, the most forested country in West Africa (compromising 69% of the land area),” comments study co-author Daniel C. Miller, associate professor of environmental policy at Notre Dame’s Keough School of Global Affairs, US.

“Forests do a lot of things for us as human beings, and yet their manifold contributions are not systematically studied and documented. While forests will never substitute for agriculture on any large scale, they can serve as an important food source, particularly in lean times.”

The study published in the journal Food Security analyzed data from a 2019 survey by the Liberian government and the World Bank, finding that participating in forest activities reduces household food scarcity in the country by 84%. 

Food security in rural Liberia
Co-author Miller, a former World Bank forestry specialist, participated in designing the survey used for the study, which collected data from nearly 3,000 households living near forests across all 15 counties in Liberia. Households reporting that they take part in forest-based activities reported food insecurity for almost three fewer months annually. 

Soko Koryon, forest inventory coordinator for USAID's Forest Incomes for Environmental Sustainability program, describes forest inventory methodology to visitors in Barconnie Community Forest in Grand Bassa County, Liberia (Image Credit: Yoel Kirschner, USAID).

Caption Soko Koryon, forest inventory coordinator for USAID's Forest Incomes for Environmental Sustainability program, describes forest inventory methodology to visitors in Barconnie Community Forest in Grand Bassa County, Liberia (Image Credit: Yoel Kirschner, USAID).

Miller explains that food insecurity is common among families residing in the rural regions of the country, with most people struggling to meet the daily caloric requirements for most of the year.

The analysis further reveals that processing timber and other wood products improved household security by 66%, or for 2.1 months of the year. At the same time, other processing activities, namely collecting fuelwood, bushmeat and bush yam, and the planting of trees and shrubs, improved food security by 84%, equivalent to 2.7 months a year.

Extreme weather events, political instability and poor agricultural productivity caused by natural resource depletion are outlined as key challenges to achieving food security in Liberia. 

Miller and co-author Festus Amadu, a former Notre Dame postdoctoral researcher who is now an assistant professor of climate policy at Florida Gulf Coast University, US, assert that the study’s methodology using forest-specific data acquired on a national scale could be applied to other forest-rich, yet economically poor states in West Africa and beyond. 

“Forests can and should be considered by national governments in other countries not only for their climate and environmental benefits but for their potential to support human development and well-being,” Miller argues.

Policy implications
He adds that the study had policy implications and should, thus, be considered by policymakers in the country as part of forest management and conservation efforts. “The benefits that forests create for the citizens of a country are yet another reason why forests are worth managing well and conserving. When you have empirical evidence at the national level, it becomes relevant not only in scholarship but also for the policy realm.”

The paper highlights participation in the forestry sector as presenting the potential to contribute to achieving the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), especially SDG 2 on hunger and food security. Despite this potential, analysis of the effects of the forest sector remains limited. 

 Miller and Amadu further plan to study how community level forest governance affects (and benefits) people living near forests. 

By Milana Nikolova