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The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s Fourth
Assessment Report (IPCC 2007) estimated that the forest
sector, including deforestation, contributes 17.4 per cent of all
greenhouse gases from anthropogenic sources. On the other
hand, forests absorb about 2.4 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide
per year, equivalent to one-third of the carbon dioxide released
through the burning of fossil fuels (Pan
et al.
2011). The ability
of forests to store carbon dioxide in trees and soil, and hence
mitigate climate change, is therefore an important ecosystem
service (MA 2005; FAO 2011a) that indirectly contributes
towards securing future food production, especially for rural
farmers who are struggling with changing weather patterns.
One of the challenges related to forest food is that it is seasonal,
meaning that large proportions are harvested at the same time.
Rural households as well as local markets often lack sufficient
storage and preservation capacity to prevent the food from
decomposing. Traditional methods of processing food such as
drying and smoking are important strategies (FAO 2011a) that
can contribute towards reducing food waste and extending
the food supply into non-productive periods. Fuel wood is the
main source of energy used for processing and cooking food,
making wood from forests an essential component of local food
systems (Sunderland
et al.
2013). It is estimated that 2.4 billion
people use biomass (wood, crop residues, charcoal and dung)
energy for heating and processing food (UNEP 2011a).
Ecosystem approaches to forest management
National forest policies should give more priority to the
contributions of forests to food security and to millions of
livelihoods (UNEP 2011a; FAO 2011a). Managing forests
sustainably is essential for healthy ecosystems and for
the continuation of forests as a provider of food as well as
other supporting and regulating services important for the
productivity of other ecosystems. Through deforestation
practices such as timber extraction and land conversion,
food is being lost directly through cutting down plants that
produce food and destroying habitat for animals, insects and
birds. Food is also lost indirectly through the degradation of
forest ecosystems that provide services crucial for other food
producing ecosystems, such as water regulation, pollination,
soil fertility improvement and nutrient cycling.
Ecosystem approaches to forest management can play a crucial
role in averting food loss by recognizing the inter-linkages
with other ecosystems as well as the value of forest ecosystem