STATE OF THE RAINFOREST 2014
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Protecting tropical forests and their ecosystem services is essential
for maintaining the productivity and sustainability of food
production systems worldwide. Agricultural expansion is, however,
the single most important factor behind the clearance of tropical
forests and it is often argued that the continued clearance of forest
land for agriculture is necessary to feed a growing world population.
Integrating tropical forest – and biodiversity considerations with
food security strategies will be crucial to ensure sustainable food
security, especially if priority shall be given to the poorest parts of
the world population.
Poor people depend on forests
Globally, some 750 million – 1 billion people live inside relatively
dense forests and largely depend on them for their livelihood.
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People living inside, or close to, forests use the forest for a wide
range of purposes.
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In varying degrees the forest provides them
with food, fuel, building materials, fibres, medicines and fodder on
a regular basis. Also for people affected by natural disasters, access
to forests and forest resources may be the way to survive, and here
reliance is greatest for those most heavily impacted and the poorest.
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The World Bank
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estimates that 90 % of the world’s poorest people
depend on forest resources. Land conflicts are common in rainforest
areas, and are often caused by commercial actors, including for
production of agricultural products such as palm oil or soy. This
agricultural production, whether used for human consumption, as
biofuel or in other products, often directly undermines the food
security of the local communities loosing their land. For people with
minimal monetary income, forests are the source of well-being, the
basis for their development. A recent comprehensive global study
led by the CIFOR Poverty and Environment Network,
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concludes that
Food in the forest – on tropical forests
and food security
