Subsistence agriculture is predominant in many of the landscapes where we work. In these contexts, communities often face a predictable annual challenge: the “hunger season.” This is the period furthest away from the previous harvest when food reserves are at their lowest, food prices increase and jobs are scarce. 

Several studies conducted with forest-dependent communities show that in many cases forests have traditionally served as vital safety nets during this time, providing food like wild fruits, mushrooms, and other forest products. When the forests degrade, that safety net becomes less reliable. 

Forest and landscape restoration recognizes that to restore forests and landscapes sustainably, a holistic approach is critical. This includes looking at the role they play when it comes to food security. 

Claire Parfondry, WeForest’s Global Technical Advisor for Livelihoods explains that when forests provide less food during the hunger season, community resilience falls down with it. In some cases, putting forests at risk of further degradation. “Our restoration efforts must actively consider and understand the link between food security and forest and landscape restoration,” she says. “The most successful strategies recognize that the health of a forest can impact the food security of the communities that live in and around it.”

This is why our project focus extends beyond forests. We engage with small-scale, subsistence-based farming communities living around forests; among other activities, we promote sustainable, tree-based farming practices such as agroforestry, which have the potential to improve food security, as well as other positive “side effects” such as fuelwood provision for cooking. But we know we can go further because data and experience show that long-term forest and landscape restoration only sticks when it works for people.

Developing forest-friendly markets

Claire Parfondry also explains that it’s important to develop forest-friendly market systems that can reverse the livelihoods-based drivers of forest degradation and deforestation. “This means working with communities to identify non-timber forest products such as honey, fruits, seafood (in a mangrove landscape) or arabic gum and developing strategies to add value to these products, for example by exploring new market opportunities, processing, improving branding & packaging, and improving the quality of the product…”  

“We don’t necessarily want to reinvent the wheel or introduce new products or activity sectors. We prefer to work with what people are already doing, and help them develop their own strategies from there,” explains Claire Parfondry. 

While projects typically focus on a limited number of products due to limited resources, participants can apply the skills learned (e.g., enterprise development, marketing) to other products and activity sectors.

Food generating income: Lessons from the field

Claire Parfondry shared inspiring examples from our partners on how they are generating income with forest-friendly products:

  • In Senegal’s mangroves, a partnership with Eclosio helped a salt producers’ cooperative, by supporting them to do market prospecting to fetch a higher price for their product without selling to middle-men. They better understand now the markets that they are selling their salt to.
  • Also in Senegal, a strategic subsidy for a cold storage fridge allowed a rural cooperative to process more kilos of the madd (or saba) fruit. Madd is rich in nutrients, fiber, and antioxidants, which improve digestion and immunity. With the new fridge, the cooperative was able to produce many more kilos of jam and marmalade, but unfortunately, they found that they couldn’t sell it all. The key lesson? Secure markets before scaling up production.
  • In Zambia, beekeeping initiatives are producing significant honey volumes. The next challenge is to move beyond raw products: by focusing on processing, farmers can sell their honey at a higher price. 

The skills learned in enterprise development, marketing, and processing often ripple outward, as communities replicate them in new ventures.

A more resilient future, rooted in partnership

Forest and landscape restoration is a holistic approach. Food security and sustainable, forest-friendly livelihoods are all closely linked and essential pieces of the forest and landscape restoration puzzle, and the latter only works when it puts people at the centre of its strategy. 

Do you want to take part in forest restoration? Contact us at partnership@weforest.org