Published on: 2026-09-15
Source: United Nations – United Nations –
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September 15, 2026 Economic Development
Forests and trees play a key role in providing people with food. The livelihoods of more than 5 billion people worldwide depend on them to some extent. At the same time, their contribution to food security is often not taken into account in national statistics and development strategies.
In a new global report published on Tuesday by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) jointly with the Landscape Alliance, the importance of forests in the fight against hunger and poverty is emphasized. The authors urge countries to include the forest sector in the development policies of agri-food systems.
“By joining forces and fully integrating forests into national, regional, and global strategies, we can create more effective, inclusive, sustainable, and resilient agri-food systems,” said FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu.
“We are obliged to do this because the conservation of forests and their rational use are fundamentally important for ensuring people have adequate nutrition,” he added.
The report on forests was published at a critical moment: according to the UN, around 645 million people suffered from chronic hunger in 2025.
At the same time, forests around the world are under threat. In the past decade, the planet has lost an average of 10.9 million hectares of forest each year. Deforestation leads to a reduction in biodiversity, undermines agricultural productivity, and food security.
The population’s food supply directly depends on forests
There is a close relationship between forest cover area and the quality of the population’s nutrition. For example, a study conducted in Africa showed that the diet of children living in areas with higher tree vegetation density generally has greater diversity and nutritional value.
Forests provide full nutrition, being a source of fruits, nuts, tuberous plants, root crops, mushrooms, edible insects, and wild game meat. More than 50,000 species of wild plants and wild animals are used for food, as well as for medicinal and other purposes.
Forest fruits are rich in minerals and vitamins, while seeds and nuts serve as a source of calories, fats, and protein. Edible roots and tubers provide carbohydrates to the body, and mushrooms supply important nutrients such as potassium and selenium. Wild greens are a rich source of protein and trace elements (in particular, vitamin A, calcium, and iron), deficiencies of which are often observed in the diets of population groups most vulnerable in terms of food security.
UN News Service Forest gifts – berries, nuts, mushrooms, root vegetables, herbs, and other plants – have long played an important role in providing rural residents with wholesome food and medicinal resources.
Not just food
Forests also contribute to maintaining health. More than a billion people worldwide use medicinal plants harvested from forests to treat diseases – including those that affect nutrient absorption and overall well-being.
In addition, forests serve as a source of fuel (about 1.8 billion people use wood for cooking), income, and employment. In some regions, forests provide up to 20 percent of rural household income and serve as an indispensable “safety net” during periods of food scarcity and economic hardship.
These benefits are complemented by the broader contributions of forests to biodiversity conservation, climate change mitigation, economic stability, and ecosystem processes that support the livelihoods of local communities, cities, and landscapes.
Thus, forest catchment basins provide fresh water to more than 85 percent of large cities and support agriculture, livestock farming, and fishing through such vital ecosystem services as water regulation, soil protection, and pest control.
Regional differences
The report notes regional differences in the role that forest products play in ensuring food security and proper nutrition. In some areas of Africa, individual communities obtain up to 80 percent of their daily protein intake from wild game meat. In the Amazon basin, fish accounts for 44 percent of the total volume of consumed foods (by weight); the diet also includes wild game meat, Brazil nuts, and açaí berries.
Asia leads in the number of wild forest plant species used for food. In Europe, a survey covering 28 countries showed that 90 percent of respondents consume at least one forest product, and more than a third eat wild game meat. In North America, wild animal meat is more often consumed as part of leisure activities than as a primary food source.
How to Preserve and Use Forests
The report also examines the progress in implementing the recommendations of the Committee on World Food Security (adopted in 2017) regarding sustainable forest management to ensure adequate nutrition; the analysis is conducted using the examples of China, the Dominican Republic, Morocco, Turkey, and Uruguay.
Despite their importance, the contribution of forests to food security and nutrition is still rarely considered in policy development and planning both in the forestry sector and in agri-food systems. This is partly due to the lack of globally agreed definitions and methodologies for assessing forest food resources, as well as fragmented approaches to policy formulation.
The report presents recommendations aimed at ensuring the full utilization of forest potential, including the adoption of comprehensive policy measures taking into account local conditions, strengthening the regulatory framework, diversification of production systems, promotion of the sustainable use of forest food resources, increasing government investments, mobilizing diverse sources of funding, and improving data collection systems on forest food resources.
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