Non-timber forest products – A key tool to improve food security and nutrition in the drylands of Africa

Ouedraogo, D., Dima, Y., Baines, D., Schultz, A.

Non-timber forest products – A key tool to improve food security and nutrition in the drylands of Africa

Autores

Ouedraogo, D., Dima, Y., Baines, D., Schultz, A.

Editor

FAO ;

Descripción

Desertification and climate change will reduce the provision of ecosystem services in African drylands, including losses in biodiversity and soil fertility. With a major part of the population in these areas relying heavily on natural resources for survival, this worsens a health situation that is already ridden by hunger & malnutrition. Tree Aid works in Africa’s drylands to unlock the potential of trees to tackle poverty and food security while improving the environment. In particular, the promotion of non-timber forest products (NTFPs) can improve the health of rural populations by enhancing food security and nutrition. Here, we present a quantitative study that explores the impacts of promoting the production and consumption of NTFPs among 33,212 households in four regions of Burkina Faso, which feature the highest malnutrition rates in the country. This project was a partnership between Tree Aid and the Swiss Development Agency and ran from January 2017 to December 2020. Its socioeconomic and nutritional impacts were evaluated with baseline & endline assessments using the Rural Household Multi Indicator Survey1 (RHoMIS), a well-established household survey tool designed to analyse farm systems, a nutritional survey using SMART technology (Standardized Monitoring and Assessment of Relief and Transitions2 ) & focus group discussions. We find that enhancing access of women and vulnerable groups to wild & cultivated NTFPs through nutrition gardens & raising awareness of their nutritional value improves the food and nutritional security of the project rural households. Overall, the 263% increase in the proportion of calories sourced from key NTFPs (shea and baobab), which tripled daily intake per person, contributed to an 8% reduction in the number of households below the calorie line and a 42% reduction in chronic malnutrition in under 5-year-olds. These results reinforce the case for protecting & regenerating forests, which bring significant benefits to human health for rural population across the Sahel. Keywords: NTFP, food security, nutrition, Burkina Faso, Drylands ID: 3623938