How forests can reduce poverty

The international community is committed to eliminating poverty. International development targets to that end include a reduction by half in the number of people who are food insecure and a similar reduction in the proportion of people living in extreme poverty by the year 2015. The Forestry Department of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), with the support of the UK’s Department for International Development (DFID), held an interagency Forum on the Role of Forestry in Poverty Alleviation in September 2001. Analysts from developing countries, representatives of multi- and bilateral agencies, international research organizations and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) came together to share their experiences. This policy brief is the result of the joint efforts of the 60 participants in the Forum, with a significant contribution by the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED). It highlights the findings of the Forum to help further the understanding of the ways in which trees, forests and forestry can contribute towards increasing food security and reducing poverty. Initiatives based on sustainable local forest management, as part of rural development and sustainable livelihood strategies, can support good governance and increase benefits to the poor. The challenge now is to turn this potential into a reality.