11 October, 2013: The Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) has released the recommendations from the International Conference on Forests for Food Security and Nutrition, which highlight the importance of forests for food, agricultural production and the provision of woodfuel.

The publication suggests that, in order to maximize the contribution of forests to food security, policy makers should ensure land and use security and gender equality so as to facilitate equitable access to forest resources. The report also highlights the need for coordination across relevant sectors, including agriculture, forests and mining, among others, to promote policy alignment and the timely collection and dissemination of data on forests, food security and nutrition.

The also report focuses on smallholders, noting the need for adequate access to credit, technology, extension services and insurance. It states that smallholders would benefit from improved market access for both forest and tree products as well as forest ecosystem services.

The conference was organized by FAO in collaboration with the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), the World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF), the World Bank and Bioversity International. CIFOR, ICRAF and Bioversity are members of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). [Publication: Towards Food Security and Improved Nutrition: Increasing the Contribution of Forests and Trees]