The Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) has announced that the Government of Zimbabwe will launch a National Forest Policy Formulation Process to create the country's first documented National Forest Policy.
26 November 2014: The Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) has announced that the Government of Zimbabwe will launch a National Forest Policy Formulation Process to create the country’s first documented National Forest Policy. FAO is providing US$93,000 in addition to technical assistance to support the endeavor.
It is hoped that the development of a National Forest Policy will support sustainable growth in Zimbabwe’s forestry sector. Currently, many forest-related activities occur in the informal sector, while commercial forestry contributes 3% to gross domestic product and is restricted to the private sector. The Forest Policy is seen as an important step in addressing the loss of 330,000 hectares of forest a year and recognizing the importance of forests and trees outside of forests to food and nutrition security.
The Policy Formulation Process will include the development of Forest Policy goals, the engagement of stakeholders, and alignment with development policies and other related strategies and plans. The development of a National Forest Policy is one component within the EU and FAO funded project ‘Forest Forces,’ which seeks to support sustainable forest management (SFM) and livelihood diversification among small holders. [FAO Press Release]