The role of non-wood forest products in diets and livelihoods: quantifying the contributions

There is a growing amount of evidence suggesting a strong correlation between forests and healthy, diverse diets, as well as an increasing number of studies attesting to the rise of vibrant emerging niche and experiential Non-wood forest product (NWFP) based markets (Rowland et al., 2016, Ickowitz et al., 2016, Powell et al., 2015; Ickowitz et al., 2014; Wong & Prokofieva, 2014). Still, forests in general are rarely considered in food and nutrition policies and programmes, and NWFPs in particular hardly receive adequate attention in land-use planning and rural development strategies. Arguably, there is not enough globally comparable data to “make a case” for their value. This thesis tests the hypothesis that NWFPs indeed play an important role in diets and livelihoods. The study has two main components: the first part looks at the age-old debate of “what is a non-wood forest product”, which is at the basis of quantifying contributions. The second part is divided into two components: (1) assessing the degree to which NWFPs contribute to diets and livelihoods in selected areas, motivations behind gathering (e.g. hunger or emergency, culture, income) and perceptions of their status in the wild and; (2) understanding prospects for improving livelihoods with the main-collected products (in this case insect-based NWFPs). All of this work aims to support official data collection on NWFPs, and better inform policies and decision making related to forests, land-use and healthy food systems more broadly.