Research in the International Journal of Economic Policy in Emerging Economies has highlighted the significant contribution of non-timber forest products (NTFPs) in bolstering food security among households residing in rural areas, such as those near the Pô-Nazinga-Sissili protected area in Burkina Faso. The work emphasizes how policymakers must integrate NTFPs into food security strategies there and in other regions.
Soumaïla Sawadogo of the Thomas Sankara University in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso and also at the University of Liège, Belgium, surveyed some 263 randomly selected households. He employed two essential indicators to assess food security: the Household Dietary Diversity Score (HDDS) and the Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (HFIAS). His analysis of the correlation between economic dependence on NTFPs and food security revealed a positive association confirming that NTFPs play a critical role for households in this region.
NTFPs encompass a diverse range of forest resources, excluding timber. They provide various benefits to local communities. Sawadogo’s research highlights how optimizing the use of forests can tackle food insecurity in rural households by providing them with wild food, giving them a cash income, and improving dietary diversity. Forest goods and services, including NTFPs like honey, nere seeds, and shea nuts, act as natural sources of sustenance, contributing significantly to a household’s food security. Moreover, in a crisis, NTFPs can act as a safety net for the most vulnerable households.
Indeed, the research suggests that households are actually more food secure if they utilise NTFPs than other measures may have indicated. Households that derived almost a quarter of their total income from NTFP activities were, the work found, more likely to live in food security, as measured by the food diversity indicator. A more secure household is likely to put more diverse foods on the table, whereas a household in an insecure position will likely only have a limited range of food types, mainly basic carbohydrate foods to eat. The food diversity indicators shows that 70% of households are in a good food security position, whereas a measurement based only on the HFIAS would suggest just 11% of those households are food secure.
Sawadogo suggests that policymakers ought to harness the potential of NTFPs to enhance food security. He also points out that improving household literacy can have a synergistic effect, increasing food security and emphasizes that there is a need for educational programs focused on sustainable forest management and NTFP utilization.
Sawadogo, S. (2023) ‘Contribution of non-timber forest products to food security of households bordering the Pô-Nazinga-Sissili ecological complex in Burkina Faso’, Int. J. Economic Policy in Emerging Economies, Vol. 17, No. 3, pp.420–443.