Forests’ contribution to rural livelihoods and food security: Insights from a study case in the Peruvian Amazon

IF 5.6 1区农林科学 Q1 FOOD SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Food Security Pub Date : 2025-02-19 DOI:10.1007/s12571-025-01521-z

Karin Begazo-Curie, Liesbet Vranken

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Forests are widely recognized for their significant role in achieving the sustainable development goals (SDGs), particularly those related to livelihoods and food security. However, there is little empirical quantitative evidence regarding their contribution to household income and food security. Therefore, this study aims to (a) illustrate the contribution of forests to total household income, considering not only cash income but also income from subsistence activities; (b) provide insights into how forests contribute to food security; (c) identify the drivers related to food insecurity; and (d) investigate the importance of forest-related coping strategies used by households when facing food insecurity. We used quantitative survey data from 400 households across fifty villages in the northern Peruvian Amazon, which vary in tenure regimes and remoteness. Our findings reveal that forests play a crucial role in supporting the subsistence needs of rural households facing food insecurity, particularly those in villages under common ownership regimes and in remote areas. Both groups rely heavily on forest foods, such as non-timber forest products and game, serving not only as regular source of food but also as important coping strategies during times of inadequate food access. Furthermore, non-timber forest products such as fruits not only contribute to subsistence, but also provide valuable cash income sources. These findings underscore the essential role of forests in enhancing rural livelihoods and food security, highlighting the need for policy makers to prioritize forest conservation through the sustainable use of forest products, especially in areas facing deforestation and limited alternative income sources.

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森林对农村生计和粮食安全的贡献：来自秘鲁亚马逊地区研究案例的见解

森林在实现可持续发展目标（sdg），特别是与生计和粮食安全有关的目标方面的重要作用得到广泛认可。然而，关于他们对家庭收入和粮食安全的贡献，几乎没有经验性的定量证据。因此，本研究旨在(a)说明森林对家庭总收入的贡献，不仅考虑到现金收入，而且考虑到生计活动的收入；(b)提供关于森林如何促进粮食安全的见解；(c)确定与粮食不安全有关的驱动因素；(d)调查家庭在面临粮食不安全时所采用的与森林有关的应对策略的重要性。我们使用了来自秘鲁亚马逊北部50个村庄400户家庭的定量调查数据，这些村庄的权属制度和偏远程度各不相同。我们的研究结果表明，森林在支持面临粮食不安全的农村家庭的生存需求方面发挥着至关重要的作用，特别是在共同所有权制度下的村庄和偏远地区。这两个群体都严重依赖森林食物，如非木材林产品和野味，它们不仅是常规的食物来源，而且在食物获取不足时也是重要的应对策略。此外，水果等非木材林产品不仅有助于维持生计，而且还提供宝贵的现金收入来源。这些调查结果强调了森林在改善农村生计和粮食安全方面的重要作用，强调了决策者需要通过可持续利用森林产品来优先保护森林，特别是在面临毁林和替代收入来源有限的地区。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Food Security FOOD SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY-

CiteScore

14.00

自引率

6.00%

发文量

审稿时长

>12 weeks

期刊介绍： Food Security is a wide audience, interdisciplinary, international journal dedicated to the procurement, access (economic and physical), and quality of food, in all its dimensions. Scales range from the individual to communities, and to the world food system. We strive to publish high-quality scientific articles, where quality includes, but is not limited to, the quality and clarity of text, and the validity of methods and approaches. Food Security is the initiative of a distinguished international group of scientists from different disciplines who hold a deep concern for the challenge of global food security, together with a vision of the power of shared knowledge as a means of meeting that challenge. To address the challenge of global food security, the journal seeks to address the constraints - physical, biological and socio-economic - which not only limit food production but also the ability of people to access a healthy diet. From this perspective, the journal covers the following areas: Global food needs: the mismatch between population and the ability to provide adequate nutrition Global food potential and global food production Natural constraints to satisfying global food needs: § Climate, climate variability, and climate change § Desertification and flooding § Natural disasters § Soils, soil quality and threats to soils, edaphic and other abiotic constraints to production § Biotic constraints to production, pathogens, pests, and weeds in their effects on sustainable production The sociological contexts of food production, access, quality, and consumption. Nutrition, food quality and food safety. Socio-political factors that impinge on the ability to satisfy global food needs: § Land, agricultural and food policy § International relations and trade § Access to food § Financial policy § Wars and ethnic unrest Research policies and priorities to ensure food security in its various dimensions.