Sustainable woodfuel for food security A smart choice: green, renewable and affordable Working paper Sustainable woodfuel for food security A smart choice: green, renewable and affordable FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS Rome, 2017 This working paper was prepared by Sooyeon Laura Jin, Jolien Schure, Verina Ingram and Byoung Il Yoo with contributions from Dominique Reeb, Zuzhang Xia, Andrea Perlis, Mats Nordberg, Jeffrey Campbell and Eva Muller of FAO. Layout was carried out by Flora Dicarlo. The designations employed and the presentation of material in this information product do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) concerning the legal or development status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. The mention of specific companies or products of manufacturers, whether or not these have been patented, does not imply that these have been endorsed or recommended by FAO in preference to others of a similar nature that are not mentioned. The views expressed in this information product are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of FAO. ISBN 978-92-5-109962-9 © FAO, 2017 FAO encourages the use, reproduction and dissemination of material in this information product. Except where otherwise indicated, material may be copied, downloaded and printed for private study, research and teaching purposes, or for use in non-commercial products or services, provided that appropriate acknowledgement of FAO as the source and copyright holder is given and that FAO’s endorsement of users’ views, products or services is not implied in any way. All requests for translation and adaptation rights, and for resale and other commercial use rights should be made via www.fao.org/contact-us/licence-request or addressed to [email protected]. FAO information products are available on the FAO website (www.fao.org/publications) and can be purchased through [email protected]. Cover photos: Left and centre, © J. Schure; right, © FAO/Pietro Cenini CONTENTS 1. Introduction: forests, trees, woodfuel and food security 1 2. Wood energy use and food security 7 Woodfuel in household energy mixes 8 Woodfuel use for cooking and food preservation 9 Cooking and food security 9 3. Woodfuel production and trade, and their links to food security 11 Woodfuel sourcing and wood production systems 11 Sustainability of woodfuel production 11 Sustainable woodfuel as part of food production systems 12 Woodfuel trade and food security 14 4. Challenges and opportunities for sustainable woodfuel production and use 15 Challenges 15 Opportunities 17 5. Ways forward and recommendations 21 How to realize the full potential of woodfuel and support food security: policy aspects 21 Links to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development 25 Key recommendations 26 Conclusion 27 References 29 1. INTRODUCTION: FORESTS, TREES, WOODFUEL AND FOOD SECURITY Forests cover one-third of the Earth’s land Forests and trees outside forests, surface. It is estimated that over one-third including tree-based agricultural systems, of the world’s population depends on forest contribute to the four dimensions of food goods and services for the direct provision security (Box 1) in multiple ways (Table 1). of food, woodfuel, building materials, Food from forests and trees (fruits, medicines, employment and cash income. vegetables, nuts, mushrooms, fodder and Box 1 Definitions and key terms Food security is a state where all people, at all times, have physical, social and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food to meet their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life. Nutrition security is integral to the concept of food security (FAO, 2011a). The four pillars of food security are availability, access, utilization and stability. Availability is achieved if there is adequate food ready for people’s needs. Access is ensured when all households and all individuals within those households have sufficient resources to obtain appropriate foods (through production, purchase or donation) for a nutritious diet. Adequate utilization refers to the ability of the human body to ingest and metabolize food. Stability refers to the temporal determinant of food and nutritional security and affects availability, access and utilization. Chronic food and nutrition insecurity (the inability to meet food needs on an ongoing basis) is distinguished from transitory food and nutrition insecurity (e.g. due to natural and human-made disasters) (Gross et al., 2000). Woodfuel is defined as all types of fuels originating directly or indirectly from woody biomass. The main types of woodfuel in less-developed regions of the world are fuelwood and charcoal. Fuelwood is woodfuel in which the original composition of the wood is preserved; it includes wood in its natural state and residues from wood-processing industries. Charcoal is the solid residue derived from the carbonization, distillation, pyrolysis and torrefaction of wood (FAO, 2004). Forest is defined as land spanning more than 0.5 ha with trees higher than 5 m and a canopy cover of more than 10 percent, or trees able to reach these thresholds in situ. It does not include land that is predominantly under agricultural or urban land use (FAO, 2015). Deforestation is defined as the conversion of forest to other land use or the permanent reduction of the tree canopy cover below the minimum 10 percent threshold (FAO, 2015). Forest degradation is the reduction of the capacity of a forest to provide goods and services (FAO, 2015). Tree-based agricultural systems (also known as agroforestry systems) are defined by tree cover on agricultural land of more than 10 percent. They can include trees on farms, home gardens, intercropping, fallows, woodlots and plantations (Zomer et al., 2014). 1 Table 1. Four dimensions of food security and their links to forestry and trees outside forests Food security Definition Applicable Examples of Facts and figures dimensions level linkages to forestry Food Available National Availability of edible Edible NWFPs account availability food in total = non-wood forest for 16.5 kcal/person/day production + products (NWFPs) globally imports + aid – exports – waste Support to As many as 600 tree agricultural and species fix atmospheric fishery production nitrogen, improving soil through forest fertility ecosystem services Shelterbelts have resulted in increases in grain production ranging from 30 to 200% in various countries 75% of the tree species of tropical Africa are used as browse or fodder trees SUSTAINABLE WOODFUEL FOR FOOD SECURITY Food access Economic, Households Increased household Global annual income physical, social and income from wood from roundwood, and legal access individuals industries, wood sawnwood, panels, pulp to food and NWFPs and paper: US$600 billion Informal-sector annual income from fuelwood, charcoal and recorded NWFPs: US$124 billion Forest employment: nearly 54 million people (full-time equivalent) Forest owners: 30 million people Food Physical ability Individuals Woodfuel for 2.4 billion people utilization to obtain cooking and (one-third of the world’s sufficient sterilizing water population) cook with nutritional wood intake and Provision of clean nutrient water for drinking In Africa, over 60% of absorption and cooking the population relies on woodfuel for cooking Provision of protein and micronutrients About 765 million people use wood energy to sterilize water Food stability Availability, All levels Safety net in times Forests have the access and of need potential to absorb about utilization at all 10% of global carbon times without Climate change emissions, if managed risk mitigation and sustainably adaptation through sustainable forest Forested watersheds and management wetlands supply 75% of the world’s accessible Protection of fresh water for domestic, ecosystem services agricultural, industrial for sustainable food and ecological needs production Sources: Jin and Reeb, 2014; FAO, 2008, 2014; Aju, 2014 2 Introduction forage, bushmeat, insects, fish) contributes Depletion or degradation of forest regularly to rural and urban diets and resources and trees outside forests puts at serves as a safety net in periods of food risk the multiple benefits that forests and scarcity (Kiptot et al., 2014; FAO, 2013). trees provide for people’s food security Wild plants, animals and edible insects and nutrition. Between 2010 and 2015 an from forests provide important nutrients annual loss of forest cover of 7.6 million and are often the main source of protein hectares, partially offset by an annual for people living in or near forests. gain of 4.3 million hectares, resulted in Forests generate income for local people a net annual decrease in forest area of and provide essential ecosystem services 3.3 million hectares worldwide (FAO, 2015). that support agriculture by regulating In many areas of the world with relatively water flows, stabilizing soils, maintaining high forest cover (Figure 1), consumption soil fertility, regulating the climate and of woodfuel also tends to be high providing habitat for wild pollinators and (Figure 2). predators of agricultural pests. About 795 million people are One of the most important contributions undernourished globally (FAO, IFAD and of forests to food security is the provision WFP, 2015). Limited availability of, and of woodfuel. For instance, cooking is access to, woodfuel could exacerbate the main way to ensure food utilization hunger and poverty by challenging the through high nutrient absorption from primary energy source for various purposes food, and globally 2.4 billion people use including cooking and sterilizing water. woodfuel for cooking (Table 2). Woodfuel Deforestation and forest degradation imply is equally important for boiling and the direct loss of nutritious forest food and sterilizing water, and is often the only income-generation opportunities (among available means that forest-dependent many others), and thus also directly affect communities have to ensure safe water for food security.