By the Witness Radio team.
Between 638 million and 720 million people experienced hunger in 2024, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)’s State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World report 2025.
These staggering numbers underscore the relentless challenge of global food insecurity as nations race to transform food systems into models of productivity, nutrition, and resilience.
As nations search for answers to hunger and malnutrition, a new report reveals that forests and the bounty they provide—food, income, and vital ecosystem services—are often left out of the global conversation on food security and resilience.
Titled Forests for Food: Nourishing People, Sustaining the Planet, the report produced by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and its partners examines the different ways forests and trees contribute to food security and nutrition.
The report spotlights forest foods, describing them as some of the most overlooked and least understood elements within our food systems.
The report says more than 50,000 wild species found in forests are used for food and medicine, including at least 10,000 species used directly as food.
This hidden menu features fruits, nuts, tubers, mushrooms, edible insects, and wild meat.
For communities nestled in and around forests, these foods not only supplement traditional farming and fishing but also deliver essential proteins, vitamins, and minerals.
“Forest plants and animals are rich in protein, vitamins, and minerals, all important components of healthy diets.” The report reads in part.
Yet forests offer more than just food. The report notes that forest products and services create jobs and income for millions, empowering families to meet their nutritional needs and sustain their livelihoods.
In some regions, forests account for up to 20 percent of rural incomes, opening doors to healthier, more varied diets—especially for the most vulnerable households.
For families cut off from markets or traditional farming, income from forest products can be a lifeline, helping them buy food and essentials. Forest foods also offer a vital nutritional boost.
The report argues that food security should not be understood simply as producing enough food.
It defines food security as the availability, accessibility, and affordability of sufficient, safe, and nutritious food that meets people’s dietary needs for an active and healthy life.
Securing lasting food security and nutrition goes far beyond simply producing enough food.
Social, economic, and cultural forces shape every step of food production, distribution, and consumption. The vitality of natural systems underpins the strength and resilience of our food supply.
Forests and trees do more than feed and employ us—they also nurture agriculture itself through a host of ecosystem services.
According to the report, these include water regulation, soil fertility and conservation, pollination, biodiversity and temperature regulation.
“Forests contribute to soil fertility in farming systems, support biodiversity and protect watersheds and watercourses, ensuring reliable access to clean water. In arid and semi-arid areas, rangeland trees provide essential browse for livestock, forming a crucial resource for pastoralist communities.” It adds.
Across its 228 pages, the report reimagines forests not just as environmental assets, but as pillars of sustainable, resilient, and nourishing food systems.
FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu says the role of forests and trees in food security has often been underestimated, despite their importance to the sustainability, productivity and resilience of agrifood systems.
Qu calls on countries and partners to strengthen collaboration and invest in better data and evidence on the relationship between forests and food systems.
“By working together and fully integrating forests into national, regional and global strategies, we can build agri-food systems that are more efficient, more inclusive, more resilient and more sustainable. We must do so because conserving and sustainably managing forests is fundamental to nourishing people, sustaining the planet and improving the well-being of present and future generations.” He says.
The former Director-General of the FAO, José Graziano da Silva, emphasized the need to move away from input-intensive approaches to food production and adopt systems that can produce more with fewer resources.
“Shifting from an input-intensive approach to one that allows us to produce more with less [is necessary]. Food for all must be part of the solution to climate change, and agriculture can boost the transition towards resilient, low-carbon societies and economies.” He says.
Ultimately, the report urges that forests and trees be woven purposefully into food security and nutrition strategies at every level—from local to global.
It calls for richer data, deeper collaboration, smarter policies, and sustainable forest management to truly recognize and preserve the vital role forests play in our food systems.
