Poverty Alleviation, Livelihoods and Food Security

Model Forests have proven to be effective at addressing the social side of sustainability. Over the next five years, we will provide opportunities for our local stakeholders to assess alternatives and find appropriate trade-offs between the economic and non-economic values of their natural resources to ensure a balance between conservation and development. We will promote a variety of sustainable revenue sources to decrease forest dependent people’s vulnerability and increase incomes. We will also demonstrate participatory and integrated approaches to managing landscapes to ensure the benefits of forests are considered in food security planning.

Model Forests include the active involvement of people with legal authority over the land base, thereby offering an opportunity for traditionally marginalized groups — such as women and indigenous peoples — to influence decisions and policies. We will therefore also offer to serve as a forum for discussing land-use and access issues that impact people’s livelihoods and food security. With our partners, we will seek to provide innovative research and extension services, and new technologies; enable policies, and; mobilize the resources needed to attain this goal.

Find out more on what is happening in the Model Forests of Asia