Keynote: Perspectives to create an enabling environment for sustainable use of forest foods in Africa

Keynote: Perspectives to create an enabling environment for sustainable use of forest foods in Africa Forest-based agrifood systems: Defining priorities on the sustainable use of forest foods in Africa FAO Workshop, 18-20 June 2024

1. Keynote: Perspectives to create an enabling environment for sustainable use of forest foods in Africa Dr. Verina Ingram, 18 June 2024 Forest-based agrifood systems: Defining priorities on the sustainable use of forest foods in Africa FAO Workshop, 18-20 June 2024

2. Social & market/economic institutions Customary institutions & norms International & national legislative frameworks Data, knowledge & technology Finance & capital Policies, interventions, processes & incentives What is an “enabling environment”? 2 Enabling sustainable production and consumption of plants, fungi & wildlife from forests and overcoming inequalities in access and benefits Resource access/tenure Market access User and use rights User and use responsibilities Inspired by Vinceti et al 2013, Macqueen 2013, Meinhold & Darr (2019), Lecoutere et al (2024)

3. Coherence between different scales and systems Enabling what? 3

4. Food systems..... 4 Where's the forest?

5. Enabling what? 5 F orest Agroforest Farm Coherence between different policy “fields” and aims: forest–farm continuum Dewi et al 2017, Wiersum, Ingram & Ros Tonen 2014

6. Forest-farm interface Continuum of production systems and transitions from natural forests to resource-enriched natural forests, reconstructed (natural) forests, agroforestry, arboriculture, agricultural and plantation systems, swiddens and fallows Dewi et al 2017, Wiersum, Ingram & Ros Tonen 2014 1. What's a VC

7. 7 Economically , when activities carried out by all stakeholders are commercially viable in long-term, where source of products is known, traceable and legal Environmentally , when source of raw materials and production system environment is maintained in the same state (or better) and continues to provide foods and food security , ecosystem services , does not pollute, suffer negative environmental impacts, and is CO2 neutral Socially , when people can both use for subsistence and/or enter a value chain, needs and rights of local communities and workers are addressed, principles of fair trade adhered to , when local customs & customers are respected, and livelihoods of those engaged in the chain are resilient and food security & nutrition Values , because different, multiple values exist concerning fores t foods and their governance and manag ement supports plural values When are forest food values chains sustainable? Drawing on Hetemäki , & Hurmekoski 2016

8. Inhibitors...... 8 Ingram et al (2016), Lecoutere et al (2024). RECOFTC (2024) Siloed constraints across scales, systems and fields Policies promoting equality and empowerment Individual constraints not complemented by collective action Management and governance don't prioritize forest foods Forests (still) not governed & managed for multiple benefits Low awareness + weak integration of knowledges Despite regulations & policies, trade is illegal, corruption rife Collective action & markets inefficient in governing sustainability Perceived high risk for investors , capital lacking Exemplary financial mechanisms & business models lacking Consumers preferences & perceptions ignored

9. Perspectives 9

10. Awono, A, Ingram V., Schure J., and Levang P., (2013). Guide for small and medium enterprises in the sustainable non-timber forest product trade in Central Africa. CIFOR Chamberlain, J., Small, C., & Baumflek , M. (2019). Sustainable forest management for nontimber products. Sustainability, 11(9), 2670. Dewi, S., Van Noordwijk, M., Zulkarnain , M.T., Dwiputra , A., Hyman, G., Prabhu, R., Gitz , V. and Nasi, R., (2017). Tropical forest-transition landscapes: a portfolio for studying people, tree crops and agro-ecological change in context. International Journal of Biodiversity Science, Ecosystem Services & Management, 13(1), pp.312-329. Hetemäki , L., & Hurmekoski , E. (2016). Forest products markets under change: review and research implications. Current Forestry Reports, 2, 177-188. Ingram, V., Vinceti B, and van Vliet. N. (2017). 'Wild plant and animal genetic resources.' in Danny Hunter, Luigi Guarino, Charles Spillane and Peter C. McKeown (eds.), Routledge handbook of agricultural biodiversity (Routledge). Ingram, V., Ewane , M., Ndumbe, L. N., & Awono, A. (2017). Challenges to governing sustainable forest food: Irvingia spp. from southern Cameroon. Forest policy and economics, 84, 29-37. Kuyvenhoven , A. (2004). Creating an enabling environment: policy conditions for less-favored areas. Food Policy, 29(4), 407-429. Lecoutere , E., Achandi , E. L., Ampaire , E. L., Fischer, G., Gumucio, T., Najjar, D., & Singaraju , N. (2024). Fostering an enabling environment for equality and empowerment in agri-food systems: An assessment at multiple scales. Global Food Security, 40, 100735. Meinhold, K., & Darr, D. (2019). The processing of non-timber forest products through small and medium enterprises—a review of enabling and constraining factors. Forests, 10(11), 1026. MacDicken , K. G., Sola, P., Hall, J. E., Sabogal , C., Tadoum , M., & de Wasseige , C. (2015). Global progress toward sustainable forest management. Forest Ecology and Management, 352, 47-56. Macqueen, D. (2013). Enabling conditions for successful community forest enterprises. Small-scale forestry, 12, 145-163. RECOFTC (2024) https://www.recoftc.org/social-forestry-knowledge-tree/enabling-policies Vinceti , B., Termote , C., Ickowitz , A., Powell, B., Kehlenbeck , K., & Hunter, D. (2013). The contribution of forests and trees to sustainable diets. Sustainability, 5(11), 4797-4824. Wiersum, K. F., V. J. Ingram, and M. A. F. Ros-Tonen. "Governing access to resources and markets in non-timber forest product chains." Forests, Trees and Livelihoods 23, no. 1-2 (2014): 6-18. References 10

11. Would you like to know more? 11 Further reading: Wild plant and animal genetic resources (2017) Challenges to governing sustainable forest food: Irvingia spp. from southern Cameroon (2016) Contact: [email protected]