Think twice before replacing natural forests and uncultivated wildlands with agricultural production, says a new study from global conservation advocates the Center for International Forestry Research.
The study, which surveyed more than 7,900 communities in Latin America, Africa and Asia, found that near forests and wildlands lived people for whom 27.5 percent of their total household income came from products collected in these places. That figure is only one percentage point lower than income gained from crops.
Although it's a common belief that turning forests to farmland can help poor communities boost their economy, CIFOR's study says that agriculture is not a one-size-fits-all solution. In fact, cultivating the land without first considering the sometimes significant subsidies from natural forests and wildland could harm local economies.
For instance, two study sites in Indonesia had a forest income share of 5.5 percent. Compared with a 64 percent forest product income share at a site in Bolivia, the Indonesian locations may warrant agricultural intervention. Clearing forests near the Bolivia site, however, would be a disaster.
The full study, including data on socioeconomic and gender differences among the sites surveyed, can be downloaded for free on CIFOR's website. (You will be asked for information before being allowed to download the paper.)
