Food for thought: The underutilized potential of tropical tree‐sourced foods for 21st century sustainable food systems

Abstract

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Diversity Bears Fruit: Evaluating the Economic Potential of Undervalued Fruits for an Agroecological Restoration Approach in the Peruvian Amazon

“…However, NUS are mainly produced for local markets, on which their demand can be relatively limited (as was also indicated for several products by the farmers we interviewed). Therefore, if NUS-based diverse agroforestry systems are implemented on large scale, this should go hand in hand with increases in demand, for example by developing new supply chains or through public awareness campaigns that aim to diversify people's diets [10]. Product transformation opportunities (such as drying or making pulps), could help in particular for fruits that are difficult to preserve and transport [14].…”

“…To maximize the multiple benefits of agroforestry systems within agroecological restoration approaches, agroforestry systems should be diverse and largely based on native species [10,11]. The commercial potential of tropical non-wood products such as fruits has been known for decades [12].…”

“…NUS have been defined as crops that hold significant potential for improving diets and nutrition, while protecting agrobiodiversity, but that are marginalized [15]. Under the pressure of international market forces, diverse agroforestry systems that include NUS have often been replaced by agroforestry systems based on just one or two cash crops (e.g., [16,17]), which strongly limits both the environmental and livelihood benefits these systems provide [10].…”

Are Tree Seed Systems for Forest Landscape Restoration Fit for Purpose? An Analysis of Four Asian Countries

“…Forest landscape restoration (FLR) aims to re-establish ecological integrity in deforested or degraded areas and improve forest-based livelihoods [5][6][7]. Increasing native tree cover is key to reversing biodiversity decline [8,9] and, if done appropriately, contributes to mitigating the impacts of climate change [4,10,11] and enhancing food security [12]. However, to date many of the ambitious FLR initiatives have failed to deliver the intended benefits that are required to tackle the biodiversity and climate crises, such as carbon sequestration, biodiversity recovery and sustainable livelihoods [10,13,14].…”

Data_Sheet_1.PDF

“…Our review also suggests that planting trees in regenerative agroforestry systems is the most frequent FLR activity funded by market-based mechanisms. Possibly, many eco-marketing initiatives aim to not only support ecological restoration, but also to increase resilience in supply chains and enhance the livelihoods and food security of rural communities (Jansen et al, 2020). By incorporating regenerative agroforestry in FLR interventions, local communities, and farmers are often more directly involved into the restoration activities, which plays a crucial role in making FLR efforts successful in the long term (Uprety et al, 2012;IUCN WRI, 2014).…”