Forest and tree benefits to food security of rural households in Bangladesh

Forest resources are widely recognised as sources of social, environmental and economic benefit for rural people in developing and least developed countries. The direct and indirect benefits of forest and tree uses can be significant for enhancing food security at household level. The diversity of forests and
tree product uses are related to the availability, accessibility and sustainable uses of the resources. However, a lack of adequate information on tree uses often undermines potential opportunity for integrating these resources in local food production, improving dietary diversity and sustaining valuable
ecosystem services. Bangladesh has diverse forest areas (e.g. Hill, Sal, Mangrove and Village forests) comprising 17 percent of its total lands. Diverse forest and non-timber forest products benefit hundreds of millions of people to
secure their food needs, income, and primary energy. Mostly forest and tree products enhance dietary diversity and nutrient enriched foods in remote communities in the country. However, the availability and accessibility of forests and trees and their products are changing due to over-exploitation and
management patterns. The government manages more than 60 percent of forest lands of which many areas have limited local community access. In some regions, rural households manage trees outside of forests under different agroforestry systems including home gardens as vital sources of foods.
The aim of this paper is to present the diversity of forest and tree benefits for food security of rural households in Bangladesh. Different types of forests and tree products are identified to understand their contributions in enhancing food security.