From 17th March - 17th April there is an Open Discussion about "Community Forestry and Food Security" on the Global Forum on Food Security and Nutrition Policies and Strategies (FSN Forum). The moderator is Denis Mahonghol from FAO in DR Congo, who works on the FAO-Netherlands Partnership Programme in DR Congo 2005-2008 (FNPP/GLO/003/NET). The “Government and community management of natural resources” component of this project is conducting a community forestry pilot in the South-East of the country, in Katanga province (Lubumbashi), in Kaponda Chiefdom, land of Kikonke. The rapid appraisal in that project area has shown clearly that the population is essentially agricultural despite the high variety of problems they are facing (soil poverty, lack of agricultural inputs, increased deforestation, drying up of water sources etc.). It is therefore necessary to conciliate the process for community management of forestry resources with that of agricultural development. In this perspective, the programme has initiated actions integrating the “farmer field school” approach in order to put local communities in confidence and create direct synergies between agriculture and community management of forest resources. 

The moderator has formulated some major questions: Could Forum members share documents or studies on different Food Security Indicators? Are there studies that evaluate the contribution of Community Forestry to Food Security? What would be the best mechanisms to anchor Agricultural Activities and ensure Food Security in a Community Forestry process, which generally consists in management of natural/forest resources by and for local populations? To join this discussion, please first register below.

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