Moving beyond forest cover: Linking forest density, age, and fragmentation to diet

Aeryn Ng (), Sarah E. Gergel, Maya Fromstein, Terry Sunderland, Hisham Zerriffi and Jedidah Nankaya
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Aeryn Ng: The University of British Columbia
Sarah E. Gergel: The University of British Columbia
Maya Fromstein: The University of British Columbia
Terry Sunderland: The University of British Columbia
Hisham Zerriffi: The University of British Columbia
Jedidah Nankaya: Maasai Mara University

Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, 2025, vol. 17, issue 3, No 7, 625-640

Abstract: Abstract Forests support food security and nutrition worldwide, especially so for highly forest-dependent communities who collect a variety of food products from nearby forests. While the importance of forest cover to the diets of forest-dependent communities has been well-researched, little is known regarding the role of more specific forest characteristics – information that would be valuable for better identifying the landscapes that support a nutritious and diverse diet. To address this research gap, we linked child dietary data to remotely-sensed geospatial indicators of surrounding forest characteristics – using more nuance than is typically undertaken – by examining forest age, tree density, and forest fragmentation in Kenya’s East African Montane Forests. Interestingly, dietary diversity of children demonstrated no or relatively weak associations with forest characteristics. However, by parsing out individual food groups, we exposed the nuance and complexities associated with the forest-diet relationship. Vegetable/fruit consumption was positively associated with open and moderately dense forest cover, but negatively associated with fragmented forest cover. The consumption of meat and vitamin A-rich fruit was positively associated with younger forest cover, and negatively associated with dense forest cover. Older forest cover was positively associated with green leafy vegetable consumption, but negatively associated with other vegetable/fruit consumption. Our findings provide suggestive evidence that there is no single ‘ideal’ type of forest for supporting food security and nutrition – rather, different types of forests are associated with different dietary benefits. Taken together, these results indicate the need for more in-depth research that accounts for factors beyond the proximity and amount of generic forest cover.

Keywords: Diet diversity; Food security; Forest fragmentation; Landscape ecology; Landcover; Remote sensing (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1007/s12571-025-01535-7

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