The Role of Non-Timber Forest Products for Sustainable Livelihoods in African Multifunctional Landscapes

Within the African context, Non-Timber Forest Products (NTFPs) represent a rich array of biological resources drawn from forests, woodlands, savannas, as well as modified or managed tree-based landscapes. They constitute an essential part of the daily lives of numerous communities, providing livelihood support and opportunities for environmental conservation. Over 59 NTFPs have been identified as prime candidates for domestication in the over three decades of experimentation on the continent. In this chapter, we seek to underscore the paramount importance of NTFPs in shaping a sustainable and harmonious future for both human societies and the natural environments on the African continent. The chapter highlights the economic benefits of NTFPs and the importance of indigenous knowledge and practices on their sustainable harvesting, which has contributed to improved management of forest and tree-based ecosystems in different subregions of Africa. We paid particular attention to two important but often neglected and underutilized categories of NTFPs; edible insects and mushrooms. These categories of NTFPs are gaining recognition for their potential to alleviate food insecurity and reduce the environmental footprint of food production. Their ecological management within the multifunctional landscape of Africa holds significant promise. We advocate a multifunctional landscape approach for NTFPs use and management to enhance the multiplicity of ecosystem services they provide including as source of food, energy, medicine, income, fibres and building materials among others, as well as the role of agroecological practices, in creating landscapes that are conducive to both NTFP diversity and agricultural production in many African subregions. By adopting a multifunctional landscape approach that values biodiversity conservation, agroecological practices, and ecosystem restoration, Africa can harness the nutritional and environmental benefits of NTFPs for sustainable livelihoods.