Food security relies on humans respecting and maintaining ecological and moral harmony. Disruption of this duty leads to scarcity. Ann Poshi Teli Yeli Wun Poshi (Food is subservient to Forests) is a historical saying by the great Kashmiri saint, Sheikh Noor-ud-Din Wali, popularly known as “Nund Resh”. Today, one can imagine very well as to how farsighted the great saint was, who attributed the significance of forests for human survival approximately 586 years ago.
As global populations rise, so does the demand for food, leading to agricultural expansion that often comes at the cost of forests. According to the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations, Agricultural expansion drives almost 90% of global deforestation.We now face a dilemma: how can nutritious and affordable food be supplied to the 9 billion people who are due to occupy the Earth in 2050 without accelerating deforestation and climate change, destroying biodiversity, hurting rural livelihoods and disrupting water supplies? How can agriculture and forestry contribute positively to social, economic and environmental progress?
The First International Conference on Forests for Food Security and Nutrition, held in Rome in 2013, recognised the important contribution of forests to food security and nutrition. Since then, increasing efforts have been made to strike a balance between forest conservation and food security.
Forests and trees can be powerful allies for agriculture.Agriculture and forestry are often viewed as competing land uses, with perceived trade-offs particularly evident in areas where land is of critical importance for agricultural production,promoting debate on how to strike a balance between forest conservation and food security. Extension of agricultural land has contributed to deforestation. Still, there is evidence that farmers can produce more food while ensuring that the farming system can withstand climatic, economic and environmental shocks. Forests directly support agricultural productivity by moderating temperature, sustaining precipitation and reducing the impact of droughts.
Cooling benefits provided by forests through evaporation and transpiration (water absorbed by plant roots and released as vapour). This cooling reduces the heat stress for crops and people. The conversion of forests into farmland reduces evaporation and transpiration, causing a significant increase in temperature.
Agricultural areas in India heavily rely on precipitation- primarily the Southwest Monsoon, which delivers about 75% of the country’s annual rainfall between June and September. Because nearly 50% to 55% of India’s cultivated land is rain-fed, seasonal precipitation directly dictates agricultural success, food inflation, and overall economic stability.
Forests can provide a range of water-related ecosystem services which are critical for agriculture; they control water quantity by intercepting rainfall, storing it in porous soils and root systems, and gradually releasing it to maintain consistent stream flows. This process prevents severe flooding during storms and sustains water availability during dry periods. Deep tree root systems stabilise soil, absorb excess runoff, and prevent wind or water erosion.
Trees provide shade that reduces extreme heat and lowers soil moisture evaporation. Forests accelerate groundwater recharge, regulate streamflow, and act as natural bio-irrigation systems during droughts by drawing moisture from deeper soil layers. However, water-related ecosystem services are unrecognised in the agriculture sector and agriculture-related policies, resulting in economic losses to farmers.
Forests and trees can also provide an extremely large number of benefits that directly support agricultural livelihoods and the well-being of farmers. By providing shade and shelter of livestock, supplying fodder and wood for household consumption. Deforestation forces displaced animals out of their natural habitats and into proximity with rural villages. Data from the Department of Wildlife Protection in Jammu and Kashmir indicates that 264 people lost their lives and over 3,164 were injured in wild animal encounters between 2006 and March 2024.Recently, a lady was killed by a wild animal in her agricultural field in village Tarigam of district Kulgam.
Trees dispersed through a farm may create a patch of additional benefits, while trees along a river might be more influential in stabilising banks and regulating water supply. Forest conservation, restoration and sustainable use are sound investments in resilient agriculture, rural livelihood and global food and water security. The growing body of evidence shows many ways in which forests under the right management and strategies can be powerful allies of agriculture.
The future of forests and food security affects the well-being of every individual on this planet, and so integrated and concerted efforts are crucial. Only when our joint efforts are coupled with coordinated actions, then only our generation and those to follow, be able to fully appreciate the importance of forests for sustainable food security and nutrition as well as the many other benefits that healthy forests provide.
(The author can be reached at: [email protected])
