Study shows forest conservation is a powerful tool to improve nutrition in developing nations

Thursday, August 16, 2018

By University of Vermont

A first-of-its-kind global study shows that children in 27 developing countries have better nutrition—when they live near forests.

The results turn on its head the common assumption that improving nutrition in poorer countries requires clearing forests for more farmland—and, instead, suggest that  conservation could be an important tool for aid agencies seeking to improve the nutrition of children.

“The data show that forests aren’t just correlated with improvements in people’s diets,” says Ranaivo Rasolofoson, a scientist at the University of Vermont who led the new study. “We show that forests cause these improvements.”

The results were published on August 15 in the journal Science Advances.

Photo courtesy of CIFOR.

Source: Phys.org (link opens in a new window)

Categories
Agriculture, Environment
Tags
global development, nutrition, research