How forests support the future of food

Deforestation-free coffee in Ecuador

In Ecuador, a partnership between the Government, Lavazza and local coffee farmers highlights the vital connection between coffee cultivation and forest conservation. Coffee, one of the world’s most beloved beverages, is heavily dependent on healthy ecosystems, with forests playing a critical role in maintaining the climate conditions necessary for high-quality coffee production.

The deforestation-free coffee partnership between Ecuador and Lavazza encourages farmers to grow coffee while preserving the surrounding Amazonian forests. By promoting sustainable practices such as agroforestry, farmers can boost their yields without encroaching on the rainforest, ensuring the long-term health of both their crops and the forest.

Gonzalo Castillo, a local coffee producer, says: “For us, it pays off to leave the forests standing. This way, we can demand better prices for our coffee.”

Ecuador is home to some of the world’s most biodiverse tropical forests, including a significant portion of the Amazon rainforest, which plays a crucial role in regulating the global climate and supporting an incredible array of wildlife. This rich ecosystem harbors thousands of plant and animal species, many of which are found nowhere else on Earth.

The Amazon also sustains Indigenous communities who have preserved their cultural heritage and traditional knowledge for generations, making it not only an ecological treasure but also a vital part of Ecuador’s cultural and environmental identity. The Ecuador-Lavazza partnership is therefore a model for how coffee cultivation can contribute to forest preservation and provide stable incomes for local communities and Indigenous Peoples such as the Shuar and the Saraguro Kichwa.

Reviving shea landscapes in Ghana 

Across West Africa, the shea tree is a cornerstone of both regional economies and food security, supporting millions of livelihoods and sustainable agricultural systems. According to the Global Shea Alliance, an estimated 16 million women across 21 African countries, from Senegal to South Sudan, depend on the shea tree for their livelihoods. The shea nut is not only a valuable source of income but is also used in many traditional foods and cosmetics.

In Ghana, women play a central role in every stage of the shea value chain, from harvesting the nuts in rural communities to processing and selling shea butter in local and international markets. The Ghana Shea Landscape Emissions Reduction Project (GSLERP) therefore focuses on restoring shea tree populations in degraded landscapes by promoting investments in the shea value chain and women’s empowerment. It does so by establishing women-led nurseries which supply shea and other valuable tree seedlings – like Baobab, Moringa, Dawadawa and other indigenous species – to restore degraded lands across the Northern Savannah Zone. This helps enhance soil fertility, restore wildlife habitats and support local livelihoods.

Masahudu Janieda, a farmer and shea butter processor from Tamale, Northern Ghana, started processing shea butter as a young girl, shortly after the birth of her first child. She says: “We are very strong and now able to solve our problems thanks to the shea butter business which has completely changed our family’s life. Shea is what makes us who we are.”  

Ghana is home to one of West Africa’s diverse forest ecosystems, rich in biodiversity and cultural heritage, supporting local communities and wildlife. Restoring shea landscapes strengthens food security by improving soil fertility, enhancing biodiversity and boosting climate resilience. The positive environmental impacts of shea are tied to the characteristics of agroforestry systems in the region, as the trees grow naturally, without requiring fertilizers, and occur with other crops such as millet and maize on smallholder farms – thus creating a rich and diverse landscape that acts like a natural carbon sink.  Promoting sustainable shea cultivation and restoring degraded areas therefore helps to protect vital forest ecosystems while providing a steady food source and income for communities. 

Sustainable rice cultivation through agroforestry in Indonesia

Indonesia is home to the world’s third largest tropical rainforest, harboring a rich biodiversity and cultural heritage. In different parts of the archipelago, the integration of rice cultivation with agroforestry practices is revolutionizing the way local communities approach farming. Rice is a staple food for millions and its cultivation traditionally requires large areas of land.  

Indonesia’s social forestry programmes help local communities gain legal access to forest lands for productive, sustainable activities, including agroforestry, which integrates trees with crops and livestock. This approach is not just about preserving forests; it is about transforming them into sources of livelihood and resilience for the people who depend on them.

One of agroforestry’s most significant contributions is its role in sustainable rice farming. By improving soil fertility and water retention, agroforestry boosts rice productivity, helping to secure food supplies while also restoring degraded forest ecosystems. The combination of trees and rice paddies demonstrates that forests and farms do not have to compete—they can thrive together, benefiting both people and nature. This practice also enhances biodiversity, creating a habitat where wildlife and agriculture can coexist harmoniously.

Managing fields from planting to harvest, women play a vital role in rice farming. In the village of Kasepuhan Cibedug in Western Java, for instance, where men often migrate to urban areas, women remain the backbone of rural communities, with a majority engaged in rice field activities daily. Despite often facing challenges such as limited access to land and resources, they handle key tasks like sowing, transplanting, plowing and irrigation, ensuring steady rice production. They also work to protect forests, restoring areas that have been previously deforested.

Yunengsih, a farmer and artisan from the village, highlights the connection between forests and food production: “We, as women, protect the forest to be able to farm and to produce our daily food.”

By promoting community-based forest management, social forestry encourages collaboration between farmers, local governments, and civil society, leading to more sustainable land-use practices that benefit both people and the environment. Ultimately, social forestry in Indonesia is a key strategy for achieving the dual goals of improving agricultural productivity such as rice cultivation and ensuring forest conservation for long-term environmental and economic stability.

UNDP Climate and Forests systematically promotes social equity, including the rights, knowledge and inclusion of Indigenous Peoples and local communities, to ensure forest solutions to climate change contribute meaningfully to delivering on the NDCs and advancing the SDGs.

Ecuador's deforestation-free coffee initiative is implemented using funds from the Green Climate Fund (GCF) and the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and takes places under the banner of PROAmazonía, the Amazonian Integral Forest Conservation and Sustainable Production Programme, a national government initiative led by the Ministry of Environment and Water and the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock and supported by UNDP. 

The Ghana Shea Landscape Emission Reductions Project is  funded by the GCF and implemented by the Ghana Forestry Commission with the technical support of the Global Shea Alliance and  UNDP.

Indonesia´s REDD+ Results-Based Payments project is funded by the GCF and implemented by the Indonesia Environment Fund (Badan Pengelola Dana Lingkungan Hidup – BPDLH), with technical input from the Ministry of Environment and Ministry of Forestry of the Republic of Indonesia.

The UN-REDD Programme supports UNDP to provide technical assistance to these initiatives.