ID21 Insights Site map Fruits of the forest. Given donors emphasis on boosting the private sector to provide jobs and incomes to reduce poverty, the assessment of the potential benefits of forest resources for the urban poor focused on microenterprise and trading activities around tree products. Research teams in each city identified products and services of importance to the communities, addressing key questions around the relationship between forest resources and poverty alleviation.
Urban areas show evidence of a transition to fossil fuels.
Wood and bamboo are used in housing and construction, offering the potential for employment in trade and timber yards. Many forest foods, especially fruits, are consumed, potentially raising nutritional levels in poor communities, while traditional medicines are culturally significant and are widely used for minor ailments. In areas where AIDS is prevalent traditional medicines offer comfort when prescribed medicines are unavailable or ineffective. In Africa and Asia, soft wood furniture manufacture is an important activity, as are wood, cane and bamboo implements and crafts in Asia. However, businesses are small-scale and undercapitalised, suffering from uncertain markets, while the finished product is typically poor quality due to inconsistency of raw materials and lack of specialist skills.