Potentials and Opportunities of Wild Edible Forest Fruits for Rural Household’s Economy in Arasbaran, Iran

Sajad Ghanbari,Ivan Eastin,Gholamhosein Moradi,Gerhard Weiss,Jinlong Liu,Omid Fathizadeh

doi:10.3390/f13030453

Abstract

Non-timber forest products (NTFPs) contribute to local people’s livelihood in many regions around the world. This article investigates the types of NTFPs collected, processed, and traded in the Arasbaran region of Iran, the roles of these products in household economies, and the potential contribution to rural household economies through the collection, processing, and marketing of NTFPs. Data were collected using household and community surveys as well as through secondary sources on the role of NTFPs within Arasbaran forests in Iran. The main NTFPs harvested by local people were fruits. The fruits from 14 woody species, including trees and shrubs, were harvested by local people. The average share of forest-harvested fruit to household income was 27 percent. The mean annual income derived from the harvest and sale of sumac and reddish blackberry in the sample rural household incomes was USD 1822 and USD 142, respectively. In regard to processing efficiency, plum, cornelian cherry, and sumac exhibited the highest processing efficiency. Better policy support would be needed along the whole value chain, starting with the forest management plans, to include fruit species. In addition, measures to support processing facilities as well as to promote trade and marketing beyond the local area would be highly important to develop the potential of forest fruits and other NTFPs. Besides technical and financial support, measures should include regulatory revisions as well as information, training, and awareness raising.

Highlights

Non-timber forest products (NTFPs) provide a wide range of products, including food, aromatics, medicinal, and decorative plant material [1,2]
This paper investigates thesize the body of knowledge of NTFPs within the Arasbaran forests of Iran
We describe the collection and use of the three main forest fruits harvested in the Arasbaran region and the processing and trade of these products

Summary

Introduction

Non-timber forest products (NTFPs) provide a wide range of products, including food, aromatics, medicinal, and decorative plant material [1,2]. These products contribute significantly to the livelihood of local people [2,3] and are important sources of income for rural households living in or near forests [4–6]. About one billion people worldwide derive foods from forests, and around 300 million of these people depend extensively on NTFPs [7]. Wild edible fruits (WEFs) are a subset of NTFPs and an important source of nutrition for one in six people worldwide. WEFs provide an important source of nutrition for people with lower incomes while representing an important source of income for improving the standard of living within rural communities [9]. WEFs can be used for a wide variety of other end uses, including producing cosmetics, crafts, fiber, and fuel [7]

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