This post is also available in: Spanish
In the context of World Food Day, established by the United Nations and celebrated on October 16th each year, the Mexican Network of Rural Forestry Organizations (Red MOCAF in Spanish) has published a news release on the important role of forests in the process of food production. In this publication, Gustavo Sánchez Valle, president of Red MOCAF’s governing board, highlights the importance of forest ecosystems and their proper management in the food production sector and discusses current global recognition of this issue, as well as the challenges that remain to achieve sustainable and equitable management of the region’s forests.
It is in large part peasant farmers and indigenous peoples who manage forest ecosystems; however, they are often not officially recognized as the protectors of forest areas. One challenge that must be faced is the inclusion and participation of forest communities in the management, benefit distribution, and decision-making processes revolving around around forest regions at risk.
“If we truly want to have forests and their benefits forever, we must support the people who live in them and who take care of, cultivate, and protect them,” Gustavo Sanchez says.
The proposed objectives of the release are the following:
- In the context of World Food Day, to propose to strengthen the policies that encourage Community Forestry Management.
- To ensure the urgency of strengthening an environment favorable to legal timber production and consumption in order to stop illegal logging.
- In terms of the strategic role of forests, to propose to continue the Simplified Scheme (“Régimen Simplificado” in Spanish) with respect to income tax (“Impuesto Sobre la Renta,” or ISR).
For more information, see Red MOCAF’s website.