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Each month the Non-Wood Forest Products program (NWFP) of the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) posts and distributes a free electronic newsletter, the NWFP Digest. This newsletter contains articles and items compiled from a wide range of international sources, concerning all aspects of non-wood forest products. Non-wood forest products (frequently also called non-timber forest products (NTFPs) or special forest products) are materials of biological origin other than wood, as well as services derived from forests and allied land uses. Such materials often include medicinal and aromatic plants and edible and/or medicinal fungi, among others. Topics of the e-newsletter include specific featured products, countries associated with NWFP production, current news and events, employment opportunities in the NWFP field, literature reviews and web site profiles, and other related areas of interest.
“I know of no other e-newsletter that focuses solely on the promotion of NWFP, has a global coverage, and covers all aspects of NWFP,” said Tina Etherington of the NWFP program of FAO (e-mail, May 18, 2006). “Consequently, it raises awareness among policy makers and other readers regarding the multiplicity of NWFP uses worldwide and the opportunities they can offer. Other important aspects are that the NWFP Digest acts as a neutral forum, enhances global networking, and actively encourages contributions from readers.” According to Etherington, non-wood forest products have a wide number of uses (for example, as ingredients in energy drinks and cosmetics), have great economic potential through local and global trading, and are heavily relied upon as sources of food, shelter, and medicine by forest people. “The NWFP Digest covers all these kinds of stories and more.”
Web users can subscribe to the NWFP Digest and view back issues of the e-newsletter on the FAO Web site, at www.fao.org/forestry/site/12980/en. In addition to the NWFP Digest, the NWFP program also publishes a hard-copy newsletter, Non-wood News, twice a year. The latest issue is available on the organization’s homepage, at www.fao.org/forestry/site/23947/en.
-Courtney Cavaliere
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