Forest products serve safety nets functions when they are used
to overcome idiosyncratic shocks, which usually involve an income
shortfall or demand for cash. For example, when rural people have
limited access to credit and formal sector employment, forest products
play an important role as a source of insurance against natural
shocks such as crop failures (Adam et al., 2013). Forest products are
also used to maintain current levels of goods consumption (Adam,
2015). A wide variety of forest products including fuel wood, wild
foods, and medicinal plants are harvested on a regular basis to support
the ongoing consumption demands and income generation of
rural people.