Non-timber forest products have long been an important component of the livelihood strategies
of forest-dwelling people. For a large number of people, NTFP are more important forest
resources than timber. Several million households world-wide depend heavily on NTFP for
subsistence and/or income. FAO estimates that some 80 percent of the population of the
developing world use NTFP for health and nutritional needs and singles out women from poor
households as being particularly reliant on NTFP for household use and income.