Despite the importance of non-wood forest products (NWFPs) in household consumption especially in Nigeria, where 47 million people were unable to meet the 2,900 kcal food requirement in 2004, they have hitherto been neglected by planners policy makers and natural resource managers. To encourage its recognition and conservation, sustain benefits, this study analyses the place of plant species of NWFPs in household food security in Southern Nigeria.

This article begins by tracing the development of the Indian model of food distribution. Food subsidies in India are delivered through the public distribution system, consisting of a network of retail outlets through which the government sells grain. The discussions then turn to the outcomes and the performance of the distribution system, food security legislation, the rights approach to food security, debates over food security legislation, lessons from social assistance programs across the world, and political opposition to cash transfers.