Household Livelihood Strategies and Nutritional Vulnerability of Children in a Context of Advanced Deforestation: A Case Study in Isangi Territory (Tshopo Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo)

Background: The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is home to the world’s second-largest tropical rainforest, which plays a vital role in food security and rural livelihoods. In Isangi Territory (Tshopo Province), communities rely substantially on forest resources for food, income, and other household needs. Forest degradation and declining access to forest resources may therefore affect household food availability and child feeding practices. Methods: A qualitative study was conducted among 20 mothers of children aged 6 - 59 months in Isangi Territory using semi-structured interviews. Mothers were purposively selected across the health zones of Isangi, Yabaondo, Yahisuli, and Yakusu. The study explored mothers’ experiences and perceptions of changes in forest resources, child feeding practices, perceived effects on child health and nutrition, and household coping strategies. Results: Mothers reported reduced availability and accessibility of forest-derived foods, including bushmeat, edible caterpillars, mushrooms, and wild fruits. Participants perceived that these changes were accompanied by reduced dietary diversity and, in some households, fewer daily meals for children. Mothers also described perceived health and nutritional problems among children, including participant-reported cases of kwashiorkor. Coping strategies included fishing, vegetable gardening, soybean use, longer travel to remaining forest areas, slash-and-burn agriculture, aquatic farming, and requests for external assistance. Conclusion: Mothers in Isangi described declining access to forest foods and perceived these changes as contributing to poorer dietary diversity and greater nutritional vulnerability among young children. These findings support the need to consider forest conservation, sustainable livelihoods, and nutrition-sensitive interventions together. Because the study relied on participant perceptions and did not include objective measurements of forest cover or child nutritional status, the findings should not be interpreted as establishing a causal effect of deforestation on malnutrition.