The overall objective of this project is to significantly advance our understanding of the role of tropical forests in preventing and reducing rural poverty under different contextual scenarios

The intermediate objectives are:
1. To undertake high-quality, in-depth data collection in six tropical sites (two each in Burkina Faso, Ghana and Cambodia; around 300 households each, quarterly collection).

2. To thoroughly analyze these data and provide tangible policy recommendations on how to enhance, in the specific spatial context, the role of forests in poverty prevention and reduction. These recommendations will be distributed through policy briefs and national workshops.

3. To empower the global PEN Data Bank by contributing regionally strategic data sets, and by supporting the global-comparative analysis and synthesis about the role of forests in rural livelihoods and poverty alleviation.

4. To share methodological innovations (incl. recommendations for improved empirical data collection) and research findings with the international research community and general public.