Most staple foods in countries of the global south need to be cooked before they can be consumed. Hence, not only access to food, also the availability to cooking energy is important. Therefore, food security cannot be achieved without considering energy access as part of the equation. However, as the process of land degradation is ongoing especially in Sub-Saharan Africa - but also in other regions of the global South - forested areas and likewise forest products are diminishing. This has substantial consequences for the 3 billion people globally who depend on so-called traditional bioenergy for cooking. As coping strategies play an intermediary role between the scarcity of fuelwood and food security they must be considered as a leverage point that can alter the course of food insecurity.
