How Forests Influence Farmer Access to Healthy Diets: The Roles of Cost and Environmental Quality

Forests are important food granaries. The accessibility of a healthy diet is the key factor in food and health equity. However, there is a lack of research focusing on its influence on locals at different levels of development. China’s population comprises various groups of farmers, allowing for the comparison of influence pathways across different economic levels of farmers. This research explores the topic with an empirical study conducted in Jiangxi Province, China, using data from 1939 valid responses collected across 216 villages. The analysis was performed using a mixed-effects ordered logistic model and a mediation effect model. The results of the baseline and mediation effect analyses reveal that there are four influence pathways. First, farmers’ forest resource endowments play a significant role in improving farmers’ perception of healthy diet accessibility (direct access type). Second, farmers’ forest resource endowments increase the accessibility of healthy diets by reducing the perceived costs of healthy diets (cost-relieving type). Third, farmers’ forest resource endowments increase the accessibility of a healthy diet by enhancing the perceived quality of the natural environment (quality scarcity type). Fourth, farmers’ forest resource endowments increase the perceived environmental quality, decrease the perceived costs of healthy diets, and affect the perception of healthy diets’ accessibility (cost-reducing type). The results of heterogeneity analysis based on the independent variables (health-related information, age, education level, disposable income, household size, communication and transportation convenience) reveal that for disadvantaged groups, the effect type tends to be the “direct access type” and “cost-relieving type”, and for advantaged groups, the effect type tends to be the “quality scarcity type”. Through empirical analysis, this study explains how forest resource endowments of different farmer groups influence their access to healthy diets, which lays a foundation for better understanding the association and formulating relevant policies. Decision makers should recognize the distinct influence of forest resource endowments on different farmer groups and develop policies related to forest resource management and healthy diets for farmers.