This research report from the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) explores the trade-offs between conserving forests and increasing food production in sub-Saharan Africa. Through jointly-funded research from the Packard Foundation and UK Aid, IIED illustrates existing and future competition and trade-offs between food production and natural forests, and the implications for land use policies in Sub-Saharan Africa. The report explores how forest conservation and food production might be better balanced through informed choices about where and how to intensify agriculture, and which key areas of natural forest ecosystems to conserve.