Deforestation and its impact on women

Abstract

The dominant social paradigm encompasses basic values, culture and heritage of masses is rooted in the survival of the communities. The survival in turn is entangled with their relative environmental circumstances and ecological surroundings. According to Castaneda (1971), the modern western man cannot understand the realities of social life of those communities who have to cope with the technological innovations and advancements to maintain their natural environmental in the essence of their survival. Deforestation is one such phenomenon that has altered the life of the dependent communities. Women have always had a very strong relationship with the environment and have held a prominent place in ecological discourse. The evidence is eco‑feminism which explained radical, socialist and liberal linkage between women and the environment. Out of theoretical framework, it is well realized that there is a strong linkage between environment and women’s survival. Taking this content into consideration, a special stress has been given to women’s livelihood pattern, this paper explores the adversities of the indigenous communities particularly the women whose burden has increased manifold with changes that are taking place in their habitation areas.   Key words: Deforestation, economic structure, pattal making (leaves plates), cropping pattern, cereal crops, leguminous crops.