Livelihood Dependency of Indigenous People on Forest in Jharkhand, India

Abstract

The study investigated the extent of live-lihood dependency on forest, socioeconomic characteristics and their relationship with forest dependency in indigenous people of Bundu block in Ranchi, Jharkhand, India. The sample for the study was drawn by multi-stage random sampling technique. The data were collected through personal interviews, direct observations, semi-structure interview with key informants and focus group discussion. Correlation and multiple regression analysis were used to ascertain the relationships between the livelihood dependen-cy on forest in the indigenous households and their socioeconomic characteristics. Results re-veal that the small timber, fuelwood, fodder, sal leaf, lac and tooth brush are the main income generation sources backing up the livelihood needs of the target population. The forest acts as the second prime contributor to livelihoods. The indigenous people are in underprivileged condition with respect to their socioeconomic characteristics. Among the socioeconomic char-acteristics of the indigenous households, educa-tion, social participation, family composition, main occupation, housing status, farm power, farm implements, livestock possession, wealth status and gross annual income had exhibited positively significant correlation with the liveli-hood dependency on forest and age and size of land holding have non-significant association with the livelihood dependency on forest. All the socioeconomic characteristics of the indigenous people put together had contributed to 70.05% (R2= 0.705) variation on the livelihood depend-ency on forest. Further, among these variables, only family composition exercised positive and significant contribution on livelihood dependen-cy on forest. The findings and perspective of the study could be crucial bases in planning and ad-ministration of innovative interventions through various rural developmental installations for all-round development of the indigenous people.