Minor Forest Research Articles

Sustainable Tribal Livelihood Generation through Tribal Cooperatives and the Effective Use of Minor Forest Products in Jharkhand

A significant part of India’s tribal community, which forms 11.3% of its rural demographic, relies heavily on Minor Forest Products (MFPs) for their livelihood. Reports indicate that around 100 million people are engaged in the collection and trade of MFPs, supporting nearly 275 million rural Indians, many of whom are tribal. Despite these natural resources, tribal groups in India face substantial socio-economic challenges, lagging behind in access to essential services such as healthcare, education, and financial opportunities. This gap is where Tribal co-operatives can make a significant impact, focusing on poverty reduction, environmental sustainability, and community development by creating sustainable business models that address unmet societal needs. Jharkhand, known as the "land of forests," is among the top three Indian states with a high tribal population, where approximately 60% depend on forest resources for their sustenance. Diverse MFPs like tamarind mainly enrich the state's economy. Yet, the full economic potential of these resources is underutilized due to limited market access and inadequate livelihood opportunities for tribal populations. The present study, titled " Sustainable Tribal livelihood generation through tribal cooperatives and the effective use of minor forest products in Jharkhand," examines how forming cooperatives can not only increase villagers' incomes by producing higher-value products but also strengthen communities and promote sustainable economic development. Educating tribes on available government schemes could significantly enhance their livelihoods and contribute to India's economic growth.

COLONIAL MIZORAM: FOREST PRODUCE AND FARMING METHODS

Frequent raids of areas that the Lushais claimed as their hunting grounds occupied by the British culminated to the creation of the Lushai Hills district under the British rule. Maintenance of public order being the prime concerned, policies relating to forests and fields were sparse allowing traditional patterns of livelihoods to continue almost unchanged. The demand for forest produce was only outside the District as there was no local industries or enterprises that needed raw materials. Trade in forest produce and traders, however, were introduced in this period. Trade permits were issued, Mahal awarded for extraction along the river banks, and minor forest produce were covered by permit and Royalty was collected. Difficult terrain, poor transportation system and shortage of labour were impediments to timber trade. Lack of supervision and management practices rendered the timber traders a free hand, leading to unsystematic felling of trees and damage to productive potential of forest resources. Mizos continued to depend on jhums and local forest resources for livelihood during the whole period of colonial rule. Training of inhabitants to hunt for financial prizes by officials led to the extinction of a number of species. The calls for conservation and forestation was not effective as it was perceived that the hills and jhums land replenished quickly causing no discernible negative impact.

Income generated through minor forest products of tribal farmers in Gadchiroli district

Income generated through minor forest products of tribal farmers in Gadchiroli district

Role of Community-Based Organizations (CBOs) and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) Consortium in Strengthening the Livelihoods of Minor Forest Produce (MFP) gatherers in Tribal Districts of Odisha

Abstract: Minor forest products (MFPs) serve as indispensable pillars supporting the intricate socio-economic fabric of tribal communities, permeating every aspect of their livelihoods. These natural resources not only sustain their existence but also serve as conduits for economic sustenance and cultural preservation. The collection and trade of minor forest products emerge as vital lifelines for tribal households, constituting primary avenues for income generation and economic stability. Through meticulous seasonal gathering, tribal members procure a rich diversity of Non-Timber Forest Products (MINOR FOREST PRODUCESMFPs) essential for their sustenance, encompassing a spectrum of necessities ranging from nourishment to medicinal remedies. These products, intricately woven into the tapestry of tribal life, include a plethora of resources such as medicinal plants, succulent fruits, aromatic resins, and an array of other non-timber forest products, each holding profound significance in the daily lives of forest-dwelling communities.

INDIA'S TRIBES: THEIR ECONOMIC AND SOCIOECONOMIC ADVANCEMENT VIA ART

The guardians of nature are the tribes. Most of India's tribal population—92 per cent—lives in arid, hilly, or wooded regions. Their main sources of nutrition are minor forest products and agriculture. The primary areas of India where the tribal population resides are the central region, the middle belt, and the northeastern states. India's tribal arts are steeped in history and have developed unique methods and traits. Many people acknowledge various tribes as autonomous creative forms with unique visual value. Everything that contributes to a creative creation's uniqueness, such as composition, line, colour, texture, and rhythm. This study paper examines in-depth the socioeconomic growth of Indian tribes via art. The Indian government need to devise a unique strategy with the primary goal of encouraging the overall development of tribes being the preservation and integration of these ethnic communities.

The Vegetation of Dangs District in Gujarat

The Dangs district is situated between 20°30' and 21°5' N and 73°15' and 74° E. The whole district is mountainous.The forests are generally dry deciduous, though, in protected and moister spots moist- and mixed-deciduous types also are found. Tectona-Terminalia is the dominant tree community. Their associated common tree species are Adina cordifolia Hook. f., Anogeissus latifolia Wall., Dalbergia latifolia Roxb., Garuga pinnata Roxb., Lagerstroemia species, Lannea coromandelica (Hout.) Merr. and Ougeinia oojeinensis (Roxb.) Hochr. Wrightia tinctoria Br. is abundant as an understorey tree. Bambusa arundinacea Retz. and Dendrocalamus strictus Nees are common.The vegetation has been studied by quadrats at different forest sites, namely Bandripada, Billaya, Chikarda, Chikarmatibari, Dhavlidhar, Dholeambar, Ghadvi, Ghogli, Kotbha, Laochali, Mahal, Mulchond, Pimpri, Piplemar, Pipliamal, Raiwad, Shivbara, Susarda and Waghai. Relationship of vegetation with habitat features has been discussed. Reference has been made to species useful for timber, minor forest produce and medicinal value.

Child Labour in Saurashtra Region of Gujarat State

Child labour is one of the most pressing social problems which the international community has been facing. Children are an important asset not only for their country but for the whole of mankind. They are not merely future adults. They are tiny apostles of peace and above all very much human beings though weak and immature. In almost all societies, children work in some way, though the types of work they do and the forms of their involvement vary. But many millions of children work under abusive and exploitative conditions that are clearly dangerous to them. There are still a large number of children who are employed in rag picking, collection of raw hides and skins, leather flaying and tanning, accompanying their parents for deep sea fishing, fish processing and storage, collection of minor forest produce, etc., that have not been brought within the ambit of the prohibited category.

Problems faced by the tribal women during collection and marketing of Minor Forest Produce (MFPs) and suggestions given by them to overcome the problems

Problems faced by the tribal women during collection and marketing of Minor Forest Produce (MFPs) and suggestions given by them to overcome the problems

Implementation of Minimum Support Price on Minor Forest Produces : Issues and Challenges

Minimum Support Price play a key role in Indian agricultural price policy. The introduction and implementation of minimum support price is to provide food grains to buffer stock and distribute through the Public Distribution system. Minor forest produces are those produces which are gathered from the forest. Implementation of minimum support price on minor forest produces enhance the income level of forestry’s. More than 100 million forest dwellers depend on minor forest produces for their livelihood. It is essential to understand the on-ground issues and challenges in the implementation of minimum support prices on minor forest produces for effective execution of the scheme. This research work is purely descriptive in nature and secondary sources data are used for the study. Some of the major issues and challenges encountered in the implementation of minimum support price on minor forest products such as Haat Bazaar's dominance in the local area, lack of skills and inadequate infrastructure, lack of value addition, the basis for calculation of minimum support price and barter system. the study also focused on efforts made in developing a methodology for fixing minimum support prices for minor forest produces.

Bird species richness and habitat guilds at isolated forest patch in Turahalli Minor Forest, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India

Analyzing habitat preferences and foraging dynamics can be useful in understanding how birds adapt to changing physical environments. This is the first-ever study that was carried out on Avian feeding and Habitat guild of the Turahalli minor forest. Our study compares foraging patterns and habitat preferences among bird species by using One-way ANOVA, Tukey’s multiple comparison test, Kruskal-Wallis test and Mann-Whitney U tests. Observations based on habitat and diet affinities accounted for rich avian diversity with a total of 139 bird species recorded from five different habitats from October 2020 to November 2022. Large trees (95 species) harbored more species followed by shrub and thorny (30 species) and open ground (8 species). Bird assemblages were richer in large tree habitats and shrub and thorny habitats and findings showed that there was no significant difference in bird species richness between the habitats. Insectivorous species (39%) and carnivorous species (30%) exceeded other feeding guilds in the study area. Results of the study showed that different functional groups of avifauna behaved differently, primarily persuaded by choice of food. By providing birds with stable foraging, roosting, and nesting options, habitat heterogeneity supported avifaunal persistence.

Contingent Valuation of Forest Produce in High Altitude Zone of Andhra Pradesh, India

The present study aims at estimating compound annual growth rate of forest area in the high altitude zone of Andhra Pradesh state. The study was based on secondary data, which were collected from various published and unpublished sources. The data related to forest area was collected for the period of 1990-91 to 2020-21. For detailed analysis, the whole period was divided into two sub-periods i.e., period I (1990-91 to 2004-05), period II (2006-07 to 2020-21). The overall compound growth rate of forest area under high altitude zone of Andhra Pradesh was positive (0.54 per cent). But negative growth rate (-0.0048 per cent) was found in area for the HAT Zone in period-I (1990-91 to 2005-06) and positive growth rate (1.74 per cent) was found in area for the HAT Zone in period-II (2006-07 to 2020-21). Compound annual growth rate of forest area was found positive in overall period for the high altitude zone. Contingent Valuation (CV) and its two arms like Willingness To Pay (WTP) and Willingness To Accept (WTA) are survey methods that were supposed to measure the value of non-market goods mainly for minor forest products. Willingness To Accept usually consists of getting the information from the producers on how much they are willing to accept to avoid a negative or to accept a positive outcome. The results showed that willingness to accept was significant for all minor forest products like beedi leaves (Diospyros melanoxylon), soap nut (Sapindus trifoliatus), honey, bamboo (Bambusa vulgaris), tamarind (Tamarindus indica), firewood, vegetables, mushroom, fruits and cashew nut (Anacardium occidentale). The empirical results revealed that producers were willing to accept a premium for these forest products but lack of store availability, lack of credit facilities and middlemen exploitation were the major problems faced by the producers for which a reliable regulatory system is necessary to mitigate the quality constraint problem of forest products.

Status, Diversity and Conservation of Avifauna at Turahalli Minor Forest, Bangalore, Karnataka, India

Status, Diversity and Conservation of Avifauna at Turahalli Minor Forest, Bangalore, Karnataka, India

Analysing the Commercial Viability of Tamarind (The Minor Forest Produce) for the Tribal in Jharkhand

Forest plays a very important role in the socioeconomic lives of Tribal. They collect and sell the forest products in local markets and earn their livelihood. The present study is conducted to study the commercial viability of Tamarind production in Jharkhand taking into consideration both primary and secondary data. The four districts of Jharkhand namely Khunti, Chaibasa, Simdega, and Gumla were selected for the study. Primary data has been gathered through field monitoring carried out in different villages in four districts of Jharkhand. Structured interviews, FGDs (Focus Group Discussions), observation and visit to local markets were also done and used as the tools to closely examine the activities involved in studying the commercial viability of Tamarind in the State. Present study entitled “Analysing the commercial viability of Tamarind” was carried out to understand the commercial value of Tamarind production in Jharkhand, and analyse the benefits derived from the government schemes. Jharkhand, despite being one of the largest tamarind producing state, the involved producers gets very less share in whole of the value chain. This is because of lack of knowledge of market, Less support from co-operatives and Van Dhan Vikas Kendras, no/less information about government schemes and more importantly till date there is no fully mechanized production unit to make the finished products out of the minor forest produce namely Tamarind. The middlemen and wholesalers mostly earn by semi-processing it and then exporting to other states namely West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Orissa and Delhi. Keywords: Non-timber forest products, Minor Forest Produce, Minimum Support Price, tribal, Joint Forest Management.

Determinants of Prices of Minor Forest Produce (MFP) in High Altitude and Tribal (HAT) Zone of Andhra Pradesh

Determinants of Prices of Minor Forest Produce (MFP) in High Altitude and Tribal (HAT) Zone of Andhra Pradesh

The Value Network for Madhya Pradesh Minor Forest Produce Federation: Facing Off Product Diversification Dilemma

Commercial forestry sector in India is largely state owned. Madhya Pradesh is a unique state in India in the sense that two different forms of the organizations are working for timber and non-timber production in the state. It’s notable that Government of India has endorsed this model of doing commercial forestry and advised all the states in the country to adapt this model. It becomes important then to review the business model of the state’s forest resources especially the non-nationalized forest produce which is open for private sector. Unlike leading India based business entities like Patanjali, Dabur and Himalaya, the income generated through the network of the MP Minor Forest Produce (MFP) federation (which is government supported entity) is majorly distributing the profits among the collectors of the herbal produce. The thriving of this federation network is essential for the sake of livelihood, conservation and public health. These outcomes are relevant in the context of achieving the sustainable development goals. An independent consultant Mr. Darpan Kumar (pseudonym) analyses the business choices available in the industry and the state of strategic direction of the federation. The study presents the product/business diversification dilemma.

Determinants of Market Information Infrastructure and Arrivals of Minor Forest Produce (MFP) In High Altitude and Tribal (HAT) Zone of Andhra Pradesh

Determinants of Market Information Infrastructure and Arrivals of Minor Forest Produce (MFP) In High Altitude and Tribal (HAT) Zone of Andhra Pradesh

Minor Forest Produce Gathering & Sustainability of Tribal Livelihood Assets –Challenges and Issues in Kerala

This paper presentation is an attempt to understand the challenges and issues in protecting livelihood assets in relation to forest gathering of tribal communities in Kerala. The concept of protection of livelihood assets is one of the core concept of livelihood recovery processes necessitated basically in the event of calamities and other adverse events. The guidance note published by the UNDP on recovery processes is a detailed document on this topic. Forest gathering in Kerala is slowly dying out and is in a stage warranting immediate intervention for revival as if it is affected by adverse events. This study is therefore concentrated on identifying the livelihood assets based on Sustainable Livelihood Framework (SLF), which is a tool developed based on Sustainable Livelihood Approach (SLA) formulated by Chambers & Conway, in 1991. The assets thus identified, in the broad classes of Human, Social, Natural Physical and Financial assets, are Skilled Human resources, Aboriginal Knowledge and Gathering Skills, Tribal Cooperatives and other self-help groups, Forest resources, Forest Dwelling Rights, other related Infrastructure Facilities and Cash Assistances. Each of this assets are discussed primarily based on hands-on experience and exposure of the paper presenter as an official associated with the operations of tribal cooperative sector in Kerala for a period of 5 years and wherever necessary historical data, related literatures and governmental reports are relied. Based on the discussions, reviews, and analysis of data, this paper put forth its findings and conclusions to the intended audience for necessary remedial steps and future studies.

Ecology of village ecosystems of Odisha, India

Abstract. Upadhyay VP, Nayak BK, Mishra MK. 2022. Ecology of village ecosystems of Odisha, India. Asian J Ethnobiol 5: 138-155. The present study was conducted in eight villages in the Niyamgiri Hills of Odisha, India. The human population varies from 83 to 312 in uphill villages and 76 to 150 in foothill villages. The cultivated area constitutes 3.37% to 18.85% of the village’s total area. Per capita cultivated area varies from 0.117 to 0.329 ha. The families generally devote more time to agriculture, followed by Minor Forest Products (MFP) collection. The women and children collect leafy vegetables, tubers, fruits, seeds, leaves, and flowers. Collecting and marketing firewood in head loads is commonly practiced in the rainy season. The area of forest cover is not affected much, but the quality of the forest has changed. This suggests appropriate steps to restore the forest and enhance its productivity. All villages depend on rain-fed agriculture. The natural stream water is available to the paddy fields by gravity flow in valleys. The agriculture practices include shifting (podu) cultivation in high hill areas, mid-hill orchards below the podu area, home gardens adjoining habitation, and valley cultivation near Nala beds (streams). Podu is a mixed cultivation practice where cereals, pulses, and oil seeds are grown together. The village productivity is much lower than in other areas of settled agriculture. Improvements in seed quality, Soil and Moisture Conservation (SMC) measures, and the health condition of the tribal community will help support the sustainability of the traditional cultivation and livelihood system. To help protect the indigenous biodiversity, we suggest in this paper other alternatives of livelihood to the local population and options for shifting cultivation areas.

INDIAN FOREST ACT AND POLICIES: BE AT VARIANCE WITH SOCIAL LEGITIMACY

Indian woodland is a rich source of natural phenomenon, which maintains a gracious eco-balance and environmental potentiality. Ancient time scale to the present era Boscage is fulfilling needful action/desire, sourcing and supplying an enormous quantity of natural objects. So, the symbiotic relationship with the Copse area becomes a necessity for all life forms based on Indian woodland. There were many foreign invasions over the Indian Woodlands, of which The British invasion was remarkable, they were alluring India in the early 18th Century and permanently took charge of India as British India in 1760, ushering in monopolizing absolute supremacy over the Indian Boscage, they initiated a rule and finally an Act as Indian Forest Act 1865. The Indian Forest Act was amended in 1878 and finally enacted in 1927. Post independence India declared itself a Sovereign Democratic Republic State, but the Act remains the same. The Indian Forest Act is a piece of legislation enacted by the British Indian government in 1927. Its primary purpose was to consolidate and amend the laws related to forests, the transit of forest produce, and the duty levied on timber and other forest produce. The act aimed to regulate and manage forests in India, addressing issues such as forest conservation, protection, and revenue generation. The Forest policies were based on Scientific Management of the Forest, incepted since the 18th Century. The Policy guidelines were formulated to keep in view all aspects of the Forest that were practiced and emphasized factors like socio-economic, rural development, and environmental development as prime factors. Concessions were comprehended and extruded for the forest dwellers especially the Tribes in connection with livelihood sustenance. In this context, the 1894 policy of pre-independence, 1952, 1988 and 2018 policies of postindependence are mentionable for the same. The present sequel has been emphasized on the entire ambit of the tribal communities basically who are the forest dwellers since time immemorial. Collection of minor forest produces and uses thereof to maintain livelihood sustenance as offertory which executes a degree of dependence on the forest at the present day. Inclusion and exclusion determine the positivity of policy guidelines and practices that encourage the sustainable development of forest dwellers.

Issues Related to the Management of Minor Forest Produce and Possible Solutions

Issues Related to the Management of Minor Forest Produce and Possible Solutions