Changing Dependence of Tribal Communities on Forests for Food and Livelihood in Kandhamala District of Odisha

The present study aimed at estimating the relative income from Non-timber forest products (NTFPs) in resource users’ households and assessing the factors that influence this dependence. Using multi-stage random sampling method a total of 64 sample respondents were selected Tumudibandha block of Kandhamala district of Odisha. The results indicate that the landless (72.53 per cent) are dominant in the study area followed by marginal farmers (27.47 per cent with holdings of an average of 0.88 and 0.60 hectares of forest and revenue lands respectively. NTFP sector was the major employment-generating activity constituting 37 per cent (132 man-days) of the total days of employment. The extraction pattern of the NTFPs showed that there was a significant difference in the rate of extraction of NTFPs and also the number of days spent in the collection of each of these products. Out of the six NTFPs extracted from the forest, a few NTFPs make up a sizable proportion of household income. Mahula is the most important NTFP in terms of income which contributed 66 per cent for the collectors followed by Siali leaves (11 per cent), Harida and Bahada (10 per cent), Sal (8 per cent), Kendu (3 per cent), Chakunda (2 per cent). Villages operational under JFM (Joint Forest Management), CFM (Community Forest Management)/ CFR (Community Forest Rights) categories have different levels of dependence on forest. They take care of the forest on the basis of mutual trust and jointly defined duties and responsibilities. CFM has led to the regeneration of vast areas of degraded forest patches in the village.