Forests, Commons and Livelihood Transitions among Tribal Communities in India
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.25175/jrd/2025/v44/i3/174132Keywords:
NTFP, tribal livelihood, lac cultivation, forest-based livelihoodAbstract
This article synthesises contributions from the Special Issue and examines tribal livelihood transitions across Odisha, Tamil Nadu, and Northeast India. It argues that livelihood outcomes are shaped not merely by resource endowments but by governance regimes, institutional authority, and value-chain organisation. Drawing on cases of lac cultivation, Irula resettlement, and bamboo-based NTFP systems, the paper demonstrates that secure access to commons, combined with the institutional embedding of value, determines whether forest-based livelihoods generate resilience or structural vulnerability. Where decentralised authority and market coordination are in place, NTFPs serve as a viable livelihood option. Where access is eroded, or value chains remain fragmented, livelihoods shift towards insecure wage labour and distress migration. The analysis highlights gender as a structuring axis, showing how women’s participation strengthens livelihood stability when supported institutionally. The article maintains that tribal development is a question of commons governance and equitable value capture, arguing that resilience emerges from accountable institutions rather than ecological abundance alone.
Downloads
References
1. Agarwal, B. (2010). Gender and green governance: The political economy of women’s presence within and beyond community forestry. Oxford University Press.
2. Belcher, B., Ruíz-Pérez, M., & Achdiawan, R. (2005). Global patterns and trends in the use and management of commercial NTFPs: Implications for livelihoods and conservation. World Development, 33(9), 1435–1452. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2004.10.007
3. Bhuria, D. S. (2004). Report of the high-level committee on scheduled areas and scheduled tribes. Government of India.
4. Dattagupta, S., & Gupta, A. (2016). Non-timber forest product (NTFP) in Northeast India: An overview of availability, utilisation, and conservation. In Bioprospecting of indigenous bioresources of North-East India (pp. 311–322). Springer. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-0620-3_19
5. IDFC Rural Development Network. (2013). Sustainability of natural resources and environmental challenges. In India rural development report 2012–13. Orient BlackSwan.
6. Kindo, D. P., & Tigga, M. (2016). Lac cultivation and tribal women’s livelihoods in Eastern India. Journal of Rural Development, 35(4), 561–579.
7. Ministry of Tribal Affairs. (2019). Statistical profile of scheduled tribes in India. Government of India.
8. Ninan, K. N. (2006). Non-timber forest products and biodiversity conservation: A study of tribals in a protected area in India. Proceedings of the International Association of Agricultural Economists Meeting, Queensland, Australia.
9. Ninan, K. N., & Kontoleon, A. (2016). Valuing forest ecosystem services and disservices: A case study of a protected area in India. Ecosystem Services, 20, 1–14. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoser.2016.05.001
10. Panda, P. K. (2017). Inclusion and economic empowerment of rural-tribal women in lac value chains. Journal of Social and Economic Development, 19(1), 25–41. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40847-016-0032-9
11. Rasul, G., Karki, M., & Sah, R. (2008). The role of non-timber forest products in poverty reduction in India. Development in Practice, 18(6), 779–788. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/09614520802386876
12. Ribot, J. C. (2002). Democratic decentralisation of natural resources: Institutionalizing popular participation. World Resources Institute.
13. Sarap, K. (2017). Erosion of access to resources and tribal poverty in central India. Sociological Bulletin, 66(1), 22–41. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0038022916687061
14. Sarma, D. (2016). Role of non-timber forest products (NTFPs) in livelihood of the tribal community living in hilly area of Kamrup district, Assam. The Clarion – International Multidisciplinary Journal, 5(1), 45–49. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5958/2277-937X.2016.00007.1
15. Sathyapalan, J. (2005). Households’ dependence on protected forests: Evidence from the Western Ghats. Indian Journal of Agricultural Economics, 60(1), 1–11.
16. Shackleton, C. M., & Pandey, A. K. (2014). Positioning non-timber forest products on the development agenda. Forest Policy and Economics, 38, 1–7. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.forpol.2013.07.004
17. TRIFED. (2020). Annual report 2019–20. Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India Ltd.
18. Vedeld, T., Angelsen, A., Sjaastad, E., & Kobugabe Berg, G. (2007). Forest environmental incomes and the rural poor. World Development, 35(11), 1792–1812.
