Empowering Rural Communities through Participatory Community Forestry Programmes

Abstract

India has the largest number of poor in the world, many of whom depend directly or indirectly on the country 's forest resources for their livelihood resulting in degradation of forests. It was realised that if people demands were not met it would be impossible to save forests and thus social forestry came into fore to reduce pressure on natural forests. To complement Government efforts, Indian Farm Forestry Cooperative Limited (IFFDC) started Farm Forestry project for promoting farm forestry in the country. The present study aims to evaluate the economic impact of one such farm forestry programme implemented in southern Rajasthan. Economic analysis of village-level forestry programmes has been done by eliciting responses from the beneficiary respondents. Results showed generation of significant incomes from fodder, fuelwood, timber and labour days. The tree plantation was done on community lands as the farmers mostly belong to the small category and adopting farm-forestry by them on individual lands seemed a remote possibility. The results of the study will not only be helpful in monitoring the present programme to ensure its sustainability but also designing such community forestry programmes based on cooperative structure.