The role of non-timber forest products in poverty reduction in India: prospects and problems
TL;DR: In this article, the role of non-timber forest products (NTFPs) in livelihoods-improvement initiatives and considers recent initiatives intended to enhance their conservation and sustainable management.
Abstract: The vast natural resources of India's forests, including non-timber forest products (NTFPs), such as medicinal and aromatic plants, leaves, fruits, seeds, resins, gums, bamboos, and canes, offer employment that provides up to half the income of about 25 per cent of the country's rural labour force. However, poor harvesting practices and over-exploitation in the face of increasing market demand are threatening the sustainability of these resources, and thus the livelihoods of forest-dependent tribal communities. This article analyses the role of NTFPs in livelihoods-improvement initiatives and considers recent initiatives intended to enhance their conservation and sustainable management. It recommends policies to optimise the potential of NTFPs, both to support rural livelihoods and to contribute to India's social, economic, and environmental well-being.
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TL;DR: In this paper, the authors explore the food, water, and energy nexus from a regional dimension, emphasizing the role of Hindu Kush Himalayan (HKH) ecosystem services in sustaining food and water security downstream.
410 citations
Cites background from "The role of non-timber forest produ..."
...Forest degradation poses significant challenges to local people’s livelihoods and food and energy security as they depend heavily on forest for fuelwood, fodder, and other non-timber forest products (Rasul et al., 2008)....
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TL;DR: In this paper, the authors propose and briefly discuss eight steps to facilitate the integration of non-timber forests products into the development agenda for the benefit of local communities, including proper inventory of NTFP stocks, research on NTFP ecology and sustainable harvest levels, introduction of extension services for NTFPs, inclusion of NFPs in land management and trade-off decisions, ensuring NTFP commercialisation is not at the expense of local livelihood needs, promoting security of access and use, and examination of local contextual drivers of unsustainable use.
129 citations
TL;DR: Sustainable harvesting practices, value addition at local level, and marketing for promotion of NTFPs in the Kangchenjunga Landscape are suggested for income generation and livelihood improvement that subsequently contributes to conservation.
Abstract: Non-timber Forest Products (NTFPs), an important provisioning ecosystem services, are recognized for their contribution in rural livelihoods and forest conservation. Effective management through sustainable harvesting and market driven commercialization are two contrasting aspects that are bringing challenges in development of NTFPs sector. Identifying potential species having market value, conducting value chain analyses, and sustainable management of NTFPs need analysis of their use patterns by communities and trends at a regional scale. We analyzed use patterns, trends, and challenges in traditional use and management of NTFPs in the southern slope of Kangchenjunga Landscape, Eastern Himalaya and discussed potential implications for conservation and livelihoods. A total of 739 species of NTFPs used by the local people of Kangchenjunga Landscape were reported in the reviewed literature. Of these, the highest number of NTFPs was documented from India (377 species), followed by Nepal (363) and Bhutan (245). Though the reported species were used for 24 different purposes, medicinal and edible plants were the most frequently used NTFP categories in the landscape. Medicinal plants were used in 27 major ailment categories, with the highest number of species being used for gastro-intestinal disorders. Though the Kangchenjunga Landscape harbors many potential NTFPs, trade of NTFPs was found to be nominal indicating lack of commercialization due to limited market information. We found that the unsustainable harvesting and lack of marketing were the major constraints for sustainable management of NTFPs sector in the landscape despite of promising policy provisions. We suggest sustainable harvesting practices, value addition at local level, and marketing for promotion of NTFPs in the Kangchenjunga Landscape for income generation and livelihood improvement that subsequently contributes to conservation.
94 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examined the extent and pattern of household collection of non-timber forest products (NTFPs), and identified and analyzed the factors that influence a household's participation in NTFP activities vis-a-vis alternative livelihood activities.
74 citations
TL;DR: Wang et al. as mentioned in this paper systematically reviewed 247 journal articles, 15 institutional reports, and 28 book chapters to address the impasse and propose future research perspectives, and five key lessons are drawn: (i) Asian medicinal plant production systems demonstrate some dynamics, characterized by a gradual but continuous shift from wild gathering to cultivation.
Abstract: Medicinal plants research in Asia continues to receive significant national and international attention, particularly concerning its multiple roles in poverty alleviation and health care support. However, scientific information on the institutional arrangements, the potentials of different medicinal plants production systems, and the utilization methods, remain highly fragmented. This incomprehensive information base shades the development of a comprehensive research agenda to improve the current body of knowledge, at least in the context of Asia. To address this impasse and propose future research perspectives, we systematically reviewed 247 journal articles, 15 institutional reports, and 28 book chapters. From the reviews, five key lessons are drawn: (i) Asian medicinal plant production systems demonstrate some dynamics, characterized by a gradual but continuous shift from wild gathering to cultivation, (ii) sub-regional variations exist with regards to the appreciation of medicinal plants potentials for traditional healing, modern healthcare, and livelihoods support, (iii) knowledge on the effect of multi-scale institutional arrangements (formal and informal) on medicinal plant management practices is fragmented, (iv) very few studies dwell on the challenges of medicinal plants commercialization, particularly with regards to the role of middlemen, boom–bust cycle, raw material readiness, and product quality, and (v) law enforcement, benefit and knowledge sharing, and research and development should be prioritized to serve the interest of medicinal plants production actors. To further extend the body of knowledge on medicinal plants in Asia, we advance the need for empirical investigations on the performance of medicinal plants production systems and their contribution to livelihoods in diverse institutional contexts.
62 citations
Cites background from "The role of non-timber forest produ..."
...Effective and sustainable regulations are required to guide medicinal plants production and commercialization systems around the Himalayas [64,65]....
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References
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Book•
01 Jan 2000
89 citations
"The role of non-timber forest produ..." refers background in this paper
...The proportion of household income earned by the sale of NTFPs varies from State to State and from one area to another: at a rough estimate, it ranges from 5.4 per cent to 55 per cent (Khare 2000)....
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TL;DR: In a case study in the Periyar Tiger Reserve, India, this article examined whether NTFP collection can solve livelihood problems by analysing revenues obtained from various NTFP species, estimating the economic returns to collectors from various social backgrounds, and exploring the attitudes of collectors towards their profession.
Abstract: Collection of non-timber forest products (NTFPs) has been promoted in India as a strategy to aid wildlife conservation whilst simultaneously alleviating poverty, and recent legislation now gives communities living within protected areas the legal right to collect NTFPs. However, research on the financial rewards from NTFP collection and its contribution to sustainable de- velopment is equivocal. In a case study in the Periyar Tiger Reserve, India, we examined whether NTFP collection can solve livelihood problems by analysing revenues obtained from various NTFP species, estimating the economic returns to collectors from various social backgrounds, and exploring the attitudes of collectors towards their profession. We found that black damar resin from the tree Canarium strictum (61.3%) and mace from Myristica spp. (35.5%) were the most commonly collected NTFPs, and the most valuable NTFPs were honey from Apis cerana indica (USD 4.12 kg -1 ), cardamom Elettaria cardamomum (USD 3.67 kg -1 ) and Myristica spp. (USD 2.77 kg -1 ). Mean daily revenue from NTFP collection was USD 3.15 - SD 4.19 day -1 , and the lowest daily revenues were earned by part-time collectors with low socio-economic status such as migrants, forest-dwellers or those without access to agri- cultural land. Most collectors (82%) did not wish to continue harvesting NTFPs if alternative livelihoods from agriculture could be provided, and none wanted their children to be NTFP collectors. Our findings suggest that, with respect to social justice, poverty alleviation and environmental sustainability, the role of NTFP collection in sustainable development is questionable.
59 citations
"The role of non-timber forest produ..." refers background in this paper
...…and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006) (GoI 2007) has granted more rights to scheduled tribes and other forest dwellers in the use of NTFPs. Communities living within protected areas were granted the legal right to collect NTFPs (Gubbi and MacMillan 2008)....
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Journal Article•
TL;DR: The diversity of nontimber forest products in Uttara Kannada district, Western Ghats varies with availability and local knowledge, with communities gathering about 50% of the species available in the evergreen zone to about 40% in the semi evergreen and dry deciduous zones.
Abstract: A study was undertaken to evaluate the flow of nontimber forest products (NTFPs) in Uttara Kannada district, Western Ghats. NTFPs are being collected in different forest zones of the district. The diversity, however, varies with availability and local knowledge, with communities gathering about 50% of the species available in the evergreen zone to about 40% in the semi evergreen and dry deciduous zones and only 13% in the moist deciduous zone. Significant quantities of NTFPs are gathered in all the four zones and the estimated value of NTFPs realized per household varies between Rs 3445/household in the evergreen zone and Rs 1233/household in the dry deciduous zone. Similarly, the financial value realized per hectare also varies across the four forest zones studied and it ranged from Rs 634 in the dry deciduous zone to Rs 1801 in the evergreen zone, with a mean of Rs 1159/ha/yr.
52 citations
"The role of non-timber forest produ..." refers background in this paper
...The government and civil-society organisations Development in Practice, Volume 18, Number 6, November 2008 785 (CSOs) can play a key role in these areas and bring in other support in the form of credit, insurance, and promotion (Darlington and Barik 2005; Murthy et al. 2005)....
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...This state of affairs is exacerbated by the involvement of too many intermediaries, the lack of regulated market information and networks, and the limited capacity of the local people, all of which further contribute to their vulnerability and exploitation (Murthy et al. 2005)....
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50 citations
"The role of non-timber forest produ..." refers background in this paper
...Small-scale forest-based enterprises, many of which rely on NTFPs, provide up to half the income of about 25 per cent of India's rural labour force (Tiwari and Campbell 1995; Singhal 1999)....
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TL;DR: In this article, the authors reviewed the prevailing management systems and forest policy in India with a view to examining the problems and prospects for non-timber forest products (NTFP) development.
44 citations
"The role of non-timber forest produ..." refers background in this paper
...Increasing soil erosion also affects the environment that supports the fauna and flora, and ultimately affects local livelihoods (Mahapatra and Mitchell 1997; Prasad 1999)....
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