Title:
DEFORESTATION AND SUSTAINABLE LIVELIHOOD OF TRIBAL COMMUNITY: A STUDY IN BETNOTI BLOCK OF MAYURBHANJ DISTRICT

Authors:
Jeeban Jyoti Mohanty

Volume - 2 Issue - 12, Pages - 5391-5405

Abstract:
There is a symbiotic relationship between the forest and the forest dwellers since centuries. Not only the forest has provided various livelihood opportunities to the tribal as well as non-tribal living in and around but also the forest dwellers have taken care of forest resources. There has been a sense of emotional attachment towards the forest by these dwellers. But with course of time this mutual relationship between the forest and the forest dwellers has been disturbed due to massive deforestation and changing forest policies. In view of this scenario the study was carried out in a village of Mayurbhanj district in Odisha with the objectives to study the nature and degree of dependency of forest dwellers on forest and its change over time and to understand the people's perception and expectations on forest related livelihood. Different methodologies have been used to satisfy the various objectives of the study. To understand the macro factors affecting the forest related livelihood, secondary data from district as well as block level were used. The primary data collected from 300 sample households through questionnaire method are used to know the actual situation and ground realities regarding deforestation and forest related livelihoods.
The study village Saitpur in Betnoti block of Mayurbhanj district is surrounded by the forest and dominated by two tribes Bhumija and Santhals. The sustainability of forest related livelihood has lost with the passage of time. Their dependency on forest is gradually declining. Due to massive deforestation, the availability of NTFPs is showing a declining trend which in turn affecting the life and livelihood of various forest dwellers living in the village. 67 % of sample households are exclusively dependent on collecting and selling of NTFPs such as sal leaf and mahula flower. This livelihood is no more sustainable according to people's perception and the findings of the study. The indicators of sustainability are the average time taken, distance travelled and the quantity of product collected per day. Deforestation has also affected the agriculture as forest has a greater role in establishing ecological imbalance. Because of deforestation irregular rainfall have been observed in past few years. In present scenario it is not even possible to cultivate a single crop properly. But the trend is regressive, as the wage labour where the people are diverting their occupation is not secured. There is no certainty of getting work and also vulnerability is associated with it. The dependency on forest of the tribal community has been analyzed on the basis of proportion of Income earned from forest. Almost every family in the village is seasonally dependent on various forest items for household consumption. The study focuses on widow and distressed tribal families depending heavily on forest who have no alternative livelihood opportunity. The findings on nature and degree of dependency of tribal community on forest and its change over time based on the people's perception and expectations on forest related sustainable livelihood have lot of policy implication.

Cite this Article:

[Mohanty, Jeeban Jyoti. "DEFORESTATION AND SUSTAINABLE LIVELIHOOD OF TRIBAL COMMUNITY: A STUDY IN BETNOTI BLOCK OF MAYURBHANJ DISTRICT." International Journal of Social Science and Economic Research, vol. 2, no. 12, 2017, pp. 5391-5405. December.]