Research Project
Under
Research Grant Scheme (Plan)
Name of the Organisation :- Department of Agricultural Marketing & Cooperation,
UAS, GKVK, Bangalore-65
Topic of Project :- MODELING THE COLLECTION AND MARKETING OF NON-TIMBER
FOREST PRODUCTS (NTFPs) IMPLICATIONS FOR THE
DEVELOPMENT AND WELFARE OF THE TRIBAL ECONOMY
Name of the Principal Investigator :-
Dr.P.C.Ravi
Professor and Head
SUMMARY AND
IMPLICATIONS
This final Chapter draws together and focuses upon the intersector linkages and the impact of NTFPs on tribal economy emanating from this study. The first part highlights the background of this study. This is followed by the results achieved, which compares the goals originally formulated and serves as the basis for arriving at the policy implications.
Tribal economy is intimately connected with the forests. For centuries the tribals have lived in or in the fringes of forests and depended entirely on forests for their livelihood. Even today, forest products continue to be the main source of income and sustenance for many tribal communities. These communities live in abject poverty having very little access to capital assets, health and educational facilities and hardly any protection against vagaries of nature. Their dependence centres on nature. To a vast majority of the tribal people, extraction, processing and marketing of NTFPs is a source of employment throughout the year. Without much capital investment and with little skill it provides employment opportunities to all groups of tribals and the income generated by NTFPs significantly contributes to household income in tribal areas. Though, they lived in forests, they had known cultivation for generations. Some staple food grains were raised by them in the forests themselves. They practiced shifting cultivation living in the ‘phodes’. This practice made them somewhat nomadic and did not attach them to a particular bit of land or dwelling. The method of living involving shifting cultivation and food gathering in the forests did not develop interest in them for permanent housing or interest for property. In view of this, much attention has been given by the government for their rehabilitation and development.
After independence, the National Forest Policy enunciated in 1952 adopted measures to prevent indiscriminate use of forests by the tribal folk. According to this policy “the needs of the local population must be met to the reasonable extent, national interest should not be sacrificed because they are not directly discernible, nor should the rights and interests of future generations be subordinated to the improvidence of the present generation”. Further, the National Forest Policy of 1984 envisages that the sole object with which state forests are administered is the public benefit…………………………………………… the cardinal principle to be observed is that the rights and privileges of individuals must be limited, otherwise than for their own benefit, only in such degree as is absolutely necessary to secure that advantage”. This concept has affected the tribal people to their freedom to live freely in the forests and have free access to forest products. In effect, the new policy abridged the rights of grazing and emphatically opposed the shifting cultivation, ostensibly through persuasive and not coercive measures, in a sort of missionary rather than authoritarian manner thus weaning away of the tribals from their traditional methods of living.
The forest conservation measures adopted in India have put an end not only to the shifting cultivation but also to the living of the tribals in and around the reserved forests. These measures have limited their scope to derive their income from forest based activities, especially, from NTFPs. Therefore, in the NTFPs dominated tribal economy, a number of issues have emerged in the process of exploitation of NTFPs, tribal development and forest conservation. In view of the growing national and international interest in protecting and preserving biodiversity, greater restrictions are imposed on the use of a number of different plants and animals, which are very important NTFPs. This has also posed serious conflict between the forests dwellers, wild animals and the state. The conflict of interest between the forest dwellers and the state forest department with regard to exploitation of forest resources are induced by their respective roles as a consumer and a conserver. The former needs a means of livelihood while the latter is interested in the ecological sustainability and preservation of biodiversity. Therefore, preservation of biodiversity, sustainable extraction of forest products and tribal development has become the major issues facing the government. In order to conserve the biodiversity, government intervention by way of legislation and other programmes have alienated the forest dwellers from management of the forests for sustainable development. Thus it is evident that extraction of NTFPs, tribal economy and sustainability have very strong inter-linkages. However, the exact nature of linkages and its impact on the income and quality of life of people engaged in this occupation are not known. Therefore, in this study an attempt is made to understand the linkages of NTFPs with other sectors of tribal economy with special reference to the tribals of H.D.Kote taluk of Mysore district in Karnataka.
7.2 Major FindingsH.D.Kote taluk of Mysore district has been purposively selected for the study because of good concentration of forest cover and distribution of tribal population in the taluk. The study included 180 tribal households based on a stratified two stage sampling technique. Information was also collected from NTFPs traders and cooperative society operating in the study area so as to understand the marketing aspects of NTFPs. The important findings of the study are summarized below.
The major source of income was from wage employment followed by NTFPs. More than one-third of household income was derived from NTFPs activities. Supplementary activities such as dairying, poultry and similar other activities were rather low or absent.
The exploitation pattern of NTFPs indicated that there are about twenty items of NTFPs having different usages, which are being exploited, in H.D.Kote region. In addition, numerous other items such as fruits, berries, tubers and herbs were collected for their daily consumption needs.
The analysis of employment pattern indicated that, on an average, the tribal household was employed to the extent of 270 mandays in a year. Out of this, NTFPs activities generated employment to the extent of 50 per cent of total employment followed by wage employment [34 per cent], agriculture [12 per cent] and allied sector [3 per cent].
The tribal household, on an average, earned cash income of Rs.7873 per annum. Wage employment generated the maximum cash income followed by NTFPs, agriculture and allied activities. However, NTFPs contributed the maximum in terms of non-cash income.
The regression analysis attempting to identify the factors influencing the collection of NTFPs has shown that NTFPs activities provided opportunities to absorb surplus labour force in the family without conflicting the agricultural activities. It was also indicated that the extent of dependence on NTFPs was low, provided increased opportunities for wage employment and higher agricultural income. Similarly, the results of Logit analysis has explained that wage employment, land ownership and agricultural income significantly reduced the probability of tribal households involving in NTFPs collection.
The analysis of linkages of the NTFPs with tribal economy revealed that the NTFPs sector had very strong backward and forward linkages. The backward linkages are relatively stronger than the forward linkages.
Though agriculture and dairy are backward with regard to technology and levels of productivity, they still have very strong income and production multipliers. This aspect can be exploited for the overall development of the economy minus NTFPs when stringent conservation measures are imposed in future.
Simulation studies revealed that the extent of dependence on NTFPs is strong and its withdrawal will severely affect the employment and income of the people, particularly the tribals. Even, strengthening the agriculture and dairy sector cannot offset its adverse effect because of the low level equilibrium trap in these two sectors. Better infrastructure, production technology and marketing can alter the present scenario. Since this is a time consuming process, a phased withdrawal of NTFPs would be a desirable option.
The tribals practiced a very simple food habit, living from hand to mouth. The average income spent on food by the tribal households was Rs.3537 per family, per annum. In terms of calorie intake, the food consumption, in general, was limited to a meager 1075 k.cal. per capita per day, which was far below the minimum consumption, needs. In order to make up the deficit, the tribals depend heavily on edible forest products to sustain themselves.
Poverty is wide spread among the tribal households. The measure of inequality in income distribution under two situations viz. with and without NTFPs income has revealed that the inequality in income as measured by Gini Concentration Ratio reduced substantially from 0.72 to 0.40 when NTFPs was included in the family income.
The Sen’s index estimated has a value of 0.47 which in other words reveals the poverty gap implying that the income of the tribals should be increased by 47 per cent to entirely alleviate the tribals from poverty, particularly those living below the poverty line.
The marketing system for NTFPs in H.D.Kote region is highly unorganized and totally lack facilities for scientific marketing. Three important marketing channels could be identified for NTFPs which include; I] Self consumption and local sales; ii] Sale to private traders/middleman; and iii] Sale through cooperatives [LAMPS].
Most of the forest area in H.D.Kote falls within the jurisdiction of the Rajeev Gandhi National Park, Nagarahole and collection of NTFPs within the park is not permitted legally. Strict conservation measures are necessary in order to protect fragile eco-system of the Rajeev Gandhi National Park, Nagarahole which is exposed to increased pressure both from human and cattle trespasses. Thus the bulk of the collection comes from illegal means. Sale through the private trader/middlemen is the most common and popular channel of marketing. LAMPS played a minor role in effective marketing of NTFPs. Its role in organizing the tribals in other subsidiary enterprises or in agriculture was rather meager or totally lacking.
7.3 POLICY IMPLICATIONS
· The tribals in the H.D.Kote area are backward both socially and economically and it would require a Herculean effort to raise their socio-economic status and to bring them to the main stream of national life.
· Literacy levels are woefully low at around 15 per cent. Drop out rates in schools are high. There is urgent need to motivate the tribals to send their children to school so that they can acquire higher educational standards, thereby seek employment opportunities which will enhance their standard of living. The present level of education shuts out opportunities for them.
· Even though, land is fertile agriculture is not profitable among tribals because they do not have the skill, resources or motivation to carry out agriculture in a profitable manner. Marketing is another problem seriously affecting profitability. There is an urgent need to raise their agricultural productivity through better application of technology and resources. There is need for a specialized agency to cater to the needs of tribal agriculture. This agency should provide extension support and also help in marketing their produce.
In this regard, the experience of the Tibetian resettlements in the same area can be taken as an example where the farmers have taken up watershed development and created customs hire services to meet the agricultural operations. This has helped in commercialization of production. Subsidiary enterprises and marketing aspects have been given utmost importance in their development model.
· Subsidiary activities should be encouraged since they are easy to raise, scale neutral and have ready market like poultry, bee keeping, sericulture, basket making etc. These enterprises, though simple to undertake, the tribals need to be given training on scientific rearing and marketing practices. Such activities will help in stabilizing and augmenting farm incomes.
· Housing is a problem which most tribals face, particularly, the landless. Proper housing facilities with sanitary and water facilities are to be provided to the tribals so that they have a permanent place to live and the children can concentrate on studies. Though, there are efforts in this direction, it does not cover the entire population of tribals. Lack of basic facilities would force them to remain inside forests illegally. The government with the help of NGOs should identify the homeless and provide suitable shelter to them.
· The tribals usually possess varied skills in the production of unique articles like baskets, brooms and the like. NGOs should be involved in identifying products, which can be exploited commercially. This will go a long way in creating gainful employment to the tribal households particularly to the women folk. It is interesting to note that in the same area, the Tibetians living adjacent to tribals undertake many such activities native to their homeland, particularly weaving and carpet making which they market through well organized marketing network in cities and towns all over the country.
· During the agricultural season in the neighboring areas, the tribals have ample opportunities for extended periods of employment in coffee, rubber and pepper plantations. This needs to be encouraged. The tribals should be made aware of such opportunities, which they could attempt. This is likely to be their major source of income and employment in the process of their rehabilitation and weaning away from NTFPs.
· The tribals derive a large share of their nutrition from NTFPs. Severing the connection with NTFPs will seriously affect their health and their children. There is need to educate them on sound cooking and eating habits so that their nutritional status can be improved.
· Children should be compulsorily covered under nutritional and immunization programmes as they constitute the wealth of the future and hence they are to be properly fed and clothed.
· The public distribution system should be augmented and necessities such as rice, ragi, edible oil should be supplied at subsidized rate so that the tribals can afford it. Care should be taken to plug the prevailing leakages in the present system.
· The study revealed that fuel and fodder are the important items of NTFPs used by tribals for their own requirements. With this avenue severed the tribals will face difficulty for both fuel and fodder. To overcome the problem, they should be encouraged to plant fast growing fuel and fodder species and also be encouraged to take up joint forest management in the common property resources. In addition, agro-forestry should also be propagated.
· Tribal women are known for their industrious nature and hence their potential should be properly channelized towards income earning vocations. Self-help groups can play an important role in harnessing the potential into commercially viable activities and in providing the much-needed capital. This will increase the empowerment of women and also promote the habit of saving. It is an universally accepted truth that the earnings of the women would contribute to the improvement of their family.
· The study on linkages revealed strong backward linkages of agriculture with the rest of the economy. Similarly, dairy also has strong income multipliers. These are indications that the economy of the region can be strengthened and made to grow by increasing the levels of production in agriculture and dairy sectors. This will call for a mission mode approach to increase productivities, on the lines of technology missions adopted for development at the macro-level.
· Labour has also got very strong linkages with other sectors of the economy. A greater integration of the various sectors, which is presently very weak, can be a means of hastening the pace of development and welfare in the region.
· The study on linkages also showed that the income multipliers of NTFPs are very strong. Simulation studies, which reduced the sale of NTFPs products seriously, affected the household incomes and rendered large surpluses of family labour. This is a serious problem, which the policy makers will have to tackle, failing which, the tribals will go back to the forests out of dire necessity. The problems of poverty and unemployment will be aggravated. Therefore, a phased withdrawal of NTFPs activities by the authorities will be desirable rather than their abrupt discontinuation. This will give ample time for the tribals to adjust to the new way of life.
· Off seasonal employment guarantee programmes such as creation of rural infrastructure, watershed development, forest conservation and nursery raising, social forestry, soil conservation etc. will help the tribals to earn income during the lean seasons of the year. This will further help to wean them away from NTFPs collection.
· The tribals are basically timid and faced with guilty complex when they indulge in activities forbidden by the forest department. This fugitive mentality will hinder their participation in rehabilitation programmes such as education, training and other similar activities, which should not be allowed to happen. They should not be overburdened with numerous schemes and programmes which are totally alien to them. They should be given sufficient time to adjust to the transition which requires the change of attitude. NGOs and other development agencies can act as change agents.
· The important point that emerged out of the study is that the dependence of tribals on NTFPs is more out of necessity than choice. NTFPs activities provide them with a cushion to absorb the surplus labour force in the family and this provides a major source of income to sustain themselves in the absence of adequate productive resources. The regional economy in the tribal area has displayed strong backward and forward linkages with NTFPs collection. This suggests that any effort to sever the connection with NTFPs can seriously undermine the income and employment in the short term.
*The socio-economic conditions of the tribals are far from satisfactory. Despite the developments that have taken place in the rural areas, the tribals live cut-off from these developments. The ongoing liberalization process does not provide a safe net to the tribals, which means their interest would get marginalized for want of opportunities. Therefore, it requires deliberate government intervention through committed NGOs in order to create awareness and motivate their upliftment.