Sakshi Abrol

• Development Politics

• India

Advancing the livelihood opportunities of forest-dependent communities        in India through inclusive markets and trade

India is home to a plethora of Adivasi communities who mostly inhabit areas in close proximity to the forests. Back in 2011, it was estimated that about 100 million Adivasis depend on forests for their livelihoods. Their relationship with forests, however, transcends mere economic dependence. A myriad of cultural practices and traditions of Adivasi communities revolve around these forests and they harbour a rich repertoire of traditional ecological knowledge on sustainable forest management. Despite inhabiting resource-rich areas, however, they remain one of the most marginalized and impoverished groups in India.

The expanding markets for forest goods both in India and worldwide could help advance the livelihood opportunities of forest-dependent Adivasi communities (or FDCs) but despite the emphasis on the idea of 'marketing oneself out of poverty', it remains elusive in reality. FDCs are often seen to be engaging in hierarchical domestic markets that either exclude them altogether or offer them adverse terms of engagement. There seems to, thus, be a lack of inclusive value chains for FDCs in India. Further, India has not been able to utilize international value chains for forest goods to promote the livelihood of these communities. Ergo, the proposed research seeks to investigate how the (domestic) market- linkage of and (international) trade in forest goods can be promoted to advance the livelihoods of FDCs in the case of Gond tribes in the Madhya Pradesh-Maharashtra belt of India.

Through a mixed-methods case study approach, the study aims to: 

a. shed light on the drivers of and barriers to promoting the livelihood opportunities of FDCs through domestic markets and international trade 

b. assess if technological solutions can be leveraged to remove some of the barriers identified, and,

c. understand the impact of sustainable and fairtrade certification in international trade on the livelihoods of these communities.

The study will use several techniques of data collection including interviews and participatory methods (like participant observation, seasonal calendar mapping, participatory value chain mapping) to generate thick and nuanced descriptions of a complex phenomenon along with quantitative data on specific variables. Through this, the study seeks to contribute to the literature on inclusive value chain for FDCs. Additionally, the research would try to understand how the idea of 'marketing oneself out of poverty' can be realized in practice for the forest-dependent Adivasi communities in India.

Detailed Profile: www.linkedin.com/in/sakshi-abrol/

Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst e.V. (DAAD)

DAAD Doctoral Scholarship under Right Livelihood College

Prof. Dr. Jörg Blasius

Dr. Till Stellmacher

Resume_Sakshi_1122.pdf [PDF | 311.09KB]