Sustainable Utilization of Non- Timber Forest Produce - A Way Forward for Empowering Tribal Communities

Abstract

Introduction Non-Timber Forest Products (NTFPs) play an important role in the livelihoods of millions of tribal people across the globe by fulfilling multiple functions such as providing food, shelter, medicine, energy, and cultural artifacts. NTFPs include resins, essences, and a variety of barks and fibers like bamboo, rattan, sal, mahua and a broad range of other palm, grasses, and pharmacological herbs. Among farm products, plant herbs (64.28%) are predominantly used followed by trees (21.43%) and shrubs (14.28%) where various plant parts are used for their nutritional and chemical properties. NTFP sector is one of India’s major unorganized sectors with a wide scope of dependent population of around 275 million and an annual turnover of more than 6000 crores. Due to the varied usage and wide distribution throughout India (Figure 1), NFTPs are found to offer green social security to billions of people. This article presents a technical perspective on the development of Indian tribal communities through the sustainable usage of NTFPs.