ADAPTATION TO LIVELIHOOD AND STRATEGIES FOR SURVIVAL OF THE MANKIRDIAS AND HILL-KHARIA TRIBES IN MAYURBHANJ, ODISHA

Abstract

The Research examines adaptive livelihood and survival of the two PVTGs, Mayurbhanj, Odisha, Mankirdias and Hill-Kharia tribal groups, in the context of a highly increasing ecological, economic, and institutional pressures. The study uses a methodology that is mixed, which involves the use of a household survey, interviews, and focus group discussions to determine how these communities cope with resource scarcity and insecure land tenure, as well as market dependency. Results indicate that livelihood diversification, Non-Timber Forest Product (NTFP) collection (31%), wage labour (27%), and smallholder cultivation (22%) are still the most commonly used coping strategies that are facilitated by social cooperation and gendered division of labour. Adaptation is however, mostly responsive and of a short-term nature with structural limitations that include poor application of the Forest Rights Act, reduced forest productivity and low access to welfare programs. The increasing involvement of women in the process of forest collection and local trade indicates the development of agency, but it also increases the inequality of workloads. The analysis finds that to ensure sustainable adjustment of these communities, a multi-layered approach is needed, which involves safe tenure, value-added NTFP businesses, gender-sensitive measures, and participatory forest management. Using traditional ecological knowledge coupled with institutional assistance, the study shows avenues of moving beyond a situation where people survive to attaining sustainable resilience among the people who depend on forests.