Forest Livelihoods & Rights

My name is Maneni Pradhan, from Raikakonda Malu. We, the indigenous original inhabitants, produce food from the forest and want to live with nature. We are expressing this desire. We are humbly requesting the government that all these efforts be made for us.

— RITARANI PRADHAN · Raikia, Kandhamal, Odisha

My name is Surendra Podra. I am from Gurumundi village, Katinga Gram Panchayat, Dani block, Kandhamal district. I want to highlight the environmental degradation of today. Our ancestors used to live in the forest, depending on roots, greens, and various other things. But... I express my desire to bring back that kind of environment.

— SUBASH SABHASUNDAR · Gajapati, Odisha

Due to living in forests

— Sunita Kumari · Ghorawal, Sonbhadra, Uttar Pradesh

From living in the forest

— अमर जीत · Sonbhadra, Uttar Pradesh

By living in the forest

— अमर जीत · Ormaura, Sonbhadra, Uttar Pradesh

My name is Isaac Sabar, village Zero Number, Panchayat Mandi Mandi, District Kandhamal. I feel that in the current situation, people used to use traditional forest products, which are forest-derived goods, in large quantities to sustain their livelihoods, but due to the lack of forests, they have disappeared. We want to restore the forests so that we can enjoy those forest products just like our ancestors used to.

— SUBASH SABHASUNDAR · Gajapati, Odisha

My name is Rashmita Pradhan. Just as our ancestors remained healthy by eating fruits and roots found in the forest, prepared without chemicals, we also wish to eat the same food now. We are from tribal-dominated areas. Our forest is our lifeline. Therefore, our ancient traditions should be restored, and our forest should not be destroyed. Thank you. Raika Kandhamal.

— RITARANI PRADHAN · Raikia, Kandhamal, Odisha

Due to living in forest and hilly areas

— Sunita Kumari · Ghorawal, Sonbhadra, Uttar Pradesh

We are all tribal people, we live in forests. We collect our food from the forests. With that, we sustain ourselves. This is indeed our life's goal.

— KusaPradhani · Anakabadi, Rayagada, Odisha

My name is Susmita Pradhan. We are the indigenous, original inhabitants. We wish to live in harmony with nature, producing our own food. We are demanding the government to conserve the things that are disappearing from the market. We are requesting the government to restore the forest products like roots and various forest items that are disappearing.

— RITARANI PRADHAN · Raikia, Kandhamal, Odisha

Name Bira Madhi, Village Kutiguda, GP Mariwada, District Malkangiri. They were living by collecting their livelihood from the forest.

— Mukunda Madkami · Pujariguda, Malkangiri, Odisha

My name is Dhiren Badhai from Kiyariya village and Bamani Gaon Panchayat, Dharibari block. Our ancestors used to eat roots, leafy greens, fruits, and tubers from the forest, living a nutritious life, but now all of that has decreased.

— SUBASH SABHASUNDAR · Gajapati, Odisha

We tribals cut down forests to build our homes and live in the forest itself. From the forest, we get roots, flowers, and delicious fruits, and we sustain our lives from them, and we also do farming.

— Ram Kumari · Sonbhadra, Uttar Pradesh

My name is Lidja Majhi. Village Mandipanka, Panchayat Bamunia, Block Daribadi, District Kandhamal. Today, I feel that forest products contain more nutritious food, which is currently a forest...

— SUBASH SABHASUNDAR · Gajapati, Odisha

The Makadia tribe's life and livelihood depend on the forest. They live by gathering and selling fruits, flowers, roots, medicinal herbs, and mushrooms from the forest as food. They respect whatever their elders say. When food in one forest runs out, they move to another forest.

— Anirudha Marai

Our community lives by building homes in the forests, hunting wild animals, and sustaining themselves by eating tamarind, mango, guava, and other produce found in the forest. Thus, they belong to a different way of life.

— bachcha lal · Shahganj, Sonbhadra, Uttar Pradesh

We used to live in our nature with the forest, happily bringing forest produce. We would all eat and live together. You were climbing.

— sudhir gamanga · Gadiakhala, Ketalugurha, Rayagada

My tribal people, living in the forest far from the city and making food from forest produce.

— bachcha lal · Shahganj, Sonbhadra, Uttar Pradesh

I am Juno Chhatria. We are tribal people. We used to live by cultivating the forest and land. We used to eat fruits and roots from the forest, and we used to eat food without fertilizers, and we were not victims of any disease. Currently, we are eating food with fertilizers and are facing various diseases. That's why we request the government to return our previous world to us. Raykia Kandhamal.

— RITARANI PRADHAN · Raikia, Kandhamal, Odisha

My name is Sabita Pradhan. My village is Ghosaguda. The block is Tikabali. In earlier times, we used to cultivate in the forests. And we used to cultivate millets, corn, black gram, and horse gram. We used to cultivate all those. Fertilizer was not even needed there. And even if we want to cultivate now, we are not getting seeds. That's why we are requesting the government that if they provide us with seeds, we will be able to cultivate and sustain ourselves.

— Sunita Pradhan · Tikabali, Kandhamal, Odisha

We live in these forests, originating from our ancestral settlements.

— Kachala Choudhary

Tribal people generally live in forests, live in hills, eat forest products, so they lead a different life from ordinary people.

— Kunakanta Behera · Dashapalla, Nayagarh, Odisha

We tribals are completely different from other castes; our ancestors used to live in forests and sustained themselves by eating fruits, flowers, etc., from the forest.

— Ram Kumari · Sonbhadra, Uttar Pradesh

Living in the forest and enduring hardships, whether it is building a home to use herbs for treating illnesses, or making a living by eating fruits and flowers, or for this.

— bachcha lal · Shahganj, Sonbhadra, Uttar Pradesh

Forest food collection

— Suna majhi · Kulusingi, Rayagada, Odisha

Ans - In ancient times, people used to bring tubers, leafy vegetables, fruits, and roots from the forest and eat them. They also ate boiled leafy vegetables. Village - Kutiguda Name - Devendra Madkami

— Champa Gatan · Pujariguda, Malkangiri, Odisha

The heritage of the tribals was the forest.

— Amar Lal Dhurwey · Mandla, Madhya Pradesh

My name is Malisa Pradhan from Rayakia, Kandhamal. Our ancestors used to cultivate vegetables without fertilizer, and they would eat forest roots to gain good health. Currently, we also wish to live like this.

— RITARANI PRADHAN · Kandhamal, Odisha

Before, we used to eat saag roti, kurthi dal, urad dal, and mahua saag. Sometimes we would find amla and bael from the forest, and that's how we used to sustain our lives.

— Ram Kumari · Sonbhadra, Uttar Pradesh

Our tribe lives in the forest, far from villages and cities, and for food, they eat mahua, dori, koyna, this street, etcetera, kola.

— bachcha lal · Shahganj, Sonbhadra, Uttar Pradesh

We are tribals, we are nature worshippers. We always depend on trees and plants to live. We sustain our livelihood by eating its tubers, fruits, and roots.

— PRADEEP KUMAR KANHAR · Boudh, Odisha

We get various types of fruits and roots from the forest.

— Laba Kumar sabar · Bada Baridi, Rayagada, Odisha

Ans -In ancient times, people used to go to the forest, collect forest products, and sell them. Name -Bhaga Madkami Village -Pramilapadar

— Champa Gatan · Pujariguda, Malkangiri, Odisha

Today, do you feel your food is more connected to forest or agricultural life? Firstly, it is necessary to raise awareness in every village to protect the forest and forest-derived foods.

— Niranjan Bisi · Bissamcuttack, Rayagada, Odisha

Greetings, Pawan Baliar, my name is Anjan Nayak. You see, previously in the forest, we used to get things like Kantekoli, Amla, Harada, Bahada, and Kendu. Currently...

— Sasmita Mallick · Gandhinagar, Rayagada, Odisha

My name is Jarunal Pradhan, and my village is Piparodi. And the GP (Gram Panchayat) is Piparodi block, Tikabali. In the past, we used to clear the forest there and plant millet, ragi, and corn. But today, we are not able to get those seeds. That's why we are requesting the government for seeds.

— Sunita Pradhan · Tikabali, Kandhamal, Odisha

Forest Food

— Abhimaneu Sabar

We Adivasi communities are communities that depend on nature, collect roots and tubers from the forests, and use them as food, which is very nutritious and also serves as medicine.

— Ram Kumari

Tribal people often live in forests and eat many things that we don't know.

— Chanda