Abstract
In recent years, researchers and policy makers have recognized that nontimber forest products (NTFPs) extracted from forests by rural people can make a significant contribution to their well-being and to the local economy. This study presents and discusses data that describe the contribution of NTFPs to cash income in the dry deciduous forests of Orissa and Jharkhand, India. In its focus on cash income, this study sheds light on how the sale of NTFPs and products that use NTFPs as inputs contribute to the rural economy. From analysis of a unique data set that was collected over the course of a year, the study finds that the contribution of NTFPs to cash income varies across ecological settings, seasons, income level, and caste. Such variation should inform where and when to apply NTFP forest access and management policies.
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Acknowledgments
The authors thank all of the people in the field who helped with and participated in the surveys discussed here. We also thank three reviewers and the editor for useful comments. Some of the research presented here was performed while H. J. Albers was a Fellow at Resource for the Future and that support is also gratefully acknowledged.
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Mahapatra, A.K., Albers, H.J. & Robinson, E.J.Z. The Impact of NTFP Sales on Rural Households’ Cash Income in India’s Dry Deciduous Forest. Environmental Management 35, 258–265 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-003-8203-9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-003-8203-9