Non-timber Forest Products (NTFP), Livelihoods and Nutrition Interface - a Study of the Tribal Communities of Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra States in India

The paper deals with the relationship between the tribal communities and the NTFP used for their livelihood and nutrition in the forests of Betul District of Madhya Pradesh and Melghat District of Maharashtra with special reference to Gond and Korku tribal communities. The study area includes tribal dominated forests. The methodology adopted includes collection of secondary and primary data through participatory household surveys. Thirty major NTFP species have been recorded in the study area, out of which few NTFP are used for selfconsumption, few for sale and some of them for both the purposes. Nutritional assessment of the NTFP shows that underweight is maximum (64.8 %) among the children and 51.80% in adults. The results of the chemical analysis of the species have been discussed and done and compared with the standards prescribed by the ICMR. The study reveals that the tribal communities are heavily dependent upon NTFP for their livelihood and nutriture. The study has looked into the details of the dependence of tribal communities upon the forests for their sustenance, nutrition and livelihood. Recommendations for proper strategy have been made for better utilisation of NTFP.