Dynamic Changes of the Farmers and Herdsmen’s Income Sources in the Tibet Autonomous Region

Based on the Tibet Autonomous Region's statistic yearbooks and the data fromthe two household surveys in 2002 and 2004, this paper has comprehensively analyzed the pattern ofchanges on the farmers and herdsmen's income sources in the Tibet Autonomous Region since 1990 withthe main findings as follows; (1) The change of income from the labor payment is the fastest; (2)There is no regular pattern of income variation for the household economic activities, the farmersand herdsmen's household incomegeneration projects are impacted by the elements like prices andreturns, and there is a lack of appropriate direction; (3) The income structure of labor paymentshows that the income from the farmers and herdsmen working outside grows fastest; (4) The incomefrom the farmers and herdsmen's labor payment correlate positively to their net income per capita;(5) From the perspective of the variation by region, labor payment income has changed fastest in thecounties of Rutok, Nyerong and Khangmar comparedthe data from the household survey in 2002 withthat of 2004.

Assessing the role of forest resources in improving rural livelihoods in West Bengal of India

Forest resources play a vital role in supporting the livelihoods of rural communities residing in forest-rich areas.In India,a forest-rich country,a significant proportion of non-timber forest products(NTFPs)is consumed locally,supporting numerous rural communities relying on forests for essential resources,such as firewood,timber,and NTFPs.This study focuses on two forest-dominant districts in West Bengal of India,namely,Jhargram District and Paschim Medinipur District.Furthermore,this study aims to enhance the understanding of forest-dependent communities by comparing the standard of living among different village classes.Thus,we categorized villages into three classes based on the distance from home to forests,including inner villages,fringe villages,and outer villages.Through focus group discussions and household surveys,we explored the sources of local economy,income sources of household,and reasons for economic diversification in different village classes.The study findings confirm that substantial variations existed in the income sources and the standard of living in these villages.Forest income varied dramatically among the three village classes,with inner villages having greater forest income than fringe villages and outer villages.Meanwhile,households in outer villages depended on forests and engaged in diverse economic activities for their livelihoods.Compared with inner and fringe villages,households in outer villages derived a significant portion of their income from livestock.This discrepancy can be attributed to challenges,such as inadequate transportation,communication,and underdeveloped market chains in inner villages.Moreover,these findings emphasize the need to develop sustainable forest management practices,create alternative income-generation opportunities,and improve infrastructure and market access in inner villages,as well as promote economic diversification in outer villages.Through targeted policy measures,these forest-rich regions can achieve improved livelihoods,enhanced standard of living,and increased resilience for their communities.

Forest utilization patterns and socio-economic status of the Van Gujjar tribe in sub-Himalayan tracts of Uttarakhand,India

The present study was conducted on the Van Gujjar tribe inhabiting a sub-Himalayan tract in the North Western Himalayas of Uttarakhand State, India. The Van Gujjars have been practicing transmigration over hundreds of years. They migrate each year with their households and livestock between summer and winter pastures. A few years ago with the announcement of the establish- ment of the Rajaji National Park, the tribe has been forced out of the forest area and rehabilitated outside the park, which has affected their lifestyle. The newly established rehabilitation colony in the Gandikhata area of Haridwar District of Uttarakhand State was taken as a case study. The aims of the present study were to understand and evaluate the socio-economic status of the Van Gujjars in their newly established rehabilitation colony, the utilization pattern of forest resources by the tribe and their relative preference for selec- tive trees for various uses. A total of 176 households were interviewed （giving equal weight to all economic classes and family every size） by using pre-structured questionnaires. The education level was very low （12.9%） and the average income per household was recorded as Rs. 36000 （approximately $ 803） per year. The major source of income was dairy production （80.6%） followed by labor employment （13.9%）, NTFPs （4.2%） and agricultural production （1.4%）. More than 90% of fuel wood and fodder is extracted from the forest. The average fuel wood and fodder consumptions per household per day were recorded as 25.86 and 21.58 kg, respectively. A total of 35 species of cultivated plants and 89 species of wild plants were found to be utilized as food sources. Selectively 25 wild tree species are well known as being used by the Van Gujjars as fodder, fuel wood, agricultural implements, household articles, dye, medicine, fiber and other products. According to their utility value, the most preferred and useful tree species is Ougeinia oojeinensis, followed by Terminalia alata, Bombax ceiba, Shorea robusta and Dalbergia sissoo,