A dimension within Environmental & Food Scarcity
This theme examines challenges related to food security, traditional food sources, and ensuring access to a stable food supply.
150 voices speak to this
Each dimension splits this theme further — keep drilling to see how it breaks down.
Negative
Overall Community Sentiment
The situation we are in now is that the food we used to get to eat in the past has gradually disappeared.
— swornalata nayak · Gandhinagar, Rayagada, Odisha
In the past, we used to eat various things from the hills, such as Kangu Jona Ganthia, and lived well because of them. Things that grew without fertilizer used to ripen quickly. Now, nothing is ripening from the hills, and they are not cultivating them anymore.
— Prakash ch Pradhani · Karubai, Rayagada, Odisha
People are no longer eating Kodo, Gulji, Mandia, Gongei, Pithalu, Kandha, Chhuali Kandha, and other such items.
— Anjana Khadia · Sundargarh, Odisha
Old, traditional foods are not available. As a result, the forest was also destroyed. The food that should be available is not available.
— Keshab Majhi · Gandhinagar, Rayagada, Odisha
Our ancestors used to eat sunusunia greens, but these greens have become extinct today.
— upendra sunani
Earlier, everything used to be found in the jungle, but now it's not. For example, banana greens, chakora greens... no, everything is gone now.
— Rupesh Maravi
Yes, earlier, we used to eat various kinds of wild fruits and food from the forests. But now, nothing like that remains. The government some.
— Rakesh kumar Kumar
Earlier, a lot of edible items were found in the forests that could be eaten and added to midday meals, but now, due to damage to the forests, many things have become extinct.
— Kekti Tekam · Dindori, Madhya Pradesh
What our ancestors used to obtain, now 90% of the forest has been destroyed. With the destruction of forests, the hills have also been destroyed. Whatever materials we used to find, especially food items, are no longer available.
— jitendra khila · Gandhinagar, Rayagada, Odisha
Our traditional seeds are exhausted, the old seeds are no longer available.
— Kachala Choudhary
Today, when we talk about forest products, things like root vegetables and fruits such as Kendu, Baheda, and Harida, which also had medicinal properties, are no longer available. They have now become extinct or are found in very small quantities.
— Debendra Suna · Gandhinagar, Rayagada, Odisha
Yes, damage has definitely occurred. Previously, people used to obtain two traditional food items by cutting trees from the forest. Now, these are not available. Furthermore, there has been extensive damage to medicinal plants, and those are also not available.
— gobardhan pangi
My name is Jogeshwar Nayak. In our area, Ghuruji farming was common, and people used to eat it. Now that farming has completely disappeared, and its seeds are not even found anymore.
— upendra sunani
Our ancestors used to cultivate without fertilizer, and that was delicious and healthy. But now, that taste is not available.
— Upendra Kumar Mahananda
Nowadays, we are unable to preserve traditional seeds because these traditional seeds have become extinct.
— NAGRIK VIKASH SANGATHAN · Ampani, Kalahandi, Odisha
Today, which part of your food, forest, or agricultural life do you feel has been lost the most? Traditional food has been lost.
— Niranjan Bisi · Bissamcuttack, Rayagada, Odisha
In the olden days, our parents and we used to gather and eat a lot of Barada Saga (a type of leafy green) from the forest. But now, due to deforestation, we no longer find Barada Saga. We hope to eat Barada Saga again.
— swornalata nayak · Gandhinagar, Rayagada, Odisha
In the tribal area, in earlier times, there were many herbs and their culture. But today, due to deforestation, many birds could not even disperse, and traditional food practices could also not be preserved, leading to their extinction.
— Mohan AHARI · Sarera, Udaipur, Rajasthan
The various types of fruits that used to be found in the forest are no longer available.
— KARUKAR MURMU · SKIP NO LOCATION
In ancient times, items like plain water, cooked food, liquor, Kakara, Arisa, Bagara Pitha, Ukahara, jackfruit, and root vegetables were available in the market. Now, these are not found anymore.
— Anirudha Marai
The mahul (flower/fruit) found in the forest, in the old days they used to make ladoos from it, fry them, and eat them. That has now disappeared, it is not found, and it is greatly missed.
— Priti Majhi
Our ancestors used to consume grains like Kuri, Kudra, Humli, and other similar produce. Those grains are now gone. If the government conducts a survey/preservation effort for them, it would be very beneficial for our people in the future, meaning there would be no illnesses or similar problems.
— Mohan AHARI · Udaipur, Rajasthan
In our area, in very old times, there were Sama, Kodo, Meijri (types of millets) for eating. Diseases were not caused by this. Today, whatever is being eaten as hybrid, all this is on the verge of causing diseases.
— ANIL KUMAR · Sonbhadra, Uttar Pradesh
In earlier times, medicinal fruits were found in the forest, but now those things are becoming extinct day by day.
— Amar Lal Dhurwey · Mandla, Madhya Pradesh
Nutritious food is not available from farming as before; all food available is cultivated with fertilizers. Various root-based foods are also not available in the forest.
— KAPAL MARNDI · Bissamcuttack, Rayagada, Odisha
In the past, people used to buy calorie milk, make and fry laddus from it, and eat them. That is now lost, it's not available, and it is greatly missed.
— Priti Majhi
Nowadays, forests are being cleared. We used to get food from the forest, but now we are not getting it. Instead, we are consuming food grown with chemical fertilizers.
— jitendra khila · kudumulugumma, Malkangiri, Odisha
Nutritious forest food items are not found in our area because very few forests are left here.
— Sunil oraon · Ranchi, Jharkhand
Today, resources are wasted just on eating. If good paddy and everything like corn were abundant before and we kept eating, that time cannot be recaptured today.
— Babulal Ayam · Sonbhadra, Uttar Pradesh
Now, nothing is found even in the hills. But if our traditional food items like Kodo and Kutki (millets) were provided through the PDS, then our children would remain strong.
— Rupesh Maravi · Mandla, Madhya Pradesh
Producing through traditional agriculture, farming without fertilizer. Various types of fruits, medicinal plants and creepers etc. found in forests are no longer available.
— KAPAL MARNDI · Bissamcuttack, Rayagada, Odisha
Fruit trees and vegetable plants have disappeared from our forests.
— Kachala Choudhary
Now, honey, resin, Aainla (Indian gooseberry), Harada (chebulic myrobalan), and Baahada (beleric myrobalan) are no longer found in our forest.
— Upendra Kumar Mahananda
Nowadays, people from the tribal community do not prefer to eat tribal food, as a result of which tribal traditions are being lost.
— Arati Khandapatra
In the past, various types of forest products, fruits, and roots were available, but now it requires effort.
— Padmalochan Majhi · Ratachua, Rayagada, Odisha
Earlier, we used to keep seeds in earthen pots with neem leaves, but now those pots are not available. Their traditional profession is slowly coming to an end, and we are also forced to move towards modernity.
— Upendra Kumar Mahananda
In ancient times, people used to depend on the forest for their livelihood. But now, since the forest has become depleted, they are no longer able to get tubers, leaves, fruits, and roots from the forest. Therefore, the forest in greater quantity...
— SUBASH SABHASUNDAR · Gajapati, Odisha
In our ST community, everything has changed for the people of this district. Before, we used to bring tamarind, mahua, and all kinds of forest products to eat and drink.
— Puspanjali Nag
Oh, there is also a distinct language of our Gonda society. And no one speaks that language anymore, slowly it has also disappeared. And now what we used to get from the forest, we are not getting it from the forest anymore, all the forests are cut down.
— RINA BEHERA · Hemagiri, Sundargarh, Odisha
It is certainly remembered. Our people are destroying forests. As a result, when they go to the forest, no forest products, including food items, can be found. It would have been better if forests were not destroyed.
— jitendra khila · Lachery, Malkangiri, Odisha
