Deforestation & Food Loss

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

Forests are disappearing, livelihoods are being destroyed. Forests are also getting depleted, herbs are disappearing. It's not like it used to be.

— Chanda · Sonbhadra, Uttar Pradesh

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

Fruit trees and vegetable plants have disappeared from our forests.

— Kachala Choudhary

Large trees have been cut down, due to which it is becoming difficult to find forest vegetables and herbs.

— Kachala Choudhary

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

The herbs, vegetables, fruits, and trees have been depleted from the forest.

— Kachala Choudhary

The various types of fruits that used to be found in the forest are no longer available.

— KARUKAR MURMU · SKIP NO LOCATION

They have been living there for a long time. Now, there have been changes in the forest. Valuable trees are not found. Animals and birds are no longer in the forest. Everything is gone.

— Trinath badanayak · Malakanagiri, Malkangiri, Odisha

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

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

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

Nutritious forest food items are not found in our area because very few forests are left here.

— Sunil oraon · Ranchi, Jharkhand

In this village, the forest has been damaged a bit more than before this time. Herbs cannot be collected, and because of that, we...

— Padmini Bhoi

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

The disappearance of medicinal plants and herbs; earlier, medicinal herbs could be found in forests, but now everything is disappearing.

— VEER SINGH SIJUI · Kharasawan, Seraikela-Kharsawan, Jharkhand

Now, honey, resin, Aainla (Indian gooseberry), Harada (chebulic myrobalan), and Baahada (beleric myrobalan) are no longer found in our forest.

— Upendra Kumar Mahananda

Forest land has been lost.

— अमर जीत · Kon, Sonbhadra, Uttar Pradesh

Forest land has been lost.

— अमर जीत · Kon, Sonbhadra, Uttar Pradesh

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

We used to get honey and resin from our forest, but now we don't.

— Upendra Kumar Mahananda

The forests, animals, birds, and springs that used to be in our forest are slowly disappearing.

— Batakrushna Sahoo

Our medicinal herbs, vegetables, fruits, and trees are depleting from the forests.

— Kachala Choudhary

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

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

Currently, in our forest, bamboo is not found, other wild produce is not found, mushrooms are not found. Also, our cashews are not doing well; the cashew cultivation that used to happen before is also not doing well.

— jitendra khila · Gandhinagar, Rayagada, Odisha

We have seen many changes in the forest nowadays, such as trees and plants being cut down, the forest being deforested, herbs disappearing, animals and birds going extinct, and the water level depleting.

— Sunil oraon · Ranchi, Jharkhand

In olden times, many kinds of herbs were available in our village, but in the current situation, due to the cutting of this forest, some conservation efforts could not be made, which means for us in the coming time...

— Mohan AHARI · Sarera, Udaipur, Rajasthan

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

People have been living here in Amangara for many years. The forest has been much more damaged now than before. Because of this, we could not collect any medicinal herbs from the forest.

— Padmini Bhoi

The forest is depleting

— Vinita Singh Yadav · Dharura, Sonbhadra, Uttar Pradesh

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

Food, forests, and agricultural systems are all slowly disappearing. Among these three, what we miss the most are the forests. The forests that were there before will not be there anymore. The absence of which...

— Sudarsan Dalei · Gandhinagar, Rayagada, Odisha

Herbs, vegetable trees, medicinal plants are becoming extinct from our forests.

— Kachala Choudhary

We have been living in this area for many years. What we see in our region is that the forest cover has also decreased. There are no animals now.

— sudhir gamanga · Gadiakhala, Ketalugurha, Rayagada

In the forest, all the ancient trees are disappearing. And all the medicinal trees are also disappearing.

— Anupama Mahanand

In the past, various types of forest products, fruits, and roots were available, but now it requires effort.

— Padmalochan Majhi · Ratachua, Rayagada, Odisha

Even many large trees in the forest have been depleted, and there are no medicinal herbs left. Animals and birds in the forest are also disappearing. Therefore, we absolutely need the forest.

— Mukunda Majhi · Udulibeda, Malkangiri, Odisha

In Amahei forest, most of the forest was once valuable. It seems that today, due to excessive trading of dry wood, trees are no longer found in abundance.

— S Guruteli · Mutebeda, Malkangiri, Odisha

Change or damage is happening, all the forest trees and creepers are getting destroyed, animals and birds have disappeared.

— Niranjan Bisi · Boudh, Odisha