Forest Rights & Livelihoods

My name is Rashmita Pradhan. Just as our ancestors remained healthy by eating fruits and roots found in the forest, prepared without chemicals, we also wish to eat the same food now. We are from tribal-dominated areas. Our forest is our lifeline. Therefore, our ancient traditions should be restored, and our forest should not be destroyed. Thank you. Raika Kandhamal.

— RITARANI PRADHAN · Raikia, Kandhamal, Odisha

My name is Susmita Pradhan. We are the indigenous, original inhabitants. We wish to live in harmony with nature, producing our own food. We are demanding the government to conserve the things that are disappearing from the market. We are requesting the government to restore the forest products like roots and various forest items that are disappearing.

— RITARANI PRADHAN · Raikia, Kandhamal, Odisha

My name is Rina Kuonro. We are the tribal indigenous people. We produce food and collect from the forest, and we express our desire to live with the forest or with nature. This is a humble request to the government for us, and please pay attention to the forest-derived food that we can obtain.

— RITARANI PRADHAN · Raikia, Kandhamal, Odisha

My name is Maneni Pradhan, from Raikakonda Malu. We, the indigenous original inhabitants, produce food from the forest and want to live with nature. We are expressing this desire. We are humbly requesting the government that all these efforts be made for us.

— RITARANI PRADHAN · Raikia, Kandhamal, Odisha

My name is Surendra Podra. I am from Gurumundi village, Katinga Gram Panchayat, Dani block, Kandhamal district. I want to highlight the environmental degradation of today. Our ancestors used to live in the forest, depending on roots, greens, and various other things. But... I express my desire to bring back that kind of environment.

— SUBASH SABHASUNDAR · Gajapati, Odisha

My name is Rukmini Pradhan. I wish that all the tubers, edible creepers, Amla, Baana (wild fruits/berries), and resin that we used to collect in the forest in ancient times, and by eating and drinking them, we used to live well. And currently, we were spending our lives eating food prepared without natural sustenance, without chemical fertilizers. Now we wish for all these things, and I am expressing my opinion about tubers/roots.

— RITARANI PRADHAN · Raikia, Kandhamal, Odisha

I am Juno Chhatria. We are tribal people. We used to live by cultivating the forest and land. We used to eat fruits and roots from the forest, and we used to eat food without fertilizers, and we were not victims of any disease. Currently, we are eating food with fertilizers and are facing various diseases. That's why we request the government to return our previous world to us. Raykia Kandhamal.

— RITARANI PRADHAN · Raikia, Kandhamal, Odisha

My name is Isaac Sabar, village Zero Number, Panchayat Mandi Mandi, District Kandhamal. I feel that in the current situation, people used to use traditional forest products, which are forest-derived goods, in large quantities to sustain their livelihoods, but due to the lack of forests, they have disappeared. We want to restore the forests so that we can enjoy those forest products just like our ancestors used to.

— SUBASH SABHASUNDAR · Gajapati, Odisha

My name is Malisa Pradhan from Rayakia, Kandhamal. Our ancestors used to cultivate vegetables without fertilizer, and they would eat forest roots to gain good health. Currently, we also wish to live like this.

— RITARANI PRADHAN · Kandhamal, Odisha

Our ancestors lived by eating forest-grown tubers. We also now wish to prepare and eat all the food that is made through the destruction of those tubers. Therefore, we request the government to stop all of that and make arrangements.

— RITARANI PRADHAN · Raikia, Kandhamal, Odisha

I want to bring back the medicinal items, food items, and root vegetables found in our forest, so that they do not disappear.

— Laxmi Bagh · Gandhinagar, Rayagada, Odisha

Suryakanti Pradhan, Block Raikia, District Kandhamal. Our ancestors used to cultivate vegetables without fertilizer and ate forest-grown roots, gaining good health. Now we wish to live like this too.

— RITARANI PRADHAN · Kandhamal, Odisha

My name is Sukanti Pradhan. My village is Lambakupa. GP is Pikorodi. Block is Tikabali. District is Kandhamal. In our rural areas, the main food items that were cultivated, such as ragi, millet, maize, black gram, and green gram, did not require fertilizer. That's why our ancestors lived for a long time. Currently, because we are not cultivating our traditional food seeds, many kinds of diseases are occurring. So, if we can get traditional food and seeds from the government, then we can return to our previous state.

— Sunita Pradhan · Tikabali, Kandhamal, Odisha

My name is Sabita Pradhan. My village is Ghosaguda. The block is Tikabali. In earlier times, we used to cultivate in the forests. And we used to cultivate millets, corn, black gram, and horse gram. We used to cultivate all those. Fertilizer was not even needed there. And even if we want to cultivate now, we are not getting seeds. That's why we are requesting the government that if they provide us with seeds, we will be able to cultivate and sustain ourselves.

— Sunita Pradhan · Tikabali, Kandhamal, Odisha

People want to bring back the lost forest food products.

— Priti Majhi

We are all tribal people, we live in forests. We collect our food from the forests. With that, we sustain ourselves. This is indeed our life's goal.

— KusaPradhani · Anakabadi, Rayagada, Odisha

I myself want to bring back the lost forest produce, which people are over-exploiting.

— Priti Majhi

Our ancestors used to live, grow and maintain trees, and collect fruits and roots. Now, with all the trees gone, many conveniences are being lost. Let us all plant trees again.

— Bisendra Naik · Kasipur, Rayagada, Odisha

My name is Jarunal Pradhan, and my village is Piparodi. And the GP (Gram Panchayat) is Piparodi block, Tikabali. In the past, we used to clear the forest there and plant millet, ragi, and corn. But today, we are not able to get those seeds. That's why we are requesting the government for seeds.

— Sunita Pradhan · Tikabali, Kandhamal, Odisha

We indigenous people used to eat roots and tubers from the forests and sustained ourselves with them. These also served as medicine, keeping our bodies healthy. Even today, we should use roots and tubers.

— Ram Kumari · Sonbhadra, Uttar Pradesh

My name is Dhiren Badhai from Kiyariya village and Bamani Gaon Panchayat, Dharibari block. Our ancestors used to eat roots, leafy greens, fruits, and tubers from the forest, living a nutritious life, but now all of that has decreased.

— SUBASH SABHASUNDAR · Gajapati, Odisha

You yourself were telling me that tendu, custard apple, and other items found in the forest, which should be included in this meal through government efforts, and...

— Anil Pargi · Cheekhli, Dungarpur, Rajasthan

I will collect food found in the forest and feed the children, and use it traditionally.

— Anupama Mahanand

Today, do you feel your food is more connected to forest or agricultural life? Firstly, it is necessary to raise awareness in every village to protect the forest and forest-derived foods.

— Niranjan Bisi · Bissamcuttack, Rayagada, Odisha

My name is Lidja Majhi. Village Mandipanka, Panchayat Bamunia, Block Daribadi, District Kandhamal. Today, I feel that forest products contain more nutritious food, which is currently a forest...

— SUBASH SABHASUNDAR · Gajapati, Odisha

Ans - In ancient times, people used to bring tubers, leafy vegetables, fruits, and roots from the forest and eat them. They also ate boiled leafy vegetables. Village - Kutiguda Name - Devendra Madkami

— Champa Gatan · Pujariguda, Malkangiri, Odisha

In my village, there are many wild fruits and vegetables that should be included in school meals, in the midday meal. This is a request to the government.

— Jaya · Noida, Gautam Buddha Nagar, Uttar Pradesh

We used to eat sitha saga since ancient times. Even now we wish to eat sitha saga, and we will. The forest is being destroyed now.

— swornalata nayak · Gandhinagar, Rayagada, Odisha

Now, not much food is available in the forest, but our community's traditional grains like Kodo Kutki khichdi, dalia, and Tur, Chana, and Masoor dals should be included in the PDS, and our children should also receive these in their midday meals.

— Rupesh Maravi · Mandla, Madhya Pradesh

We used to gather forest products like mahua, cook them, make cakes, and eat them in the forest. Even now, we will learn from our ancestors.

— Gitanjali Bhoi · Karamdihi, Sundargarh, Odisha

In ancient times, in previous eras, people collected nutritious foods like ragi, millet, etc., from the forest, ate them to stay healthy and strong, and lived for a long time. If farmers or tribal community people cultivate those essential crops of those ancient times again, it will guide them towards the development of their life's values in the future.

— Dillip pujari · Phiringia, Kandhamal, Odisha

We Adivasi communities are communities that depend on nature, collect roots and tubers from the forests, and use them as food, which is very nutritious and also serves as medicine.

— Ram Kumari

We are tribals, we are nature worshippers. We always depend on trees and plants to live. We sustain our livelihood by eating its tubers, fruits, and roots.

— PRADEEP KUMAR KANHAR · Boudh, Odisha

Our people still want to eat the old food and forest products that were cooked, whether by forest dwellers or Mughals.

— Gitanjali Bhoi · Sundargarh, Odisha

My name is Sanjukta Digal. My village is Kamba Naju, GP is Pikarudi, Block is Tikabali. Earlier, we used to get all these things like Mandia, Deddy, Arka, Chana, Makka. And nowadays, we don't get seeds. And our body, our body is also getting very bad. Because now we are only eating processed food. That's why, if we get the old traditional seeds, we want to cultivate and keep our body healthy.

— Sunita Pradhan · Tikabali, Kandhamal, Odisha

Before, we used to eat saag roti, kurthi dal, urad dal, and mahua saag. Sometimes we would find amla and bael from the forest, and that's how we used to sustain our lives.

— Ram Kumari · Sonbhadra, Uttar Pradesh

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

Wants to eat Mukhani bhaji and Khatta Aamdi bhaji from the forest.

— Devisingh Solanki · Alirajpur, Madhya Pradesh

We get various types of fruits and roots from the forest.

— Laba Kumar sabar · Bada Baridi, Rayagada, Odisha

My name is Ashalata Pradhan. My village is Pikorodi, and the panchayat is Pikorodi, the block is Tikabali. In the olden days, we used to cultivate everything like corn, paddy, and all with only natural methods (without chemical fertilizers) and would eat it, and we didn't get any diseases. Now we are not getting these seeds, that's why we are not cultivating. Our people are suffering from many diseases. And if the government gives us seeds, we will be happy and able to cultivate.

— Sunita Pradhan · Tikabali, Kandhamal, Odisha