Contribution of NTFPs to cash income of the War Khasi community of southern Meghalaya, North-East India

Ever since their emergence on this planet, human beings have depended on forest resources for their requirements, ranging from food, fuel to shelter. Sustainable extraction of forest resources has been promoted by conservationists and development agencies as a feasible strategy for forest dwellers, which does not diminish the resource base. Yet surveys of actual resource use suggest that for poorer resource-dependent communities without access to markets, non-timber forest products (NTFPs) can only act as a safetynet and a supplementary income source. In southern Meghalaya of India, NTFPs and medicinal and aromatic plants (MAPs) have become an important source of cash and subsistence income for poor people living in or near forests. People in this region have traditionally been collecting different forest products from private forests as well as community conserved forests. The study reveals that NTFPs contribute significantly towards the annual cash income of the local population. The contribution of NTFPs to their income was highest in the case of poor families (9.89%), followed by middle income families (3.34%) and the least for the higher income families (1.34%). Our household survey revealed that 100% of the population is directly or indirectly dependent on NTFPs. Household response indicates diversity in both the types and uses of products collected.