Significance of Informal Trade in Non-timber Forest Products for the Koya People, an Ethnic Minority in Andhra Pradesh, India

A systematic survey of the collection of non-timber forest products (NTFPs) in several villages of the Koya people revealed the full scope of their trade in NTFPs which are linked to field-crop farming. Past research on NTFP trade among ethnic minorities in India emphasized the role of government pr...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inTropical Agriculture and Development Vol. 53; no. 3; pp. 74 - 81
Main Author TSUNASHIMA, Hiroyuki
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Japanese Society for Tropical Agriculture 2009
Subjects
Cash income
Farming
Livelihood
Poverty alleviation
Sustainable development
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Summary:A systematic survey of the collection of non-timber forest products (NTFPs) in several villages of the Koya people revealed the full scope of their trade in NTFPs which are linked to field-crop farming. Past research on NTFP trade among ethnic minorities in India emphasized the role of government procurement of NTFPs. However, out of the entire NTFP sales in the study villages, formal procurement by two government agencies accounted for only 32 %, whereas informal trade accounted for as much as 68 %. Palmyra (Borassus flabellifer) was the most important plant species. No government agency was involved in trade in any palmyra products. The NTFP trade has become a more reliable source of cash income than cash cropping. The Koya people appear to collect and sell NTFPs primarily as a way of raising funds to support their field-crop farming, which requires fertilizers and paid labor.
ISSN:1882-8450
1882-8469
DOI:10.11248/jsta.53.74