Greening at the Grassroots: Alternative Forestry Strategies in India

After two decades, IndiaÆs social forestry programs have not succeeded in stemming the tide of forest degradation. Greening at the Grassroots offers an explanation for the failure of official policies and also presents case studies of successful voluntary efforts. Author Eva Cheung RobinsonÆs basic premise is that IndiaÆs afforestation efforts have consistently privileged urban requirements and ignored rural needs for fuel, food, fiber, and fodder. This has resulted in confrontations in organizational cultures and knowledge systems between a Western model and indigenous notions of development. In contrast to governmental initiatives, the author presents case studies of three voluntary organizations. She identifies the factors contributing to their success in establishing more participatory, interactive, and empowering relationships and in encouraging forestry practices to emerge out of local knowledge. The author concludes that the voluntary sector is strategically placed to play a catalytic role in reclaiming concepts of subsistence forestry. The case studies provide valuable insights into possible techniques of forest management that can be adopted by others. Greening at the Grassroots will be of interest to scholars and practitioners in social forestry, ecology and environment, and sustainable rural development.