In India, more than 600 million people depend on natural resources such as land, water, forests, and the sea. The country has 146 million small and marginal farmers, 144 million agricultural laborers (a large number of whom are Dalits), 275 million forest dwellers, 28 million fishermen, 13 million pastoralists, and 17 million artisans who work directly with and rely on nature. There are approximately 60 million seasonal laborers who regularly move out of and return to their villages for work. The economic activities of nature-dependent communities, which are largely for subsistence and small income, are becoming impractical due to current economic policies that favor corporations and large businesses.
The capitalist mode of development and the state's economic policies, which are anti-environment and anti-people, are pushing nature-dependent communities to the margins and trapping them in the clutches of poverty. Among these communities, farmers, fishermen, forest dwellers, and pastoralists have a common need: to ensure easy access to land, water (rivers, lakes, wetlands, seawater bodies), and forests, and to be protected by the state from those who endlessly exploit these resources.
All these self-employed laborers are primary producers and depend on biological living resources. These communities primarily work for their livelihood, not for the purpose of capital accumulation. In the capitalist system, production and distribution are driven by private profit rather than social equality, justice, and environmental protection. Development based on the exploitation and destruction of natural resources leads to the displacement of communities that depend on these resources. These natural resources not only balance the ecology but are also crucial for rural livelihoods, biodiversity, and climate adaptation.
The global phenomenon of the climate crisis has arisen due to capitalism, and it is now clearly visible in India, the brunt of which is being borne by nature-dependent laborers in the form of droughts, heat, irregular rainfall, floods, and sea-level rise. Meanwhile, the contribution of nature-dependent laborers to this crisis is negligible. There is a need to work on a long-term plan for the conservation and promotion of these resources, which can lead to a better, equitable, and sustainable future.
According to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Agriculture (2024), 51 percent of India's cultivable area is rain-fed, making it vulnerable to climate change. Repeated 'extreme weather' events in various parts of the country have led to a decline in crop production and income.
According to government figures, an average of 15,168 farmers in India are forced to commit suicide every year. About 72 percent of these are small farmers with less than 2 hectares of land. Chemicals and heavy metals released by industries are causing water pollution, which is deteriorating the health and reducing the number of fish. Water pollution affects the food chain of fish, leading to a decrease in their population. It is essential to protect the access to water and the rights of the fishing community so that they can sustain their livelihoods. The encroachment of JNPT port in Navi Mumbai has reduced the mouth of the bay from 1600 meters to 50 meters, reducing fishing opportunities for fishermen.
The livelihood of small fishermen in the coastal area is entirely dependent on the bay, and the encroachment of the port has endangered their lifeline. The encroachment of the port has not only affected the livelihoods of fishermen but has also had a negative impact on the environment. These issues are important not only for fishermen but for the entire community. The government, local administration, and fishermen will have to work together to find solutions to these issues.
In the last 10 years, many changes and amendments have been made to environment and forest policies and laws. Due to this, large areas of forest land have been given for non-forestry purposes, and other policies such as the Green Credit Programme, compensatory afforestation, and other interventions have been implemented. It is because of these policies that forest dwellers are being evicted from the forests. The process of evicting 89,808 families from 848 villages in the core areas of the country's 53 tiger reserves is ongoing. So far, 25,007 families from 257 villages have been displaced. According to the annual report released by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs in 2016, 8.7 million tribals were displaced in the country between 1950 and 1990, which is 40 percent of the total displaced population.
The Forest Department harasses the tribal community and the Gawli (pastoral community) people in Wardha district. Whereas, under the Forest Rights Act, 2006, there are provisions to recognize the rights of pastoral communities. This Act defines Community Forest Resource rights, which include forest land within traditional or customary boundaries and seasonal use landscapes for pastoral communities. Therefore, the government and society should make necessary interventions to secure the livelihoods of nature-dependent laborers. The livelihoods of fishermen depend on clean rivers, so the flow of rivers should be allowed to be uninterrupted, they should be kept free from pollution, their natural flow should not be stopped, and wetlands should be protected. By fully recognizing the rights of forest dwellers and forest-dependent people, the conservation, promotion, and management of forests and all their resources should be handed over to them so that community-based decentralized governance systems can be implemented.
The guidelines issued by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Delhi, on July 12, 2012, state that the monopoly of forest corporations in the trade of minor forest produce, especially valuable produce like tendu leaves, in the states is against the spirit of the Forest Rights Act 2006 and should be removed. State governments should not only play the role of facilitators in providing unrestricted rights over minor forest produce to the Scheduled Tribes and other forest dwellers residing in the forests but also help in getting remunerative prices for minor forest produce.
Nature-dependent laborers working in the unorganized sector do not have access to social security and health services. Women are often paid less than male laborers and are considered socially vulnerable. The socio-economic condition of these laborers reflects a complex set of challenges that require multi-dimensional solutions.
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*Bargi Dam Displaced and Affected Association
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