Transforming forest rights into sustainable livelihoods: Opportunities and challenges in Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh, the seventh-largest state in India, spans 1,62,975 square kilometres and is home to a mosaic of ethnic groups, Scheduled Tribes, and other traditional forest-dwelling communities. Forests cover 37,258 square kilometres, accounting for 22.87 per cent of the state’s geographical area—slightly below the national average of 25.17 per cent. These forest areas, legally classified as reserved, protected, and unclassified, are the source of life and livelihood for thousands of tribal families who depend on them for cultivation, gathering, and other subsistence activities.
The enactment of the Forest Rights Act (FRA) in 2006, which came into effect on January 1, 2008, marked a turning point in securing land tenure for these communities. The Act’s central aim is to recognise and vest forest rights in Scheduled Tribes and other traditional forest dwellers, thereby legally validating their historic relationship with forest land.
As of June 2025, the state had processed 2,88,409 claims under the Act. Of these, 2,85,115 were for Individual Forest Rights (IFR) and 3,294 for Community Forest Rights (CFR). Approvals have been granted for 2,26,667 IFR claims covering 4,54,723 acres, while 1,822 CFR claims account for a much larger area of 5,26,454 acres.
Despite these achievements, IFR lands constitute only 5.04 per cent of the state’s total forest area, indicating both progress made and the significant untapped potential that remains. At the same time, about 56,925 IFR claims covering 1,20,780 acres have been rejected, and 1,524 claims involving 3,097 acres remain pending, leaving many households cultivating podu lands outside the fold of legal recognition.
The land granted under IFR has been put to considerable use. Of the 4,54,723 acres recognised, 4,16,360 acres—more than 91 per cent—are under cultivation. Agricultural crops dominate, with 2,58,558 acres producing paddy, ragi, pulses, maize, and groundnut. Horticulture occupies 1,44,128 acres, with cashew, mango, turmeric, pineapple, and custard apple as common crops. Coffee and pepper plantations, primarily in high-altitude tribal belts, account for about 30,000 acres.
Yet, despite this impressive utilisation, farming practices in many IFR areas remain primitive, and incomes are meagre. Limited irrigation infrastructure, inadequate access to quality planting materials, and weak market linkages continue to restrict productivity and profitability.
In several villages of Alluri Sita Ramaraju and Parvathipuram Manyam districts, farmers report that although they received titles, mutations of land records were not carried out, leaving them unable to access institutional credit or agricultural subsidies.
A comprehensive assessment of IFR land use has identified several areas for improvement. There is a need to develop 60,000 acres through bunding, fodder cultivation, and bund plantations. Horticulture could expand by another 50,000 acres, focusing on cashew, mango, turmeric, and pandal vegetables. Shade-grown coffee plantations, particularly in Alluri Sitharama Raju (ASR) and Visakhapatnam districts, could be extended by 40,000 acres. Additionally, 20,000 acres of agricultural land could be upgraded for staple crop production under Zero Budget Natural Farming (ZBNF) principles, supported by schemes such as PM-KISAN.
The IFR Action Plan for 2025–2029 envisions a phased approach. In agriculture, 5,000 acres will be developed each year, reaching 20,000 acres by the end of the plan. Horticulture will expand rapidly in the second year, with 20,000 acres developed in 2026–27, followed by 10,000 acres annually in subsequent years, bringing the total to 50,000 acres. Coffee plantations will be expanded evenly at 10,000 acres a year, adding up to 40,000 acres.
Land development activities such as bunding and soil conservation will peak in the middle years, with 20,000 acres developed annually in 2026–27 and 2027–28, reaching a total of 60,000 acres over four years. Yet past experience shows that MGNREGS-linked bunding and soil conservation works often suffer from poor execution, with villagers in ASR and Parvathipuram reporting that newly constructed bunds washed away in the first rains.
This ambitious programme will rely heavily on inter-departmental convergence. In agriculture, schemes such as PM-KISAN, Annadata Sukhibhava, ZBNF, and e-Crop will provide direct farmer support. Horticulture will draw from the Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH), MGNREGS, and Tribal Welfare resources. Coffee development will be supported through the Coffee Board Expansion Scheme and MGNREGS, while land development will be jointly managed by MGNREGS, the Agriculture Department, Animal Husbandry, and Tribal Welfare. This convergence model is designed to link wage employment under MGNREGS to the creation of long-term productive assets on IFR lands, ensuring that short-term income generation is matched with lasting livelihood security.
In practice, however, convergence has often remained weak, with departments running parallel schemes and poor integration of resources. For example, in the coffee-growing areas of ASR district, nurseries raised by different agencies often overlap, while farmers continue to struggle with shortages of quality seedlings and extension services.
The district-level strategy reflects the diverse agro-climatic conditions across the state. In the eastern tribal belt of Srikakulam, Parvathipuram Manyam, and Vizianagaram, paddy and ragi dominate agriculture, with cashew and mango as leading horticultural crops. These areas will prioritise bunding and irrigation infrastructure.
In high-altitude districts such as ASR and Visakhapatnam, the focus will be on expanding coffee and pepper plantations, supported by self-help group-led intercropping and nursery clusters. Farmers in Parvathipuram and Srikakulam caution that market access is the weakest link: turmeric, cashew, and mango are often sold to middlemen at throwaway prices due to lack of procurement centres, processing facilities, or transport.
While Andhra Pradesh’s 79 per cent approval rate for IFR claims is commendable, the relatively small proportion of forest land brought under IFR reveals the scope for further recognition and expansion. The proposed horticulture and coffee expansions could substantially increase incomes in tribal areas, but their success will depend on timely provision of quality inputs, irrigation facilities, and effective market linkages.
Price support mechanisms and farmer training will be essential to ensure sustainability. Equally important is integrating the state’s 1,67,462 FRA families with job cards—78,300 of whom already receive between 100 and 150 days of wage employment—into productive land development activities that improve both household incomes and the ecological resilience of forest landscapes.
Yet families whose IFR claims were rejected or remain pending are automatically excluded from these benefits, creating intra-community tensions and leaving many podu cultivators ineligible for MGNREGS-linked works.
Sustainability concerns must also be kept in focus. In Srikakulam and Vizianagaram, monocropping of cashew under convergence efforts has already led to soil degradation and reduced food crop cultivation, undermining household food security.
Many Gram Sabhas report that convergence works are being planned by officials without adequate consultation, diluting the spirit of the FRA. Women’s land rights, though recognised in law, remain under-recorded in land titles, further limiting their access to scheme benefits and decision-making processes.
Ultimately, the IFR Action Plan 2025–2029 is more than a set of numerical targets. It is an attempt to transform land rights into a foundation for economic security, environmental sustainability, and community empowerment. But these ground realities underline that convergence cannot succeed by design alone. Stronger institutional capacity, accountability mechanisms, and, above all, genuine participation of Gram Sabhas in planning and monitoring are essential if IFR recognition is to truly translate into sustainable livelihoods.
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