Farming & Forest Produce

Nutritious food is not available from farming as before; all food available is cultivated with fertilizers. Various root-based foods are also not available in the forest.

— KAPAL MARNDI · Bissamcuttack, Rayagada, Odisha

Currently, in our forest, bamboo is not found, other wild produce is not found, mushrooms are not found. Also, our cashews are not doing well; the cashew cultivation that used to happen before is also not doing well.

— jitendra khila · Gandhinagar, Rayagada, Odisha

In our area, in very old times, there were Sama, Kodo, Meijri (types of millets) for eating. Diseases were not caused by this. Today, whatever is being eaten as hybrid, all this is on the verge of causing diseases.

— ANIL KUMAR · Sonbhadra, Uttar Pradesh

Nutritious forest food items are not found in our area because very few forests are left here.

— Sunil oraon · Ranchi, Jharkhand

Earlier, a lot of edible items were found in the forests that could be eaten and added to midday meals, but now, due to damage to the forests, many things have become extinct.

— Kekti Tekam · Dindori, Madhya Pradesh

Old, traditional foods are not available. As a result, the forest was also destroyed. The food that should be available is not available.

— Keshab Majhi · Gandhinagar, Rayagada, Odisha

Yes, damage has definitely occurred. Previously, people used to obtain two traditional food items by cutting trees from the forest. Now, these are not available. Furthermore, there has been extensive damage to medicinal plants, and those are also not available.

— gobardhan pangi

Producing through traditional agriculture, farming without fertilizer. Various types of fruits, medicinal plants and creepers etc. found in forests are no longer available.

— KAPAL MARNDI · Bissamcuttack, Rayagada, Odisha

Fruit trees and vegetable plants have disappeared from our forests.

— Kachala Choudhary

The various types of fruits that used to be found in the forest are no longer available.

— KARUKAR MURMU · SKIP NO LOCATION

Locally available wild food products that are nutritious are very scarce in our area because the forests here are on the verge of extinction.

— Sunil oraon · Ranchi, Jharkhand

Today, when we talk about forest products, things like root vegetables and fruits such as Kendu, Baheda, and Harida, which also had medicinal properties, are no longer available. They have now become extinct or are found in very small quantities.

— Debendra Suna · Gandhinagar, Rayagada, Odisha

What our ancestors used to obtain, now 90% of the forest has been destroyed. With the destruction of forests, the hills have also been destroyed. Whatever materials we used to find, especially food items, are no longer available.

— jitendra khila · Gandhinagar, Rayagada, Odisha

The most nutritious wild food items are not available here because there are very few forests around. And it doesn't seem that all those PDFs and such are here.

— Sunil oraon · Ranchi, Jharkhand

The situation we are in now is that the food we used to get to eat in the past has gradually disappeared.

— swornalata nayak · Gandhinagar, Rayagada, Odisha

Yes, earlier, we used to eat various kinds of wild fruits and food from the forests. But now, nothing like that remains. The government some.

— Rakesh kumar Kumar

Now, honey, resin, Aainla (Indian gooseberry), Harada (chebulic myrobalan), and Baahada (beleric myrobalan) are no longer found in our forest.

— Upendra Kumar Mahananda

In the past, various types of forest products, fruits, and roots were available, but now it requires effort.

— Padmalochan Majhi · Ratachua, Rayagada, Odisha

The herbs, vegetables, fruits, and trees have been depleted from the forest.

— Kachala Choudhary

Forests are disappearing, livelihoods are being destroyed. Forests are also getting depleted, herbs are disappearing. It's not like it used to be.

— Chanda · Sonbhadra, Uttar Pradesh

In earlier times, medicinal fruits were found in the forest, but now those things are becoming extinct day by day.

— Amar Lal Dhurwey · Mandla, Madhya Pradesh

Mona Pramoda, in the past, we had traditional food without fertilizer, and people lived for many years by eating that food. But now, by eating food with fertilizer, many types of diseases are staying in our bodies.

— swornalata nayak · Gandhinagar, Rayagada, Odisha

Our ancestors used to cultivate without fertilizer, and that was delicious and healthy. But now, that taste is not available.

— Upendra Kumar Mahananda

In this village, the forest has been damaged a bit more than before this time. Herbs cannot be collected, and because of that, we...

— Padmini Bhoi

In our region, forest food items that are nutritious are not found in such a way, due to which we cannot include them in PDS and mid-day meals.

— Sunil oraon · Ranchi, Jharkhand

Large trees have been cut down, due to which it is becoming difficult to find forest vegetables and herbs.

— Kachala Choudhary

In our region, 'Gati Kandha' is available/common. People of the past used to eat all such things, and because of that, their bodies remained healthy. Nowadays, people are consuming foods that contain fertilizers (or are chemically treated), which is causing many types of diseases to arise.

— Ram Kumari · Sonbhadra, Uttar Pradesh

In ancient times, people used to depend on the forest for their livelihood. But now, since the forest has become depleted, they are no longer able to get tubers, leaves, fruits, and roots from the forest. Therefore, the forest in greater quantity...

— SUBASH SABHASUNDAR · Gajapati, Odisha

Currently, eating food cultivated with chemical substances is harming our health, but our ancestors used to cultivate according to nature using organic methods and were free from diseases.

— Padmalochan Majhi · Gandhinagar, Rayagada, Odisha

What is not found in our forest. Sarbaria mushrooms used to be found in our forest before. Now they are not. Then, Bausi mushrooms, they are also not abundant. The Bausi (bamboo) plants also died out. And where are our old Kendu branches to speak of now?

— jitendra khila · Gandhinagar, Rayagada, Odisha

My name is Jayanti Pradhan. My village is Brenguda. The Panchayat is Badamunda. The block is Tikabali. In the old days, we used to cultivate millet, sorghum, and maize without fertilizer, and our health was not particularly bad. Now, we don't even get those seeds. And what is being cultivated, that requires fertilizer. That's why we are living with poor health.

— Sunita Pradhan · Tikabali, Kandhamal, Odisha

We used to get honey and resin from our forest, but now we don't.

— Upendra Kumar Mahananda

We are not getting food to eat. Brother, the forest is completely depleted. When they destroyed everything by cutting down trees for mining, after that, now we are deprived of things like Charikuli, Barukuli, Kendu, and even bears (Bhalia), including the black bear (Kala Bhalia).

— swornalata nayak · Gandhinagar, Rayagada, Odisha

Our medicinal herbs, vegetables, fruits, and trees are depleting from the forests.

— Kachala Choudhary

We are the people of earlier times who used to eat mahua from the forest, eat chakad shak, eat millet bread, eat corn bread. Now people eat good food, and because they eat good food, they catch so many diseases.

— Sunita Kumari · Sonbhadra, Uttar Pradesh

It is certainly remembered. Our people are destroying forests. As a result, when they go to the forest, no forest products, including food items, can be found. It would have been better if forests were not destroyed.

— jitendra khila · Lachery, Malkangiri, Odisha

Today, there is the most severe shortage of forest food, Kul, and fruits.

— Priti Majhi · Subdega, Sundargarh, Odisha

Death's auspicious and inauspicious beauty. Previously, we used to sustain our livelihoods by collecting various roots from the forest. Now, roots are not available, and animals...

— Sasmita Mallick · Gandhinagar, Rayagada, Odisha

Due to excessive deforestation, we specifically have a shortage of water. Also, there is a significant shortage of food and fruits.

— Karunakar Uthansing · Maradipanga, Kandhamal, Odisha

In our ST community, everything has changed for the people of this district. Before, we used to bring tamarind, mahua, and all kinds of forest products to eat and drink.

— Puspanjali Nag