Forest Food & Rights

My name is Rukmini Pradhan. I wish that all the tubers, edible creepers, Amla, Baana (wild fruits/berries), and resin that we used to collect in the forest in ancient times, and by eating and drinking them, we used to live well. And currently, we were spending our lives eating food prepared without natural sustenance, without chemical fertilizers. Now we wish for all these things, and I am expressing my opinion about tubers/roots.

— RITARANI PRADHAN · Raikia, Kandhamal, Odisha

My name is Rina Kuonro. We are the tribal indigenous people. We produce food and collect from the forest, and we express our desire to live with the forest or with nature. This is a humble request to the government for us, and please pay attention to the forest-derived food that we can obtain.

— RITARANI PRADHAN · Raikia, Kandhamal, Odisha

We get our nutritious diet from the forest, such as Mahua fruit Doli oil in the form of fat, Kodo, Bhaddi, Kulthia, Mahua flowers, Jamun, Mahua kheer, Bhaji, etc.

— Surajsingh Parmar · Alirajpur, Madhya Pradesh

My name is Surendra Podra. I am from Gurumundi village, Katinga Gram Panchayat, Dani block, Kandhamal district. I want to highlight the environmental degradation of today. Our ancestors used to live in the forest, depending on roots, greens, and various other things. But... I express my desire to bring back that kind of environment.

— SUBASH SABHASUNDAR · Gajapati, Odisha

My name is Sunita Dalemajhi, from Batamaha, Kotagarh, Kandhamal. The nutritious food found in the forest, Mahua Bhaji, tastes great when eaten with Tila (sesame). It would be good if it is added to children's PDS.

— Manu Majhi · Tumudibandh, Kandhamal, Odisha

My name is Isaac Sabar, village Zero Number, Panchayat Mandi Mandi, District Kandhamal. I feel that in the current situation, people used to use traditional forest products, which are forest-derived goods, in large quantities to sustain their livelihoods, but due to the lack of forests, they have disappeared. We want to restore the forests so that we can enjoy those forest products just like our ancestors used to.

— SUBASH SABHASUNDAR · Gajapati, Odisha

My name is Sukanti Pradhan. My village is Lambakupa. GP is Pikorodi. Block is Tikabali. District is Kandhamal. In our rural areas, the main food items that were cultivated, such as ragi, millet, maize, black gram, and green gram, did not require fertilizer. That's why our ancestors lived for a long time. Currently, because we are not cultivating our traditional food seeds, many kinds of diseases are occurring. So, if we can get traditional food and seeds from the government, then we can return to our previous state.

— Sunita Pradhan · Tikabali, Kandhamal, Odisha

My name is Khabari Digala. My village is Lambakupa. GP is Pikarodi. The block is Tikabali. The district is Kandhamal. In our rural area, the main food items were Gangu, Kuheri, Mandia, Jona, Makka, Biri, Muga. Earlier, no fertilizer was used in this cultivation. And because of that, our ancestors lived for many days. We... we...

— Sunita Pradhan · Tikabali, Kandhamal, Odisha

Nutritious food found in the forest: Mudhi saga, Chhati saga, Bhadbhadia saga, Koila saga, Munga saga, Ghumi saga, Tartha saga.

— Parsuram Sa · Sundargarh, Odisha

My name is Hemant Sa, from village Nilaji. Nutritious local forest foods should be included in PDS and also in mid-day meals. Those are Manjia, Guruji, Pasun.

— RUDRA PRASAD BAG · Jagānpadar, Nuapada, Odisha

Yes, I remember we have been frying and eating mahua, the forest food.

— Priti majhi

Suryakanti Pradhan, Block Raikia, District Kandhamal. Our ancestors used to cultivate vegetables without fertilizer and ate forest-grown roots, gaining good health. Now we wish to live like this too.

— RITARANI PRADHAN · Kandhamal, Odisha

Before, we used to eat saag roti, kurthi dal, urad dal, and mahua saag. Sometimes we would find amla and bael from the forest, and that's how we used to sustain our lives.

— Ram Kumari · Sonbhadra, Uttar Pradesh

My name is Maneni Pradhan, from Raikakonda Malu. We, the indigenous original inhabitants, produce food from the forest and want to live with nature. We are expressing this desire. We are humbly requesting the government that all these efforts be made for us.

— RITARANI PRADHAN · Raikia, Kandhamal, Odisha

My name is Susmita Pradhan. We are the indigenous, original inhabitants. We wish to live in harmony with nature, producing our own food. We are demanding the government to conserve the things that are disappearing from the market. We are requesting the government to restore the forest products like roots and various forest items that are disappearing.

— RITARANI PRADHAN · Raikia, Kandhamal, Odisha

I am Juno Chhatria. We are tribal people. We used to live by cultivating the forest and land. We used to eat fruits and roots from the forest, and we used to eat food without fertilizers, and we were not victims of any disease. Currently, we are eating food with fertilizers and are facing various diseases. That's why we request the government to return our previous world to us. Raykia Kandhamal.

— RITARANI PRADHAN · Raikia, Kandhamal, Odisha

Which part of your food, forest, or farming life do you miss the most? My name is Baijayanti Dehuri, village Nedrikhol, and Post Khajuripada, and Block Khajuripada, and Panchayat Khajuripada. Earlier, we used to eat good food, but now we eat food grown with fertilizer, so we want to cultivate millet.

— harischandra Dalabehera · Khajuripada, Kandhamal, Odisha

We Adivasi communities are communities that depend on nature, collect roots and tubers from the forests, and use them as food, which is very nutritious and also serves as medicine.

— Ram Kumari

The most nutritious forest foods are Kolyar Bhaji, Mokha Ki Bhaji, Segwa, etc.

— Kachala Choudhary

Greetings, Pawan Baliar, my name is Anjan Nayak. You see, previously in the forest, we used to get things like Kantekoli, Amla, Harada, Bahada, and Kendu. Currently...

— Sasmita Mallick · Gandhinagar, Rayagada, Odisha

Name - Sarangadhar Pradhan, Village - Gasaguda, Gram Panchayat - Jiridikia, Block K. Nuagaon, District Kandhamal. In our village, the food items lacking in the forest are Sahada fruit, Kendu fruit, Jamu Koli (Java Plum), Siali fruit, and Siti Kusha Saag (a type of leafy green), which are not available!

— Rajib Pradhan · Phiringia, Kandhamal, Odisha

Locally, forest-derived foods such as bamboo shoots and mushrooms are rich in protein. Name: Bhagat Dalapati, Village: Kudumulugumma.

— jitendra khila · kudumulugumma, Malkangiri, Odisha

Name - Madhab Majhi. In our region, a large amount of ragi, arhar, moong, and kodo millet are cultivated from the forest. It can be used as nutritious food or in the form of PDS (Public Distribution System).

— Prabhasini Batkar

We used to gather forest products like mahua, cook them, make cakes, and eat them in the forest. Even now, we will learn from our ancestors.

— Gitanjali Bhoi · Karamdihi, Sundargarh, Odisha

My name is Sanjukta Digal. My village is Kamba Naju, GP is Pikarudi, Block is Tikabali. Earlier, we used to get all these things like Mandia, Deddy, Arka, Chana, Makka. And nowadays, we don't get seeds. And our body, our body is also getting very bad. Because now we are only eating processed food. That's why, if we get the old traditional seeds, we want to cultivate and keep our body healthy.

— Sunita Pradhan · Tikabali, Kandhamal, Odisha

Nutritious diet from the forest: seasonal fruits, jamun, mahua, mango, charoli, jaggery, peanuts, and Shegaon vegetables.

— Surajsingh Parmar · Alirajpur, Madhya Pradesh

My name is Sabita Pradhan. My village is Ghosaguda. The block is Tikabali. In earlier times, we used to cultivate in the forests. And we used to cultivate millets, corn, black gram, and horse gram. We used to cultivate all those. Fertilizer was not even needed there. And even if we want to cultivate now, we are not getting seeds. That's why we are requesting the government that if they provide us with seeds, we will be able to cultivate and sustain ourselves.

— Sunita Pradhan · Tikabali, Kandhamal, Odisha

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

Kantola vegetable, which is very nutritious, is found in the forest of our village. It should be included and promoted in nutritional diets.

— Vijay kanesh · Alirajpur, Madhya Pradesh

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

We get various types of fruits and roots from the forest.

— Laba Kumar sabar · Bada Baridi, Rayagada, Odisha

Earlier, we used to eat mahua from the sarai in the jungle and sustain our lives. No fertilizer was used at all. Our bodies also remained healthy. Everyone used to be strong and robust, and lived for a long time.

— Ram Kumari · Sonbhadra, Uttar Pradesh

We used to eat sitha saga since ancient times. Even now we wish to eat sitha saga, and we will. The forest is being destroyed now.

— swornalata nayak · Gandhinagar, Rayagada, Odisha

Our tribe lives in the forest, far from villages and cities, and for food, they eat mahua, dori, koyna, this street, etcetera, kola.

— bachcha lal · Shahganj, Sonbhadra, Uttar Pradesh