Estimating economic benefits through social forestry in Odisha

Forests are a significant segment in a country's economy. In fact they can be considered as the very 'lifeline' of the economy, for apart from meeting the social needs of the people such as fodder, firewood and small timber, they also play an important role in earning foreign exchange. The scope of the work is confined to the social forestry project in Nayagarh district, Odisha. The basic features of the district, its forestry background and the need for social forestry activities constitute a distinct part of the study. The study intends to critically appreciate the economic contribution of social forestry project in Banthapur village, Nayagarh district. It further intendsto estimate the significance of socio-economic variables like education, family size and age in determining the total monthly income from social forestry and non-social forestry in Banthapur social forestry project (BSFP), Nayagarh district. BSFP has a positive impact in changing the income of the landless, land holders as well as changing the envoirment. People in BSFP derive ecological, economic and social benefits.