Issues and Challenges with Empowerment of Tribal Women in India: A Forest-Based Study

Abstract

The forest-based resources play significant importance in the lives of tribal women and their households in India. The livelihood of the tribal families is mainly dependent on Non-wood Forest Products (NWFP). These include the collection of kendu leaves for making tobacco, mahua flowers, mahua seeds, mushrooms, tamarind, and wild brooms. The tribal women contribute to a great extent in the collection and processing of NWFP along with the sale of the final products. Due to the existence of the forest, the food and financial security of the tribal households has been secured to a great extent. Sadly, these tribal women receive less compensation through dishonest middlemen due to illiteracy. Therefore, these indigenous women must enhance their skills to increase their income. The current article intends to investigate the amount of women's employment concerning forest products and the many fields in which these women might develop their skills to increase their income and empower their family.

Keywords

• Forest-based study
• Kendu leaves
• Medicinal herbs
• NWFP
• Tribal families
• Tribal women
• Women empowerment

Hindistan'daki Kabile Kadınlarının Güçlendirilmesi ile İlgili Sorunlar ve Zorluklar: Orman Temelli Bir Çalışma

Öz

Orman temelli kaynaklar, Hindistan'daki kabile kadınlarının ve onların hanelerinin yaşamlarında önemli bir rol oynamaktadır. Kabile ailelerinin geçim kaynağı büyük ölçüde Orman Dışı Ürünler'e (NWFP) dayanmaktadır. Bu ürünler arasında tütün yapımında kullanılan kendu yapraklarının, mahua çiçeklerinin, mahua tohumlarının, mantarların, tamarindin ve yabani süpürgelerin toplanması yer almaktadır. Kabile kadınları, NWFP'lerin toplanması ve işlenmesi ile nihai ürünlerin satışında büyük ölçüde katkıda bulunmaktadır. Ormanın varlığı sayesinde, kabile hanelerinin gıda ve finansal güvenliği büyük ölçüde sağlanmıştır. Ne yazık ki, bu kabile kadınları okuma yazma bilmedikleri için dürüst olmayan aracılar tarafından düşük ücret almaktadırlar. Bu nedenle, bu yerli kadınların gelirlerini artırmak için becerilerini geliştirmeleri gerekmektedir. Mevcut makale, kadınların orman ürünleri ile ilgili istihdam miktarını ve bu kadınların gelirlerini artırmak ve ailelerini güçlendirmek için becerilerini geliştirebilecekleri çeşitli alanları araştırmayı amaçlamaktadır.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Orman temelli çalışma
• Kendu yaprakları
• Şifalı otlar
• Orman Dışı Ürünler (NWFP)
• Kabile aileleri
• Kabile kadınları
• Kadınların güçlendirilmesi.

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