COMMON LAND RESOURCES, LIVELIHOOD AND SUSTAINING THE RURAL POOR IN INDIA, A GEOGRAPHICAL ANALYSIS.

Abstract

As the name indicates the common land resources (CLR) have “common access” to all and
are used for various economic gains. They include community land, community pastures,
community forest, wildlife, wasteland, common dumping, threshing ground, the banks and
beds of rivers regulated by social conventions and legally enforceable rules. The forests
provide timber; pastures support the livestock whereas agro-forestry and social forestry is
also practiced. In general, they account for a substantial share of income, socio-economic
development, and livelihood of the poor households in rural India.
The present study is an attempt to analyze the spatio-temporal distribution and change in
CLR of Bulandshahr district in the Indo-gangetic plain since last decade. Further, it
investigates the role of common lands in providing livelihood to rural poor. The study reveals
that there is a decrease in the common land resources during the last decade. The continuous
decline in agricultural profits has created a situation where small landholdings are becoming
non–viable for agricultural practices. Thus, the majority of the households were found to
utilize these resources to supplement their income. Some of the households are even
dependent upon them for their livelihood and sustenance. The income from CLR had a
significant share in their total household income thereby creating an eminent need for
conservation of these resources to ensure livelihood and sustenance of its users.