The IMF’s April 2025 Regional Economic Outlook for Sub-Saharan Africa presents a clear warning: regional growth is slowing, debt pressures are mounting, and donor assistance is declining. Yet the report outlines critical opportunities particularly in domestic revenue mobilization, structural reform, and private sector activation that can shape a more resilient …
- Unions, land laws obstruct foray into trade Calcutta, Aug. 21: Tea cultivators in Tripura, hit by reducing profit margins over the years, are pushing for a shift to the economical and less labour intensive rubber plantation. However, a stringent land lease law and active labour unions in the state …
The fresh cool forest breeze and the greenery appears to act as a magic wand on the residents of village Ghati. Middle-aged men and women who just a few minutes ago had been involved in hard-core legal talk suddenly speak like children. Forty-something Gyaneshwar Sahare, who had been pouring forth …
Gadchiroli in Maharashtra may have acquired the model district status for clearing a record number of community forest rights (CFR) claims, but its 298 villages are angry with the forest department for stripping them of the basic right to manage forest produce. http://www.downtoearth.org.in/content/forest-department-s-cheat-act
GADCHIROLI in Maharashtra may have acquired the model district status for clearing a record number of community forest rights (CFR) claims, but its 298 villages are angry with the forest department for stripping them of the basic right to manage forest produce. The department has also burdened them with conditions, …
Assam’s bamboo sector is all set to notch another achievement, with a local manufacturing unit gearing up to produce high-density scrimber boards. Rhino Bamboo Industry, an ISO 9001:2008 certified company, will manufacture the boards from December this year, having successfully created the boards using the pulp of the locally available …
In ten forest hotspot countries across Africa and South Asia, the IIED-steered Forest Governance Learning Group (FGLG) has been working since 2003 on ways to shift power over forests towards those who enable and pursue sustainable forest-linked livelihoods. This report aims to capture the current thinking and plans of FGLG. …
SHILLONG: Meghalaya Chief Secretary WMS Parait today said bamboo resources should be used as a means of livelihood and improvement of rural economy. Parait said that rural population, bamboo resources and industrial units were correlated for economic development. Addressing the valedictory function at the ten-day workshop on Bamboo Structure and …
SHILLONG: “Meghalaya is one of the States in India which falls under vulnerable Zone-V of high seismicity and bamboo can play a vital role in appropriate housing and construction to its suitability and availability”, according to Kankana Narayan Dev of Bambu-N-Man, a bamboo design consultancy of Guwahati, Assam. Talking to …
Dimapur: In order to facilitate and promote better linkages for bamboo craftsmen in the state, the Nagaland Bamboo Development Agency (NBDA) organised a meeting between entrepreneurs of its micro-processing units and Arunachal Ply Industry Ltd, Timpact, Nanosteel and Maisang - the companies that have been buying semi-finished products from the …
To make sandalwood cultivation viable for farmers, the ruling BJP Government in Karnataka is proposing to amend the Tree Act. According to State Forest Minister CH Vijayshankar, the proposed amendment is aimed at allowing farmers to grow sandalwood tree in their farms, own and sell them at the market price. …
Forests are vital for ensuring stability of water cycle and its benefits to agriculture and households, carbon cycle and its role in climate mitigation, soil fertility and its value to crop production, local microclimate for safe habitats, medicinal plants for health, biodiversity for survival, and so on; which are all …
Approach to conserve biodiversity for sustainable development should be targeted at different levels, from improving living standards to changing the attitude of people. If Himalayan medicinal plants are to continue to serve the needs of the people without being reduced to a dangerously unstable resource base, they have to be …
The Policy of the Royal Government of Bhutan to provide goods and services on subsidized rate to the Bhutanese people started even before the Department of Forest was established. During those periods the system was implemented by the Civil Authorities. The marking of timber/trees was done by the guards from …
Bastar Adivasis Get A Pittance; Reds, Officials Make Money In Tandem Raipur: In inky blue darkness, Bargu and Sunita stir their children out of slumber and drag them to the forest. As dawn breaks, the family gets down to work, plucking leaves from short bushes, short enough for even four-year-old …
Bamboo is perhaps one of the most precious natural resources India possesses. But as is the case with many of us, city-based entrepreneur Shriniwas Khare too wasn
Sustainable management of NTFPs requires precise scientific information which ultimately augments responsible management as well as responsible business practices, and more importantly enhance customary rights of indigenous people and local communities through increasing knowledge base existed. Unfortunately, lacking scientific information of majority of the prioritized NTFPs is a ground reality, …
Non timber forest products (NTFPs) play a vital role in sustaining rural communities, particularly those living adjacent to forest areas. In India, it is estimated that over 50 million people are dependent on NTFPs for their subsistence and derive their earnings from these products after consuming about 60% of NTFPs.