Common Property Resources

The community of Narayanaswamykote in Bagepalli block of Chikballapur district in Karnataka has earnestly been protecting and restoring their 240 plus acres of commons for over a decade now. There are 68 households in the village and a majority of them depend on agriculture, livestock rearing, wage labour and non-timber forest produce (NTFP) collection for their livelihoods. 

Hailing from Mawtangor village in Meghalaya’s Mawsynram block, Larishisha Pdahsiej has always been keen on supporting her community and being an active participant in the village’s development.

In 2018, when the communities of Ghatanji Block in Yavatmal attended a workshop about the Panchayat Extension to Scheduled Areas (PESA) Act, the information accessed brought about a shift in their perspective, where they felt empowered to reclaim common resources that rightfully belonged to them.

Sagdi ka Guda, a revenue village in Gogunda block of Udaipur district, has 114 households and a total population of 429 people, with the majority of the population (88%) belonging to the Gameti and Nath communities.

The Maralappanahalli community has come a long way since the formation of its Grama Parisara Abhivruddi Samiti in 2017. The livelihood basket of the 40 households here largely comprised agriculture and livestock rearing for the longest time, but the Samiti has been instrumental in helping its people learn about MGNREGS and avail it to support their livelihoods.

It is rightly said that "what is measured is managed better". And we observed this happen at Sagapali village in Keonjhar district of Odisha. This village is in the Nayakote gram panchayat, and has an undulating terrain surrounded by five hillocks. It has forests around it with limited plainlands for cultivation.

The community in Undakhora, a village of 250 households in Pratapgarh district of Rajasthan, has made significant strides towards resilience by practising sustainable agriculture, harvesting water and ensuring social security over the past 10 years.

The picturesque village of Marasanapalli in Bagepalli Block, Karnataka is home to 70 households who primarily practise agriculture, livestock rearing, and daily wage labour. Farmers here grow a variety of vegetables such as beans, ridge gourd, cauliflower, spring onion and beetroot, and some with land in the command area of the village tank grow paddy.

The sound of a specific cycle bell deep inside the jungles of Kashinathpur village in Angul (Odisha) brings vibes of joy. Everybody recognises that bell because it belongs to 24-year-old Urmila Bahera who sometimes cycles to villages as far as 15 kilometres, braving bumpy roads, streams and elephants.

Water is a vital natural resource, but continuous consumption of freshwater sources at an unsustainable r