The Social Forestry Program

As we all know, deforestation has been at its peak in the previous few years. The evolution of mankind and urbanisation has resulted in the formation of a Concrete Jungle. Plenty of forests have been wiped out due to this. Moreover, forest fires are also a frequent phenomenon in the northern part of India. Forest fires also contribute to a significant amount of loss of vegetation cover. In the 1980s, around 43 percent of the land in the Indian peninsula was covered with forest, but as We progressed into the future, forests were cut down. Resultantly today, only about 20 percent of the land in our country is covered by forest. The number is critically low and is impacting the earth and our human society in an adverse manner.  

To counter this brutal behaviour of mankind, a social forestry program was introduced in India. We, as citizens of mother earth, should willingly contribute towards the maintenance of our planet. Without forests, there is no life on earth. Forests play a great role in maintaining the ecological balance. Hence, it's our moral responsibility to save them from being cut down. Therefore, the social forestry program is necessary! Today let us learn more about the components of social forestry and the objectives of social forestry.

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What Exactly is the Social Forestry Scheme?

The term social forestry refers to the protection and management of forests. It is the social responsibility of mankind towards forests. Under the scheme, wide-scale afforestation on barren lands is done with an intention to reimburse the environment and development of social and rural backgrounds.  The first usage of the term was in the year 1976. The national commission of agriculture, a department of the government of India, coined this term. The sole purpose of the inception of the following program was to reduce deforestation and prevent the cutting down of forests in order to fulfil the common man's needs. We humans need a huge range of raw materials that are found in the forests. These raw materials include fodder, timber, fuelwood, to name a few. In order to obtain these raw materials from the forests, we often cut down forests on a large scale, which has a direct effect on our environment. Social forestry is a contemporary approach towards protecting our forest cover. Social forestry is the practice of wide-scale afforestation. However, normal trees aren't grown under the social forestry scheme. Under the social forestry program, a designated area is chosen to plant the trees that are of industrial use to human beings. Trees like timber, fuelwood, and fodder are deliberately grown so that they can be cut down every time raw materials are needed. This way, the social forestry program prevents the cutting down of the natural forest cover and at the same time facilitates the provision of resources for mankind as well. To explain in simpler words, social forestry is like the cultivation of trees found in the forests in order to obtain raw materials from the forest. Although not directly, the social forestry program manages to serve the purpose of saving our environment and forest cover indirectly.

History of the Social Forestry Program

We just saw the social forestry meaning above. It's an initiative or a step towards creating a safe space for the forest cover in India. As we just saw, the term's preliminary usage was in the year 1976. During this period, awareness programs about the environment were on a Rise. The forest cover was decreasing dramatically due to the critical cutting down of forests. Urbanisation was beginning to peak during this period, and newer cities were emerging. For building infrastructure in these new cities, a huge amount of raw materials were needed. Due to this, a huge amount of burden was put on the forests for raw materials. During the expansion of cities, forests were cut down to make space for newer buildings and houses as well. The loss of forests was hence inevitable. Thus, several awareness programs were run, and mass afforestation was done. This was when the idea of social forestry came up in the mind of the Indian government. 

Hence marking the inception of the idea of social forestry. However, although the term was officially introduced in 1976, the tribals and localities had a similar cultivation practice.  Although there was no definite nomenclature to it, the tribals planted rubber, timber, and eucalyptus forests only for cutting down and using them to manufacture goods. Rubber and timber were prominent in the northern parts of the country, whereas eucalyptus was planted in the hilly regions of the country. In fact, the Indian government adopted the idea from the villagers and put it into the spotlight so that the commoners were aware of It. Hence, the social forestry program became popular in contemporary culture.

Objectives of Social Forestry

Following are the objectives of social forestry. 

• The primary objective of the social forestry program is to contribute to the enrichment of our environment. Today, the world's climate is changing due to deforestation. Forests are responsible for maintaining the ecological balance and also bringing rain. Forests play a huge role in attracting rain-bearing clouds. Without a forest cover, rainfall received would be scarce. Hence the social forestry scheme aims to restore the forest cover, prevent climate change, and hence prevent the conversion of fertile land to barren land. 

• Cultivate enough raw materials for large-scale production of goods that requires raw materials from the forests. Reiterating what we've discussed earlier, as urbanisation happened, cities grew, and infrastructure development was needed. For this, raw materials from the forests were needed. Hence, the social forestry program ensured that an abundance of raw materials was obtained. Raw materials such as timber, fuelwood, and fodder were cultivated and hence were available in abundance. 

• Enhance the landscape's natural beauty: trees and greenery are undeniably pleasing to the eyes. As forests were planted under the social forestry scheme, they also beautified the landscape. The forests under the social forestry were hence also used for recreational purposes. These forests were also in close proximity to the urbanised society. Hence, the commoners from the city could often visit these forests and feel fresh air which is scarce in metropolitan cities these days. 

• The cultivation and maintenance of these social forests required manpower. This hence generated employment for unskilled and low-skilled labourers. Resultantly increasing the employment rate of our country. Due to social forests, families were settled and could afford a 3-time meal.

• Reclaim barren lands: under India's land use, there was a sizable percentage of land that was not used for any productive purposes. Such barren land was hence a liability to the country since it did not contribute to the growth of our GDP. Under social forestry, such barren lands were spotted and reclaimed. Hence converting these lands from barren lands to productive ones. 

Components of Social Forestry

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Urban Forestry: Urban forestry is mainly aimed at bringing forests in close proximity to the metropolitans. They were close to apartments and houses and served as raw material providers and also for the beautification of the landscape.  

Rural Forestry: rural forestries were mainly warehouses for timber, fuelwood, and fodder. They were located near the rural regions and aimed at providing raw materials to industries and villagers. Rural forestry played a huge role in making villages in India self-sufficient. 

Farm Forestry: Under farm forestry, farmers were encouraged to plant trees in their fields. They were given incentives for planting trees that are found in forests. The farmers planted trees, and once they were big enough, the farmer could not only use the timber or whatever is obtained from the tree for his own needs but also sell the excess.