Interglobe Foundation’s partnership with Gram Vikas will enable erstwhile forest-dependent communities, who currently have limited access to forest resources, to create, own and manage their own productive forests.

The ‘Community-owned Social and Agroforestry’ project will plant productive fruit, fodder and fuel bearing species in about 60 acres of common and privately owned land to ensure balance between ecological and economic benefits to the communities.

A total of 18,000 forest species trees will be planted on 30 acres of community land and 1200 fruit species on 30 acres of private land. Pulses such as Black and Green Gram and Pigeon Pea will be grown through intercropping.

The project will be implemented in Tentulipada and Nuapada hamlets of Dholpas village in Thuamul Rampur block of Kalahandi district in Odisha.

Directly benefiting 330 persons in 65 households, the project has the potential to increase the tree cover in the two hamlets from 10 to 70 acres, improve water availability from 20% now to 80% after plantation, and enhance productivity and production in agriculture.