S. Savitha
Common Property Resources (CPR) are the important in addressing poverty issues for marginalized, forest dependent communities, by contributing to livelihood outcomes including food security, health and well being, and income (FAO, 1995; Falconer, 1996). The common property resources include land, water, river, riverbeds dumbing places, waste land, grazing place and fisheries, it constitutes to basic support system of “Life on Earth”. There is a new and increasing emphasis on poverty alleviation and livelihoods improvement in forestry, representing both a challenge and an opportunity. A substantial opportunity exists to enhance livelihood of marginalized forest dependent communities, through the utilization of forest resources. The women, including their contribution to household income generation through the use and management of natural resources, needs to be recognized, United Nations estimates indicate that upto 70 per cent of the world’s poor are female. Women in developing countries constitute the majority of the labour force playing a key role in managing common property resources and helping to protect the environment. This study explores some of the benefits, beside the livelihood of their household delivered by the rural women form the forest resources and the challenges faced by them in utilizing these resources. With this background, the present study attempts to analyse the interlink ages between CPR and the role of women in livelihood strategies of the rural households in Villupuram districts of Tamil Nadu.
Socio-Economic Conditions, Tribal Women, Villupuram District