Orissa Tribal Development Project

Tribal people were the primary target of this project, which included broad-based activities in natural resource management and rural infrastructure. An important achievement of the project was the survey and land settlement of the hill areas, which had been occupied by people without legal right.

The resulting sense of ownership led to a significant improvement in natural resource management, demonstrating that tribal people are willing to take up agroforestry and renounce the podu system, a specific method of shifting cultivation, if they see that the returns can be greater. The project formed the foundation upon which the Orissa Tribal Empowerment and Livelihoods Programme was built.

Source: IFAD