International Journal of Agriculture Extension and Social Development

author(s)
Cenmichon Khodang, Abhishek S, Chitra Parayil and Vishnu R

abstract
The study assessed the livelihood vulnerability of tribal communities dependent on medicinal Non-Timber Forest Products (NTFPs) in the Wayanad district of Kerala, India. Livelihood Vulnerability Index (LVI) was used to evaluate vulnerability across three panchayats: Noolpuzha, Thirunelli, and Meppadi. Survey of 90 randomly selected tribal households dependent on medicinal NTFPs was undertaken and LVI was constructed using ten indicators categorized under sensitivity and adaptive capacity. Key findings revealed varying degrees of vulnerability among the surveyed panchayats, with Noolpuzha showing the highest vulnerability, followed by Thirunelli and Meeppadi. Major drivers of vulnerability included marginalized landholdings, non-irrigated land, limited access to clean drinking water, and inadequate institutional support. A logistic regression analysis identified gender, education, number of earning members, land ownership, and marketing expenditure as significant factors influencing NTFP dependency. Constraint analysis found that warnings from the forest department ranked highest at 81% followed by limited employment schemes (78%) and other basic facilities (51%) as least ranked. The study highlighted the complex interplay between socio-economic factors and medicinal NTFP reliance, offering insights for targeted interventions to reduce vulnerability in forest-dependent communities.