Contribution of common grazing lands to people's livelihood in semi‐arid India

摘要

Introduction Livestock production is one of the main occupations of people living in India's semi‐arid tropics, and common grazing lands have always played a major role in livestock‐based livelihood systems.Grazing in common forests and pastures was estimated to account for 31% of livestock feed consumption in India (World Bank 1999).This paper describes the extent and condition of common grazing land assets, discusses the management strategies people pursue to utilize them, and examines the outcomes in terms of implications for both the resource management and people's livelihoods.