Contributions of common lands to household economies in Haryana, India

Common lands, being a significant form of natural resource endowment in many developing countries, play a vital role in maintaining the ecological balance, and more particularly in supporting the people, especially the rural poor, in eking out their livelihood. However, the contributions of common lands to the rural economy and ecology have remained unappreciated which has led to the depletion and degradation of these lands. In an attempt to examine the nature and extent of contribution of common lands to household economies, 432 sample households from eight sample villages across four ecological regions in Haryana, northwest India, were surveyed using a structured questionnaire during 1995. We found that common lands still hold an important place in the household economy of rural people of this state. A significant proportion of the sample households obtained substantial biomass resources, income and employment from common lands. The contributions of these lands in terms of variety and extent were many times higher in the households belonging to less developed than developed regions, and those households belonging to poor than wealthy classes. Hence, there is an immediate need to develop effective strategies for the regeneration and sustainable use and management of common lands.