Learning From and Carrying Forward CFR Management Planning in Central India, Initiating CFR Management planning in Dantewada district of Chhattisgarh

Initiating CFR Management planning in Dantewada district of Chhattisgarh

The success of our ongoing work in Bastar district resulted in a pressing invitation from grassroots activists in neighbouring Dantewada district requesting us for training in CFR management planning. On 12th March 2022, our team (Sharad, Shruti, Atul, Venkat and Anubhav) travelled to Bacheli township in Dantewada, where the local network (Sarva Adivasi Samaj) had gathered more than 60 volunteers from more than 15 villages for this training. Breakout groups again tried to think through the prompts in our template in the context of their own villages. it was interesting to see the youth and the elderly come together and resolve to carry out CFR management planning in order to improve the self-reliance and economic independence of the village. Many anecdotes were exchanged on how village residents used to protect the forests from smugglers and how traditional knowledge can be leveraged to protect the forests. We are happy to hear from SAS friends that implementation of the learnings from this workshop has already begun in some villages.