IAS Mains General Studies Sample Answers

Forestry by the people and for the people, whose main purpose is to fulfill the needs of forestry which are manure, food, fruit, fibre and productive capacity. The term ‘social forestry’ first used by the National Commission on Agriculture, Government of India in 1976. It was then that India embarked upon a social forestry project with the aim of taking the pressure off the forests and making use of all unused and fallow land. As a whole social forestry’s main objective is to reconstruct and ecosystem and conserve the environment.

It has following objectives for social forestry:
(i) To encourage plantation of large and beautiful trees which provides shadow to enhance the natural beauty and to plant all around the cultivation field to increase production.
(ii) To improve the environment for protecting agriculture from adverse climatic factors.
(iii) To increase fuel availability and to increase the food modification by increasing fruit production.
(iv) To cooperate soil conservation and to prevent spoiling the productive capacity of soil.
(v) To enhance the natural beauty of the landscape, create recreational forests for the benefit of rural and urban population.
(vi) To reclaim westlands and provide jobs for unskilled workers.

Social forestry can be categorized into four groups:
(i) Community forestry
(ii) Agro forestry
(iii) Farm forestry
(iv) Extension forestry.

Social forestry programme has some weaknesses as follows:
(i) Lack of information among people and ignorance and avoidance of responsibility regarding social forestry.
(ii) Illegal cutting and use of forest trees and products.
(iii) In many states there are unsatisfactory activities regarding social forestry.
(iv) Corruption and misuse of the fund which is for the purpose of social forestry.
(v) Unsatisfactory implementation by state administration.

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