Fostering forest commoning for rural livelihoods: Case of gram sabha federations in Vidarbha, India

In this article, we explore how “commoning” plays a pivotal role in the collaborative and democratic management of forests to promote sustainable rural livelihoods. Commoning entails the everyday practices and social relations that enable people to come together, share, and act collectively. While existing literature offers insights into the institutional designs that underpin long-term collaborative management systems, less is known about the process of commoning. We seek to address this gap by asking, what social practices and relational arrangements contribute to the commoning of forests? And, how do these social practices and relational arrangements influence the creation of governance mechanisms that support forest livelihoods? To tackle these questions, we analyze the case studies of forest collectives called gram sabha federations in the Vidarbha region of Maharashtra, India. Through our case studies, we demonstrate how social relationships facilitate key processes of experimentation, adaptation, autonomy, and inclusiveness. These processes enable collectives to explore innovative and unconventional networks to navigate uncertainties. Our findings reveal that by leveraging their social relations, communities enhance their autonomy while reducing their reliance on the traditional colonialist and capitalist practices of the state and the market. In doing so, they forge a path towards sustainable rural livelihoods grounded in collective empowerment and democratic decision-making.