The Initiative on the Forest Economy (IoFE) was started with an aim to transform forest economies sustainably.  Efforts undertaken by IoFE are devoted to the goal of creating scalable economic models through rigorous longitudinal studies of several vulnerable forest areas across the country. The living laboratories under the initiative, span across six states—Jharkhand, Goa, Maharashtra, Himachal Pradesh, Odisha, and Andhra Pradesh. These laboratories demonstrate utmost commitment towards transforming and revitalising forest economies to not only streamline public policy but also create market linkages in India’s forested lands by using community action and groundbreaking technological interventions.  One such technological intervention is the nCount — a tool to involve forest dwelling communities, civil society members, students, researchers with the purpose of promoting scientific understanding of biodiversity by utilising artificial intelligence and computer vision helping enable effective data processing.

Jharkhand :

Following a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the Government of Jharkhand and the Initiative on Forest Economy-Bharti Institute of Public Policy, the JhaFRA app was developed under the Abua Bir Abua Dishom Abhiyan to streamline claim filings in Jharkhand. This initiative is operationalised and implemented by Bharti Institute of Public Policy. Another collaborative effort under the ambit of IoFE in Jharkhand is the Indian School of Business-Tata Consultancy Services (ISB-TCS) led collaborative project, pursuing a feasible forest business model aimed at uncovering the potential of forested land and securing community rights to resources for forest dwellers.

Odisha :

In collaboration with the Department of Mission Shakti of the Odisha government, the Initiative on the Forest Economy (IoFE), in a bid to empower women and strengthen the rural economy, focuses on establishing and aggregating Women Self-Help Groups (WSHGs) to scale village economies while simultaneously ensuring the security of community resource rights. The IoFE is connected to 20 lakh women across six districts of Odisha, as they proactively invest resources in upskilling women, assisting them technologically, and catalysing financial inclusion and capacity building with the help of the Indian School of Business.

Andhra Pradesh :

A tripartite MoU between the Andhra Pradesh Forest Department (APFD), Andhra Pradesh Forest Development Corporation Limited (APFDC) and Bharti Institute of public policy, Indian School of Business was signed pledging to enhance forest management and create a resource inventory of seasonal forest produces (SFPs) leveraging advanced technological assistance to discover the untapped potential of forest production to empower local residents. 

Himachal Pradesh:

In Himachal Pradesh, the IoFE team engages with both state and district-level governments to work on a range of projects in the state. These projects, with the shared larger goal of sustainable transformation of the forest economy, focus on uncovering potential to boost seasonal forest produce, building capacity for forest rights committees (FRCs), community forest resource rights (CFRR) claims filing, organising gram sabhas, and leading cluster mapping projects to realise the potential of the bioenergy economy in the area.

Goa :

The Initiative on the Forest Economy’s (IoFE) partnership with the government of Goa was established to propel rural development, tactfully address the threats of climate change while facilitating adaptation, support the growth of the bamboo economy, and empower women-led enterprises. As a result of its understanding with the government, the IoFE is also responsible for creating market linkages for Goa’s local economies and creating wholesome value chains for businesses of communities with tenure rights through effective mechanical and technological support.

Maharashtra :

Resulting from an MoU between the district administration of Gadchiroli and the Initiative on the Forest Economy (IoFE), mapping of 23 SFPs in 2018-19 was conducted. The IoFE also coordinated with locals to establish sustainable business models, the foundation of which was securing community forest rights. Meanwhile, the IoFE, alongwith authorities, is set to conduct inventory mapping of the community forest rights in the area for the purpose of training on nCount technology.