Tribal and farming communities are coming together to promote community well-being, nature conservation and sustainable economic development.
The Kabirdham district stretches across more than 1,700 square miles of Central India’s highlands – from the forested Maikala Range, home to the Gond and Baiga tribes, downstream to the plains where farming communities grow paddy and sugarcane. On average, smallholder farmers here work no more than 2 hectares per household. For generations, these communities carefully harvested forest produce, respected seasonal flows, and passed down ecological knowledge through song, story, and practice.
But in recent decades, deforestation, overgrazing, climate change, and extractive land use have put severe pressure on this once-thriving ecosystem. Water sources are drying up, soils are depleted and forests have thinned — deciduous old-growth that once was so dense you couldn’t throw a stick through it is now sparse. A rapidly growing population, increasingly unpredictable weather patterns, and the lure of chemical-intensive farming have compounded the crisis. Communities that were once self-sufficient now struggle with declining yields, shrinking forest produce, and growing uncertainty about the future.
The Central Highlands Restoration Programme (CHiRP) was launched in 2019 as a partnership between Commonland, Samerth Charitable Trust, PRADAN, the Foundation for Ecological Security, The Nature Conservancy India, Chhattisgarh Agricon Samiti, and local tribal and farming communities. Rooted in the 4 Returns Framework, CHiRP works to regenerate ecosystems while strengthening social cohesion, building sustainable livelihoods, and restoring a sense of purpose.
Key activities include:
Community-led forest restoration: Women’s self-help groups are leading nursery creation, seed ball planting, and native tree restoration in community forest lands. In villages like Kabripathra and Pendri, Baiga women have become the biggest drivers of forest conservation – growing saplings, sprinkling seeds, and safeguarding forests for future generations.
Regenerative agriculture and direct sowing: Through the Kavir Kisan initiative, run by Chhattisgarh Agricon Samiti, farmers are transitioning away from chemical inputs toward natural farming methods. Soil testing, bio-pesticides, direct sowing techniques, and peer-to-peer learning via farmer WhatsApp groups are helping smallholders reduce costs, improve soil health, and maintain yields. Master trainers like Omprakash Chandrakar are pioneering the movement in their villages.
Forest livelihoods and enterprise development: CHiRP supports communities in developing income from forest resources, including lac cultivation on kusum and ber trees, sal seed collection, non-timber forest products like Mahua flowers, and bamboo crafts. Women’s self-help groups are cutting out middlemen and selling directly to markets at higher rates.
Agroforestry scaling: A 2022 scoping study identified high potential for scaling agroforestry, water management, and carbon credit activities in the plains. Farmers in 10 new villages are testing and expanding these opportunities with partner support.
Conservation and indigenous knowledge: Working with village elders like Samar Singh Dhurve, who has dedicated his life to protecting endangered native trees, CHiRP connects traditional ecological knowledge with modern conservation practices. The Nature Conservancy India provides technical know-how while communities bring generations of landscape understanding.
“Today, we are taking this seed of knowledge, and we have to plant it in our village and wake up others. So that everyone comes together for the protection of nature.” — Village leader of Mehlighat
“When I look at the green shoots sprouting in my fields, I can’t help but feel a sense of pride. It’s more than just crops growing. It’s hope.” — Samaliya Sahu, farmer and Kavir Kisan member
“All skills, resources, and services — the economy of everything — should be in the village. We should be self-reliant. Once villagers come together and stand on their own — the true meaning of sustainability — then we won’t have to rely on outside economics.” — Deepak Biswas, Samerth Trust
The Kabirdham programme envisions a future where local communities can use their voice, skills, and knowledge to improve their livelihoods and manage land, water, and forest resources sustainably. A landscape where the ancient relationship between people and forest is renewed, and where tribal and farming communities are self-reliant, forests are regenerating, soils are alive, and the economy grows from the landscape rather than against it. And where the knowledge of elders flows to the next generation, ensuring that restoration endures.
In the next 20 years, CHiRP partners plan to scale forested landscape conservation and restoration across Central India, demonstrating that community-led restoration, rooted in the 4 Returns, can transform lives and landscapes at a continental scale.
In the heart of India’s Central Highlands, a restoration movement is growing. In Kabirdham, Chhattisgarh, tribal and farming communities are reviving their landscape, reclaiming lost traditions, and ...
In the face of rising temperatures and a growing water crisis, India is looking to an ancient crop to play a role in the future of resilient and agroecological farming.
Nearly 25% of the world's population depends on forests for their livelihoods. When combined with community-based approaches to forest management these livelihoods provide multiple income streams for ...
participated in 41 events organised.
formed, reaching 1,127 people.
positively impacted through restoration since 2020.
involved in lac production; 3 women's self-help groups managing nurseries.
