Ms. Yashashree Garge will present her APS as per the details below:

Date: 25/9/2024 (Wednesday)

Time: 1130 - 1230 hrs. 

Venue: CTARA Conference Room No.1

Title: Forests and Frameworks: Bridging Grassroots, Knowledge, Technology, and Sustainability in Non-timber forest products (NTFP) based biofuel value chains

Supervisor: Prof. Pankaj Sekhsaria RPC Members: Prof. Anand B. Rao, Prof. Mahendra Shahare, Prof. Sarmistha Pattanaik

Abstract: 

This first APS report lays the foundation for my proposed PhD research, which will explore the journey of bamboo and tree-based oil seeds from existing and potential Community Forest Resource Rights (CFRR) recognized forests to their conversion into biofuels. This research is driven by a deep personal motivation rooted and my experiences as an ecological and sustainability researcher and practitioner with non-timber forest products (NTFPs) and communities with CFRR entitlements and will be grounded in my learnings of Science and Technology Studies (STS). The primary objective is to examine the interplay between traditional knowledge, technological interventions, and socio-economic factors in the biofuel production process. My previous professional and academic observations have highlighted the importance of understanding how NTFPs, particularly bamboo and tree-based oil seeds, interact with people and integrate into biofuel production systems. My earlier research and fieldwork have revealed the under-documented complexities of NTFP supply chains, and the challenges faced by forest-dwelling communities, which contribute to the overall ecological value of these resources. This report will review relevant literature on NTFPs, CFRR, forest-dwelling communities, and India's biofuel goals. It will build a case for examining the journey of NTFPs through STS framework as well as sustainability transitions theory.