Federation of community organisations in joint forest management: a case from India

Central to the debate on sustainability of joint forest management (JFM) in itiatives in India, lie strategies to strengthen the existing institutional set up. An important aspect of this debate has been consolidation of commu nity organizations at various levels. While the local village organizations form the bedrock of JFM initiatives at the micro level, at the regional le vel, over the years, the concept of federal bodies of village organizations with diversity of structures and functions has been a very important pheno menon taking place in several states of the country. Taking the case of JFM in Haryana, this study explores the various aspects of formation of federa tion of village level organizations in JFM, known as Hill Resource Manageme nt Societies (HRMS). Based on the findings, it elaborates some of the opera tional issues which need to be taken into consideration before developing t he federation. It concludes that such a set up would not only augment the s ynergistic and productive relationships with respect to resource management and conservation but also enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of the JFM programme in Haryana.