Wild Food Forests in Tribal Jharkhand: A Community-Led Model Reviving the Bonds Between People and Forests

This press release documents the field progress and community engagement of the Wild Food Forests in Tribal Jharkhand initiative led by Kulesh Bhandari, Biodiversity Researcher (M.Sc. Zoology, Godda College, SKMU). Supported by The Pollination Project Foundation (USA), the project spans multiple tribal villages including Bodiya Panchayat, Fhagu Tola, Rajapathar, Mandal Chak, Silthiya B Panchayat (Basdhuma Upar Tola, Niche Tola, Debri), Salaipahari, and Gardiapahari (Gopikandar Range).It aims to restore wild edible and medicinal plant diversity (Dumar, Dova, Mahua, Koha, Bel) while integrating traditional knowledge with scientific monitoring.