Innovations for Sustainable Development: Catering to the Needs of Neglected Segments of the Society

In India, mainstreaming tribal communities (Adivasis) in the development process has been the point of debate and contestations. The effort to integrate tribals in economic development, by and large, have failed and tribal communities in India even today are living in extreme poverty and deprivations. Against this backdrops, two case studies are presented in this paper to demonstrate how the tribal people could be involved in the production, marketing, and management of high-value agriculture and forest based-products which could improve their economic condition. The practices followed in the process are socially and environmentally sustainable and it builds on the social and cultural ethos of tribal people. The process involved focused on collective enterprising and development of internal leadership among tribal communities. The motives of the promoting agency was clear and transparent that they intended to incorporate sustainable practices of economic efficiency, equity, and the environment from the beginning that ensured their successes.