Biswabrata Goswami
Jhargram, 5 June: Every day before sunrise, women from Chholagara village in Jhargram district begin a journey that has become increasingly difficult with every passing year. Carrying baskets and sickles, they walk more than four kilometres, cross the Tarafeni River, and enter the Chandabila forest in search of fuelwood, sal leaves, mushrooms and medicinal plants.
For generations, these tribal women have protected the forests that sustain their lives. Yet, despite serving as custodians of some of Bengal’s most fragile ecosystems, most of them own no land, possess little control over natural resources, and remain largely absent from institutions where environmental decisions are made.
That contradiction emerged sharply on World Environment Day 2026, observed globally under the theme “Inspired by Nature: For Climate, For Our Future,” as women gathered beneath a sprawling banyan tree in Chholagara to discuss a crisis they say is unfolding before their eyes.
“The forest is shrinking, streams are drying earlier and summers are becoming unbearable,” said one villager. “We depend on nature for survival, so we feel these changes first.”
Their concerns mirror a growing national reality. Climate change is no longer an abstract scientific concept in India’s villages. It is altering rainfall patterns, reducing agricultural productivity and threatening the natural resources upon which millions of rural households depend.
Over the past decade, residents of Chholagara and neighbouring villages have witnessed hotter summers, erratic monsoons and increasingly frequent drought-like conditions. For women, who shoulder the responsibility of collecting fuelwood, water and forest produce, these changes translate into longer working hours and greater hardship.
The burden is particularly significant because women constitute a substantial share of India’s agricultural workforce. Yet national statistics show that women own only a fraction of agricultural land holdings. Without land titles, many are unable to access formal credit, crop insurance, government subsidies or climate adaptation programmes.
“Women are among the most affected by climate change, but they are also among the least recognised stakeholders in environmental governance,” said environmental researchers working in the region.
Ironically, some of the most effective climate adaptation practices in rural India are being led by women themselves.
Across Odisha, women’s self-help groups have revived traditional millet cultivation, helping communities cope with water scarcity while improving nutrition. In Maharashtra’s drought-prone Marathwada region, women have organised rainwater harvesting initiatives and groundwater conservation projects that have strengthened local water security. In Assam, women-led community networks have become critical in disseminating flood warnings and coordinating disaster preparedness efforts.
In the forested landscapes of Jhargram, women continue to preserve traditional ecological knowledge that has been passed down through generations. Their understanding of medicinal plants, seasonal cycles, wild foods and forest conservation remains invaluable in an era of ecological uncertainty.
One of the strongest examples of community-led conservation can be found in sacred groves—small forest patches protected through cultural and religious traditions. At Tiyakati Jaher Than in Nayagram, members of the Santhal community worship Marang Buru beneath sacred sal trees. Similar traditions survive in parts of Paschim Medinipur, where communities protect ancient trees and associated biodiversity through religious observances.
Environmentalist Dr Pravat Kumar Shit notes that such sacred groves often harbour greater biodiversity than surrounding landscapes and act as important reservoirs of native species, medicinal plants and ecological resilience.
Women farmers are also increasingly adopting climate-smart agricultural practices such as the System of Rice Intensification (SRI), organic farming, vermicomposting and water-efficient irrigation methods. These practices reduce dependence on scarce resources while improving productivity.
Yet experts argue that climate resilience cannot be achieved without addressing structural inequalities.
A persistent digital divide means that many rural women lack access to smartphones, weather forecasts and early warning systems. Social barriers often limit their participation in village-level decision-making, while inadequate land ownership continues to restrict their economic independence.
Government programmes such as the National Rural Livelihoods Mission have helped mobilise millions of women into self-help groups, creating opportunities for financial inclusion and collective action. However, development practitioners argue that far greater investment is needed to ensure women are represented in climate planning and natural resource governance.
As World Environment Day celebrations concluded, the women of Chholagara returned to their homes carrying the same concerns with which they had begun the day. But they also carried a growing conviction that climate solutions cannot be designed without those who interact most closely with nature.
Their story offers a powerful lesson at a time when climate change is reshaping rural India. The women who collect fuelwood, protect forests, conserve biodiversity and safeguard traditional knowledge may not own the land they work on, but they remain among the country’s most important environmental defenders.
In the battle against climate change, India’s tribal women are not merely victims of environmental degradation. They are among its most effective guardians—leading a fight for sustainability from the very margins of power.
