Rural Collectives for livelihoods and conservation: Lessons from Malè Mahadeswara Hills, Karnataka

Abstract

Rural collectives and self-help groups (SHGs) have emerged as an important social engineering tool for the process of transforming and improving the livelihoods of the underprivileged. Originally conceived as organisations to promote financial sustainability, these have evolved over the years to cater to a number of objectives including social organisation, rural welfare and natural resource management. Though the latter has only recently been viewed as an objective of SHGs, it is equally important, as unsustainable use of natural resources can threaten the long- Term viability of those livelihoods that SHGs seek to support.