The data presented here suggest that the sale of NTFPs
and NTFP-based products provides an important source of
cash income for villagers in India’s dry deciduous forests.
These sales may allow villagers to stay in their villages
rather than migrating to towns for jobs that generate cash
and provide an important source of income during low
periods in the agricultural cycle. The heterogeneity of reliance
on NTFPs for cash income within India’s dry deciduous
forests, however, suggests that results are not
generalizable across settings and, in particular, more studies
of NTFP extraction in other ecological settings could prove
important in establishing policies to promote forest management
and rural welfare.