The process of livelihood diversification could be highly complex and conflict-ridden, particularly because of unequal access to crucial livelihood resources. Based on mountain regions of north-east India in general and Arunachal Pradesh in particular, this paper attempts to analyse the livelihoods diversification in a forest-dependent economy. Along with the manifold transformation of the economies in the region, gender relations have also been altered in a diverse and complex manner. This is primarily because gender relations are deeply embedded in the economy and the politics of control over resources-a dimension which is often neglected in the mainstream discussions on economic development and change.
Largely drawing upon micro-studies by the author and others, these interconnections have been examined in relation to few critical issues. They include the changing nature of ownership and control over forests having significant gendered implications. As forest products get commercialized, the way forests and forest-related activities are viewed by the forest dependent population also change. The shift from family and community labour to wage labour for extraction of forest products for market use as well as the interdependencies between farming and forest related activities alters the intra-family distribution of work as well as opportunities for men and women. Finally, the paper also take into account the impact of deforestation and commercialisation of forest products on women's work burden.
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