Bringing the land back to life
Forest families helped pick the right seeds. Seeds were sown inside thorny bushes so cattle cannot eat them, and scattered by hand so the forest can grow back on its own. Supported by Ankur Seeds and Lasenor India.
Five years, in our own words
Every annual activity report from FY 2020-21 to FY 2024-25, in full. Read the highlights, then open any report page by page.
FY 2024-25
April 2024 to March 2025
Restoring biodiversity, securing livelihoods
The year NiViM organised its work into five pillars: restoring the land, strengthening forest rights, fair income from forest produce, natural farming, and animal welfare.
“Towards a future where community livelihood and forest conservation grow together.”
- 20,000+plants planted on community forest and NETRAVAN land
- 9,385 haunder community forest rights across 40 villages
- ₹16,73,947earned from green tendu leaf by 228 people
- ₹734/dayaverage tendu wage, against about ₹300 under MGNREGS
- 90 acresmoved to organic farming by 52 farmers
- 34Gram Sabha meetings across 21 villages
The Go Green project
Land cleared of invasive species, pits dug and filled with farmyard manure, then planted by the community in July and August. HDFC Bank supported the plantation and Western Coalfields the fencing and drip irrigation.
Forest rights in practice
Village conservation and management plans prepared, and decisions taken to grow trees on farms and protect local plants and animals, across 9,385 hectares.
The green tendu leaf model
Villages sold their leaves through open bidding, with no middlemen. 393,870 bunches were collected, and earnings reached 228 people in 9 villages.
Organic farming
52 farmers moved 90 acres to chemical-free farming with indigenous seeds and Gomay manure, supported by the Bharat Agroecology Fund and Global Greengrants Fund.
Prani Kalyan Ashram
The NETRAVAN goshala keeps indigenous cows whose dung and urine become natural manure for the farms.
World Environment Day
A plant distribution drive at Laxmi Bhavan Square, Nagpur, on 5 June 2024, with the Regional Officer of the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board.
Trainings at NETRAVAN
14 trainings for forest rights committee members, selling forest produce, and skills for women, and farm field school demonstrations, with Lasenor India CSR support.
With: HDFC Bank, Western Coalfields Ltd, Lasenor India, Ankur Seeds, Bharat Agroecology Fund, Global Greengrants Fund
FY 2023-24
April 2023 to March 2024
Gram Sabhas become planners and employers
NiViM worked with 45 Gram Sabhas of 19 Gram Panchayats, about 3,368 households and 40,000 people. Villages began planning their own forests and running rural employment work themselves.
- 3,368households in 45 Gram Sabhas, about 40,000 people
- 18villages now run rural job scheme (MGNREGS) work themselves
- 14forest care plans prepared by Gram Sabhas
- ₹21,67,653of green tendu leaves sold by the union of village Gram Sabhas
- 150women trained, 12 started their own Gomay businesses
- 60+students studying at the Dnyandeep library
Chala Januya Nadila
A rally to understand the Aam river visited all 22 villages on its banks, flagged off by the Nagpur Collector, Dr. Vipin Itankar (IAS).
Forest rights in practice
Gram Sabhas prepared forest care plans by mapping their own land and forest, with 600 active committee members taking part directly.
Women farmers
23 tribal women formed a farmer producer company to farm together and cut chemical fertiliser, with Lasenor India CSR support.
A tree for every birthday
Nature lovers plant one sapling for each year of their age at NETRAVAN, at ₹500 a plant, cared for three years. ₹2 lakh was raised for 400 plants.
Goshala
30 cattle of 5 Indian breeds at NETRAVAN. A ₹1-a-day campaign raised ₹24,386 in three months, including a gift from Dubai.
Dnyandeep study forum
Open 8 am to 9.30 pm every day at Besa, with a library of 3,000+ books in English, Marathi and Hindi.
With: Lasenor India, Vidarbha Livelihood Forum, Gramayan Pratishthan, Ambuja Foundation, RCOF
FY 2022-23
April 2022 to March 2023
Forest land handed to the people who live by it
9,885 hectares were allotted to the Gram Sabhas of 45 villages in Umred taluka. NiViM trained the new committees, and 21 of them ran their own tendu leaf business for the first time.
- 9,885 haallotted to Gram Sabhas of 45 villages
- ₹52,36,890earned by 21 Gram Sabhas from tendu leaves
- 1,200+villagers made aware of their forest rights
- 116committee members and officials trained at NETRAVAN
Residential trainings
Two batches at NETRAVAN in November 2022 for committee members, forest guards, patwaris and gramsevaks, opened by the SDO and Tahsildar of Umred.
Gram Sabhas working together
The Umred Taluka Gramsabha Mahasangh, a union of village Gram Sabhas, ran the whole tendu work, from selling to transport. Villages agreed not to cut trees or set forest fires before the season.
Aam river survey
Under the Chala Januya Nadila campaign, 15 villages on the Aam river were surveyed with the revenue department.
A women-led committee
At Tikhadi in Parsodi Gram Panchayat, the forest rights committee was formed entirely by women.
With: Lasenor India (CSR), Vidarbha Livelihood Forum, Gramayan Pratishthan, Lok Dnyanpith
FY 2021-22
April 2021 to March 2022
Muniya protected, and forest rights begin
On 11 May 2021 the Government of Maharashtra officially declared 96.01 sq km the Muniya Conservation Reserve, a proposal NiViM first made in 2007. NiViM then turned to the villages around it.
- 96.01 km²officially declared the Muniya Conservation Reserve
- 36Gram Sabhas from 15 Gram Panchayats chosen for forest rights work
- 2cement nala bandhs built with CSR support
- 50students using the Dnyandeep library
Forest rights committees
Between September 2021 and February 2022, Gram Sabhas formed Community Forest Rights Management Committees with gramsevaks and foresters.
Water for soil and wells
Two cement nala bandhs on the stream from Khapari to Davha, with CSR support from MRG Consultants. Wells in Davha rose and the forest stream held water until the end of April.
Indian cow breeds
The goshala keeps Gavlao, Tharparkar, Kankrej and Gir cattle, and trains farmers and women to make soap, ubtan, dhoop and natural pesticides.
Saturday school
Prof. Vivek Wagh taught children in the tribal village of Jambhlapani every Saturday, and their mothers joined sessions on home study.
With: MRG Consultants (CSR), NABARD, ATMA, Wildlife Trust of India
FY 2020-21
April 2020 to March 2021
A pandemic year, and a forest won
COVID-19 stopped most field work and funding nearly dried up. NiViM members kept going with their own money, and on 4 December 2020 the State Wildlife Board approved the Muniya Conservation Reserve.
- ₹7 lakh+spent on COVID relief from own funds and local gifts
- 5,000masks and soaps given to Asha workers in Umred
- 15 lakh Lof water held by 2 gabion bandharas
- 458people trained to make Gomay products
Muniya Conservation Reserve
The State Wildlife Board approved 9,601 hectares, the 9th conservation reserve in Maharashtra and the 3rd in Vidarbha, after work with 30 fringe villages since 2007.
COVID relief
Masks, sanitisers, medicines, pulse oximeters and groceries for villages in Umred and Kuhi, tribal padas near Aarey Colony in Mumbai, and medicine kits for Makardhokda PHC.
Gomay skills centre
Opened at NETRAVAN on 11 October 2020. 98 women from nearby villages made 16 products, sold through self-help groups.
Water for wildlife
Two gabion bandharas on the Khapari to Davha nala, and a tanker-filled water hole for wildlife in the summer of 2021, with Gramayan Pratishthan.
With: Gramayan Pratishthan, NABARD, ATMA, Umred health and panchayat offices
Work with government
For over 25 years NiViM has carried out projects with state and central departments. Some of them:
| Department | Project |
|---|---|
| Ministry of Environment & Forests, through BAIF Pune | National Environment Awareness Campaign since 1998: biodiversity, water, solid waste. |
| Ministry of Human Resource Development, New Delhi | Environment Orientation to School Education, and Education in Human Values, in Nagpur schools. |
| MoEF, through the Maharashtra Forest Department | Evaluation of plantations under the National Afforestation Programme in Nagpur, Bhandara and Chandrapur. |
| Water Supply & Sanitation Department (World Bank project) | Jalswaraj: support organisation for 15 Gram Panchayats in Bhandara and 10 in Nagpur district. |
| Healis Sekhsaria Institute of Public Health, Mumbai | Community training and advocacy for tobacco control under COTPA 2003. |
| Maharashtra Pollution Control Board | Pollution Free Maharashtra 2005: a campaign and exhibition for 5,000 students. |
| NABARD | NGO workshop on local environment problems, women's SHGs, and Farmers Clubs for organic farming. |
| Nagpur Municipal Corporation | Lake conservation awareness and action during festivals. |
| DRDA Nagpur | Compost making through self-help groups, and new self-help groups for poor families. |
| Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation | Training for Gram Sevaks, Sarpanches and block staff under the Rajiv Gandhi Drinking Water Mission. |
| Social Forestry Department, Nagpur and Bhandara | National Green Corps training and IWDP watershed management. |
| Rural Water Supply Department, Maharashtra | Survey of water availability per person in Tumsar, Lakhani and Bhandara talukas. |
| Animal Husbandry Department | Vaccination, de-worming and treatment of animals, birds and snakes. |
| Wildlife Wing, Forest Department | Awareness and action campaigns for wildlife rescue and conservation. |
| Tribal & Forest Departments, Maharashtra | Solar fencing on farms at the forest fringe to reduce crop raiding by wild animals. |
| Jalyukt Shivar, Government of Maharashtra | Nala deepening and cement nala bandhs to recharge aquifers for farms and wildlife. |
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