Social and caste system:

There are 90 families in the village out of which 50 have their own land. On an average, the ratio of
earning members to dependents in the family is 2:4. The villagers are divided into 3 main castes namely
Kokana, Varli and Thakur as per the hierarchy, with Kokana being at the top. People from Kokana have
their own land holding which give them upper position in the socio-economic ladder. They usually work
in their own fields and employ labor only when necessary. Laborers employed are usually from Thakur
caste and at times from nearby villages. However, around the festival seasons, most of the villagers go
out to places like Bhiwandi and Thane to earn extra money. The caste division has no impact on school
enrolment.

Labor environment:
The landowners of the village own around 4-5 acres of land. When required they employ labor from the
same and from adjacent villages. The participation of women in labor is at par with the men. The wage
rate is same for both genders, which is around 100-200 rupees per day. Due to the presence of
perennial source of water in Vanavasi, agriculture is possible throughout the year.

Gender diversity:
Enrolment in schools are equal for both the genders. There is no discrimination against women in any
aspect in the family except the land holdings (men possess the lands of the family).

Women, diet and nutrition:

Women take 3 meals in a day and a typical meal comprise of cereals such as Raagi and Rice, Pulses, and
vegetables. Anganwadi present in the village provides specials meals to the pregnant women. There is a
clinic at the end of the village whose nurses visit the village regularly for check-ups and vaccination
drives.

Health care and infant mortality:

There’s a clinic at the end of the village. Nurses visit the village regularly for health check-ups
and vaccines. Earlier belief in the babas for treatment of the ailments is seems to shift to
doctor-based treatments.
Education:
We observed there is one Anganwaadi school which provides education till standard IVth and
remaining schooling is done in schools in Jawhar and its add value to students in terms of basic
language and arithmetic.
Agrarian structure:
Generally, paddy is grown throughout the area. In some areas Jasmine (Mogra) is grown which
is collected everyday by 7 A.M. in the local market and sold at market prices every day.
Revenue is received by farmers once a month with due receipts
Concept of wadis:
There are certain fenced lands of certain acres in which various fruits like mangoes, bananas
and vegetables like cucumber are grown.
The farmers sight the presence of perennial river a reason for successful cultivation of wadis.
They rarely use fertilizers and mostly use cow dung and goat’s shit which retains the quality of
the soil over years.
When asked about availability of inputs, they said they conserve it and use the seeds of the
remaining plants for further cultivation.
When asked about insurance, there is availability of Pradhan Mantri Bima yojna but no one
takes it as it expensive and they are risk takers.
The information is disseminated through cooperative group, BAIF and VAW (Village Agriculture
Workers) and credit is available for free for domestic purposes.
Land governance:
The ownership is well documented and it is renewed every 6 months. Once deceased the land of the
owner passes on to wife and then to sons and daughters respectively.
Village Council and Part

Irrigation and Water

Since there is no scarcity of water no harvesting technique is employed.

Drinking water sources for both human and livestock comes from a nearby canal and bawdi. Since there is
no scarcity of water no harvesting technique is employed. The drinking water for humans is made potable
by adding TCL.

Water for irrigation is also provided by the nearby canal.

Common Pool Resources (CPRs)

There is no common grazing land or allotted lands. There are no rules for utilizing the forest or water
resources.
Self-help Groups (SHGs), Civil society and Challenges

Currently there are 6 SHGs working in the area. They are helping the local families in saving money and
helping them whenever needed. Here farmers don’t take loans. Whenever they need money they borrow
from within the villagers. There is no interest imposed on the loans.

In Vanvasi BAIF introduced the concept of Wadi(Orchard) for plantation of crop. Initially they provided
the farmers with 10 guavas and 30 cashew nut saplings for free and trained villagers grafting technique.
Farmers were even introduced to the concept of Jasmine cultivation. They helped them in forming
cooperatives and selling the jasmine in the Dadar market. Besides this they also provided them support for
installing solar panel and solar pump. Farmers were even educated about drop irrigation and the subsidies
available on poly-houses, machinery like power tiller and tractor.