Gram sabha in Pahivir village, where men, womena nd even children participate to talk about their concerns and resolve thjem as community.. Gram sabha also plays an important role in deciding how the income from forest resources should be consumed and used for the welfare of community.

Lakshmi Ganesh Jagdo has been involved in multiple tasks of CFRA in Pahivir village. She is also an ASHA worker and runs ration shop in the village. CFRA has enabled villagers not only economically but also resolve lot of social issues. One of the issues was to make women empowered and bring more opportunities to them. The village ration shop earlier was 8 kilometres away from the village and after mutual consensus now it is with in the village which saves a lot of effort and time for all.

Bharat Ramu Dhurve was a migrant worker for more than 10 years until he found stability and work in his own village after the implementation of CFRA. He worked in multiple states Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh for 4-5 months each year as a daily wage labourer. While he used to go away, his family stayed back in the village. Now, he feels extremely satisfied working in his own village, staying with his family throughout the year and making sufficient money.

Bamboo is one of important forest produce in these villages, especially in Rahu village which has 1367 hectare mixed forest. After CFRA, the villagers are allowed to maintain, trim, cut and sale the bamboo directly to the buyer. Almost 400 villagers men and women remain involved for 4-5 months in bamboo cutting. Before CFRA, the villagers used to work as daily wage labourers under the contractor and used to make much lesser money. Now, they make a profit of 20 lakh each year, which goes to gramsabha for further expenditures of village.

Jamuna Babu Tote, an elderly woman cleans the lentils, grown in her field. Amravati district hardly 1000 kilometre away from Mumbai is majorly an agriculture region. Erratic rainfall often affects the crop and economic conditions of villagers. But having access to forest under CFRA, it allows villagers to use minor produce for personal use as well as to sell the produce collectively which helps them become economically reliant.

Dinesh kalu Dahikar, 28 from Pahivir village and Mahadev (on right) from Khoj NGO checking on water pump. After applying a range of water restoration methods, the ground water condition has drastically improved, resulting to better bio diversity in the forest.

Rahu village has 1367 hectare of mixed forest but majorly bamboo. Under CFRA, now the villagers own the bamboo produce and able to sell it off on a good price. Their turn-over is 50-70 lakh per year, which has made them financially independent. Almost 400 villagers out of 600 population are involved in cutting and selling bamboos.

Lakshmi Ganesh Jagdo shows a starand of fooder, which cattles consumes. She has been involved in multiple tasks of CFRA in Pahivir village. She is also an ASHA worker and runs ration shop in the village. CFRA has enabled villagers not only economically but also resolve lot of social issues. One of the issues was to make women empowered and bring more opportunities to them. The village ration shop earlier was 8 kilometres away from the village and after mutual consensus now it is with in the village which saves a lot of effort and time for all.

Dinesh kalu Dahikar, 28 from Pahivir village is one of the persons among the youth group who actively participate in securing the forest, maintenance of water resources and manage the produce. There is a net of water pipes spread across the forest for regular supply. After applying a range of water restoration methods, the ground water condition has drastically improved, resulting to better bio diversity in the forest.

Since the community has tarted managnging forest since the year 2012 in Pahivir, the villagers have better accesibility to the forest. They are also allowed to use some of the specific area for controlled grazing of animals and has sufficient fodder throughout the year. As a consequnce most of the villagers now own more cows and buffalo; and often they sell the milk for extra income.

A villager shows the shedded skin of King Cobra. Villagers have been actively involved in maintaining the forest in Naya Kheda. Since 2012, after implementation of CRFA the forest's landscape has completely changed. The forest is much more dense and has thriving wildlife leopard, sloth bear , etc.

Cattles grazing in pahivir forest. Since the implementation of CFRA, villagers decide the area and months when cattles can be brough to the forest for contolled grazing. That way, the villagers are able to save saplings and small trees from being destroyed.

A woman from Kokru tribe, one fo the tribes in Western Amravati shows her traditional tattoo. It center around a holy/medicianal plant- tulsi which is grown in the courtyard of most of the houses.

Raam Laal Poona Ji Kale, 36 is one of the youth member of community who is actively involved in forest management, water management and also educating the children about the forest and its resources. Pahvivir was one of the firrst villages of excisie the Community Forest Rights.

Photograph inside a house in Pahivir. With modernisation having a cable TV and smart phones is very common in tribal villages. That allows them to stay connected to the world and stay educated despite being physically far from the metropolitan cities.

Group of youth who have been actively involved planting 75000 teak trees in naya Kheda forest. Since 2012, after implementation of CRFA the forest's landscape has completely changed. The forest is much more dense and has thriving wildlife leopard, sloth bear , etc. The youth plan to make a forest walking trail and invite tourists to enjoy this slice of nature.

IN Pahivir village, after applying a range of water restoration methods, the ground water condition has drastically improved, resulting to better bio diversity in the forest.

Photograph of a junior government school in Pahivir village. With the money available from selling the forest resources, a new school was built. Also, the parents are now more engaged with their children and concerned about future. Having enough money and work allow parents to be more physically and emotionally available for their children.

A large portion of the forest in Upat Kheda village was submerged in the water. As part of CFRA, the community excised their right to fish in the water and it added an additional source to their income.

CFRA allows villagers to maintain, access and sale the minor produce. The money received from the resources goes to gramsabha and used in multiple ways to improve villages infrastructure, education and other social needs.

Along with improving the forest, villagers have also working to improve community diary. Together they decide on the which breed to be bought, how to manage the sale of the milk. With the improvement in the forest, they have fodder available throughout the year which used to be difficult before CFRA was implemnted.

The villages in west Amravati district where CFRA is not implemented, the difference is visible. In terms of forest cover, it can be easily identified that forest is not well maintained. A group of men from Borala village explain that how they need to go out from their state in search of work and they are also willing to implement CFRA, in hope that it would improve their economic conditions.

A photograph of weekly night market in Pahivir village. The villagers buy their weekly essentials from here, otherwise they would need to walk quite a bit. The shopkeepers are msoly ftom outside, but also local villagers bring their produce to sell it off.

Asha Nand Kishore, a woman from Korkru tribe on her way to forest to collect the fallen woods for the fuel. Under CRFA villagers get different rights on minor and major produce from the forest. They are now able to collect the fallen woods without being restricted by forest department.