Pancham Initiative since: 2020
Pimparwadi
Pimparwadi, located in Junnar Taluka of Pune district, is home to over 700 residents. Agriculture, primarily rice cultivation during the monsoon season, is the village’s main source of livelihood. However, limited year-round employment opportunities compel many residents to seek seasonal work elsewhere. Situated near the scenic Konkankada region, Pimparwadi possesses significant untapped potential for eco-tourism and rural tourism, creating opportunities for sustainable livelihoods and economic growth.
Local Partner
RSCD (Resource and Support Centre for Development)
Location
Junnar Taluka, Pune district, Maharashtra, India
Village social handle :
A Village Transforming Through Community Action
Pancham Achievements
Empowering Local Governance
Under the PESA Act, every revenue village in tribal extended areas has the right to hold an independent Gram Sabha. This Gram Sabha is granted the legal authority to prepare a development plan for the village and make crucial decisions based on village needs.
MF Pancham supported Pimparwadi’s Village Development Committee (VDC) to adopt PESA and conduct its first Gram Sabha which eventually became the primary decision-making body for ‘village development’ and ‘local self-governance’.
- Historical First: On August 19, 2025, Pimparwadi village exercised its PESA Act rights by hosting its first independent Gram Sabha with 45 active villagers.
- Financial Autonomy: This milestone allows the village to directly plan and utilize dedicated PESA funds for local development for the very first time.
- Key Resolutions: The community approved a dedicated labor budget, advanced gender equity by installing joint-ownership nameplates on 156 homes, and initiated establishment of a local rice processing unit.
Sustainable livelihood
- Establishing a community-owned rice milling cooperative to process and market traditional unpolished / hand-pounded rice (हात सडीचा तांदूळ), creating greater value and sustainable income for local farmers.
- Developing the village's tourism potential by training local guides, promoting eco-tourism, and supporting families in establishing ‘homestays’ to generate year-round livelihoods.
Health
- Installation of 2 decentralized Water ATM systems ensures that villagers have continuous access to clean drinking water, leading to a significant decrease in local waterborne illness.
- Strengthen community healthcare through health surveys, preventive health camps, and training village health workers to work alongside ASHA workers.
Education
- Promote lifelong learning by offering adult literacy programs enhancing educational and employment opportunities.
- Setting up a computer lab for increasing computer literacy amongst youth, basic computer training for school-going kids, with a train-the-trainer model in place.
Finger Millet (Ragi / Nachani नाचणी) Cultivation
Pimparwadi village is situated on mountain slopes and a plateau. Consequently, while the area has a highly favorable climate for finger millet (ragi) cultivation, local farmers traditionally focus on rice farming. Crop cultivation on the hilly slopes is either non-existent or done on a very minimal scale. To introduce the high nutritional and health benefits of finger millet, ragi cultivation was initiated under the Pancham Integrated Village Development Project.
- Slope Land Optimization: Introduced nutritional finger millet (ragi) cultivation to utilize uncultivated mountain slopes under the Pancham Project.
- Biodiversity Exploration: Partnered with Kalsubai’s local "Millet Man" to source and test 17 distinct high-yield Ragi / Nachani seed varieties.
- Community Seed Bank: Established a self-sustaining local seed bank via a 1.25x post-harvest seed return model.
- Scientific Trial Plots: Deployed 4 preliminary demonstration plots to verify local soil germination capacity and optimal climate compatibility.
- Pilot Farming Phase: Scaled cultivation across 1.5 hectares with 8 local farmers despite severe challenges from unseasonal monsoons.
- Climate & Harvest Timeline: Managed a 120-to-135 day crop maturation cycle, positioning actual production and harvest for December.
10
School with modernized classrooms
2300
acres of farmland have come under assured irrigation
10
Water ATMs
Installed
10
Women led FPO
(Agromillet)
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