ABOUT MANUVIKASA

MANUVIKASA is an NGO registered in 2003 and is non-political in nature. The organization is having the vision of “Development of sustainable livelihood, improve education, enriched environment and development of good human values”.
MANUVIKASA is developing water harvesting structures and these structures improve the accessibility of water and improve the economic condition of the agrarian communities. So far MANUVIKASA has rejuvenated 223 medium and large-sized lakes developed 3813 Farm Ponds and springs and 12222 farmers and more than 33758 acres of agricultural land benefited. They have been harvesting 4524 million liters of rainwater every year.
MANUVIKASA is improving the capacity of the small land-holding farmers to increase crop production and income by providing inputs on sustainable agriculture, horticulture and fishery. 

MANUVIKASA has formed 2640 Self Help Groups and 1500 Joint Liability Groups and extended 50 Crores of microfinance to 10000 rural poor for income generation activities.
MANUVIKASA has promoted the five Farmers Producer Companies, these companies are working with farmers on input supply, introducing new farming technologies, processing of crops, and value addition. Pragatimitra Cooperative serves the financial need of 3000 SHG members and farmers to improve income generation activities.
MANUVIKASA planted 40000 saplings through community participation and protecting and conserving 45000 acres of community forest land. They have supported forest-dependent communities to develop energy-efficient stoves for hot water, cooking and processing of agricultural products and reduced 16000Kg CO2 emissions every day.
MANUVIKASA is also supporting 35000 rural women especially forest dependents for entrepreneurship to develop alternative livelihoods. The organization has been working with Siddi tribes, organizing them and providing alternative livelihoods. Fisherwomen in coastal Karnataka are organized under a producer organization and support them to increase the fish resources through alternative fish production and value-added products with better selling prices.


MANUVIKASA targeting to revive 3 rivers: the Aghanashi, Bedti, and Varada rivers in the northern part of Western Ghats. MANUVIKASA has established a learning center for agriculture water resources and climate change for the community and academicians.

OUR HISTORY

After the Independence, the economic condition of India was very pathetic. To overcome this situation the government implemented various projects and plans, of these, few got successful and few failed. Some of the stakeholders observed this situation and decided to run the projects through NGOs. Surprisingly it worked. By the 1980s this NGO concept spread nationwide. Some of the like-minded, rural youths of Karjagi village of Siddapur Taluk, Uttara Kannada District noticed the scenario and decided to start an organization to address key issues in the year 2003, Hence the MANUVIKASA.

OUR STORY AND INNOVATION

MANUVIKASA is working in semi-arid zones 05 Districts of the Northern part of Karnataka. It’s a tropical and coastal region. Most people rely on agriculture as a source of income. A reliable source of water for agriculture and drinking became scarce in these areas. This had a detrimental effect on the surrounding ecosystem and the rural communities means of subsistence. This circumstance indirectly affects children and results in not attending school, this happens is because of the lack of food supply and increased rate of food commodities. Later people began to migrate in quest of food security. The participatory approach is always MANUVIKASA's on-the-go strategy for engaging the rural community. The organization has strategically started several initiatives to improve the economic situation of the rural people, including the rejuvenation of waterbodies, the construction of farm ponds and water harvesting pits in the community forest lands, and educational support for the poor and orphan students.
MANUVIKASA developed a peculiar Lake Rejuvenation strategy. For the intervention, the silted lakes have been identified by the MANUVIKASA experts’ team, in the groundwater exploited area; Lake rejuvenation using a novel speed work idea, where the evacuated silt is employed as manure in the agricultural fields while splitting costs with the farmers. The lakes instantly demonstrate the effects on the ecosystem, including changes in crop patterns, groundwater levels, and inhabitants' quality of life, such as an increase in biodiversity and decreased human-wildlife conflicts. Other improvements include the preservation of Betta land, a capacity-building program for rural women, the development of different models for drought and flood control in riparian ecosystems, and the protection of biodiversity to lessen reliance on trees to reduce human-wildlife conflict. 

MANUVIKASA also enhanced the living condition of Siddi tribals and gave proper training on Bee Keeping, now they are less dependent on wild honeybees and increasing their income through domestic beekeeping. MANUVIKASA has set up a Honey Cluster in Yellapur Taluk, where the Siddi tribal families are large in number. Construction of smoke-free Stoves using revolving funds.
Instead of choosing a business model, with the assistance of the desired personnel and donors, MANUVIKASA want to improve the income of rural people by protecting the environment through sustainable and affordable techniques.

Mr. Ganapati H. Bhat a son of farmer Mr. Harishchandra Bhat and Mrs. Jahnavi Bhat born on 22nd February 1980 at Karajagi, a remote village in SiddapurTaluq of Uttara Kannada district. He is associated with social development since 2001 when he was 21 years old! He has done his master’s degree in Political Science. In his early career, Mr. Bhat was associated with TRDC, RUDSET and CLACK where he was instrumental in achieving many key accomplishments like bringing back over 8000 school dropout students to school and mainstream society, dairy farming movement that helped around thousands of farmer families, implementation of ‘Tropical fruit tree conservation project’ in Uttara Kannada etc. 

He is passionate about the upliftment of underprivileged. As a result, he has been selected as Paragon 100 fellow from Foundation for Youth Social Entrepreneurship, Beijing. This fellowship was given in 2009 to Asia Pacific’s most inspiring young entrepreneurs and social change makers. Upon gaining significant exposure of social-economic issues, potential solution, and the impact it could create, he was motivated to do it more aggression in his own unique way with unleashing his potential. With this context, he parted his way from Deshpande – R-SETI upon accomplishing many unique initiatives. He started working with MANUVIKASA, a non-governmental and non-profit organization with an intention to make the positive change in the lives of poor, women, farmers, children that are less fortunate but could do well if a helping hand is extended towards them. 

Mr. Bhat possesses a sound knowledge on natural resource conservation, bio-diversity conservation, and women empowerment, rural development etc. Currently, he is heading MANUVIKASA as its Managing Trustee since 2010. Under his leadership, MANUVIKASA has developed over 3200 farm ponds, developed over 12000 soak pits at the hilly land to improve the percolation of the rainwater, rejuvenated 180 lakes impacting that collectively impact the lives of over 10000 farmers and 25000 acres of farm and forest land. Further to assist farmer community, he has promoted 1Farmer Producer Companywhichassists over 5000 members every year through various service delivery, marketing, and value addition. Women empowerment initiatives have assisted over 30,000 women through collectivization under self-help groups, livelihood training and handholding, financial inclusion to the tune of around INR 52.45 Crore. 

Mr. Bhat has the vision to rejuvenate 1000 lakes and assist 50,000 women through MANUVIKASA in coming years. During his stint with MANUVIKASA since 2002 until now, he has accomplished many more unique milestones that are remarkable in the space of grassroot nonprofit organizations working for the benefit of the people at the bottom of the economic pyramid.

OUR STAFF

OUR BOARD

WHERE WE WORK