Mannath Village - Global Ecovillage Network

Mannath village, is a small hamlet, situated near the north border of Maharashtra adjoining with Madhya Pradesh in forests of central India. It is a home for over 750 people with quite a vivid social and cultural life.

The village inhabitants are subsistent farmers who grow cottton, soybean, groundnut, pigeon pea and wheat every year, with heavy aid of chemicals and fertilizers. Most of the land is under mono orchard plantations of orange and sweet lemon, while their alternative livelihoods depend on herding cows, goats and sheeps.

The most evident challenge faced in our scenario is the severe depletion of ground water level that has led to a declaration of this region under water stressed area.The village is also aligned on one edge with the forest territory, which brings in incidences of human-wildlife conflict quite often few times an year.

We aim to establish a farmer resource and learning centre, where we can demonstrate the practices of earthworks for rain water harvesting by designing and digging of swales, ponds, trenches, gully plugs with measurement and marking of contours to slow, sink and spread water movement through the landscape while providing on-ground facilitation of training and rural livelihood generation.

We wish to arrange for :

Material and resources for water harvesting structures
Stabilise the soil and prevent erosion
Establish and promote native trees nursery
Commence plantation with villagers participation
Organize seed bank for community sharing
Grow edible landscapes for vegetable production
Encourage mixed cropping systems for food security
Empower women and build their capacity through hands-on intuitive workshops for livelihood generation of local handicrafts
Organise workshops for youth learning and orientation towards chemical free farming.

Membership & Visitors

Current members: 750
Open to new members
Open to visitors

Visit to Mannath village and engaging with the farmers would involve meeting with community members to understand their needs, challenges, and ongoing initiatives.

Expressing genuine interest by discussing ideas or offering skills and resources that align with the village's goals in contributing to the community's activities is crucial.

Getting involved in ongoing projects or initiatives within the village to integrate into the community could range from participating in agricultural activities to assisting with environmental conservation efforts.

Respect and appreciation towards the local customs, traditions, and culture of Mannath village will help build trust and foster positive relationships with community members.

Community's development goals need sharing of knowledge, provision of hands-on training and workshops, for supporting and creating awareness primarily for regenerative farming, water conservation, soil prevention and biodiverse plantation methods.

A collaboration on projects, demonstrating a commitment to long-term engagement creates and builds stronger relationships to foster over time.

Supporting women-led initiatives such as health and hygiene campaigns, capacity building to develop their inherent art into handicrafts for off-season livelihood security to ensure their well-being.

Being informed about ongoing developments in the village brings flexible in adapting to local needs and priorities ensures effective integration and meaningful contribution.