Manjari Corner
Manjari Foundation honored with the Award for outstanding contribution to social consciousness at the prestigious World CSR Congress 2025. Manjari has been honored with the prestigious award of 'Asia's Most Trusted NGO to Work With' at the Asia Pacific Future Leadership Skills 2025. A 1-day exposure visit to the Agriculture Science Congress 2025 at G.B. Pant Agricultural University, Pantnagar was organized for 50 farmers from Scheduled Tribes where they received training on goat farming and input support. Two of our Community Resource Persons from Dholpur conducted garlic pickle training at a Rajeevika unit in Rajsamand, as part of our collaboration with Axis Bank Foundation.

Renewable Energy

Renewable And Clean Energy

Our renewable energy interventions are aligned with #SDG7- Affordable and Clean Energy wherein our main focus is on building knowledge of farmers around how to harness renewable energy sources. Our major interventions are facilitating solar-based irrigation pumps and solar lights to help kids and families during night hours and also street lights in remote villages.

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Overview

At Manjari Foundation, we are committed to creating a sustainable future for rural communities. With a focus on reducing carbon footprint and promoting eco-friendly solutions, we have launched Renewable Energy initiatives in Banda and Sitarganj. Our mission is to empower villages with clean, renewable energy and mitigate the impact of climate change.

Approach and Strategy

To reduce carbon footprint and ensure optimum power energy to the rural communities, Manjari Foundation along with the support of HDFC Bank’s Focus Rural Development Programme Parivartan promoting chemical free farming practices. The project will also ensure clean and renewable energy solutions for 70 villages and help to attain sustainable development. In addition, the villagers will be sensitised by forming a beneficiary group to engage the gram panchayat and local government bodies for maintaining the facility. 700 Solar street lights have been installed and 

Solving Farmers' Irrigation Problems Through a Community Solar Energy Pump

Manjari Foundation has recently started working with marginalized communities in Block Badokhar Khurd, District Banda, facilitating Producer groups, development committees and Jal Samitis. Community projects developed around existing social structures are more likely to sustain. Recently Manjari has set up 27 Community-based solar irrigation systems. The strategy is to promote chemical free farming by providing irrigation access in order to increase the livelihood of the farmers. Jal Samiti has has been formed to manage this solar irrigation systems. The main objective of these systems is to irrigate up to 30-35 acres of land from each pump installed. The members of Jal Samiti's varies depending on the land holding size. Collectively, 236 farmers are benefitting from the solar system, harnessing its power to enhance their agricultural activities. Simultaneously, their efforts are irrigating a vast expanse of 860 acres of land, fostering chemical free farming practices and contributing to agricultural productivity. Installing agricultural solar shared pumps had a transformative impact on farmers, communities, and the environment. Economically, these pumps reduced reliance on costly diesel or grid electricity, lowering operational expenses and making irrigation more affordable, especially for smallholder farmers. By improving access to reliable water sources, they enhanced agricultural productivity, leading to higher yields and more stable incomes. Socially, shared pumps fostered community cooperation, as farmers collaborated to manage and maintain the system. They also reduced the physical burden on women and marginalized farmers who often struggled with manual irrigation. Environmentally, solar-powered pumps replaced fossil fuel-driven alternatives, cutting carbon emissions and promoting sustainable water use. By ensuring consistent irrigation, these systems enabled multiple cropping cycles, improved produce quality, and supported the diversification of crops, ultimately contributing to an increase in the livelihood of farmers.

Estimating the daily power production for each 1 kW of solar panels involves considering factors such as solar panel efficiency, peak sun hours, and the number of hours of sunlight. 1 kW of solar Panel can generate 4 Units per day throughout the year. Each Solar irrigation pump can generate 29 Units per day, comprising 205 Units per day. The efficiency of a Polycrystalline/mono solar panel depends on the efficiency, which varies from 15% to 17%. Throughout the year 27 Solar pump system collectively has the capacity of producing 2,85,795 units.

As per Carbon Emission baseline database for the Indian power sector by the Government of India Central electricity authority. It took 0.82 kg CO2/kWh to generate 1 unit of electricity and 0.76 kg CO2/kWh for 5 HP diesel pumps which again can generate 1 unit in Wh unit. Resulting in a reduction of CO2 emissions by 285.78 tons in the Solar pump. The programme will have a significant impact on the environment by reducing CO2 emissions in two phases by reducing CO2 emissions via Solar-based interventions and saving the other costs, which include the savings in electricity, cost and water rent cost for irrigation in agriculture throughout the year. The implementation of solar-based interventions, including solar irrigation pumps and solar street lights, has demonstrated a substantial reduction in CO2 emissions and significant cost savings. Overall, this program serves as a pivotal step towards sustainable development, illustrating the effectiveness of solar technologies in mitigating environmental impact and fostering economic resilience.

   

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'Manjari’ literally translates to “seed of Tulsi”, a sacred Indian plant. When women mobilise themselves to form institutions, they are empowered to sow their own ‘seeds of change’.