Manesiri (women-led producer collective)

The Manesiri initiative emerged as a locally-led effort to address community health and nutritional needs while promoting collective ownership and sustainability. Driven by Health Navigators (HNs) from Channapatna and supported by Design Beku, Manesiri incorporates local knowledge, health advocacy, and community-led business. It serves as a vital step toward leveraging shared resources and collective action to promote holistic health and financial stability, demonstrating how small, community-driven efforts can develop into transformative projects. The journey of Manesiri began in May 2023 with a simple yet impactful idea: collective ownership through shared contributions. During a team discussion, the group decided to pool personal contributions of 500 INR per member each month to create a shared fund. Within three months, the group had enough funds to venture into an experiment in a local enterprise, using millets as the foundation.

The first experiment involved sourcing, packaging, and selling locally grown millet in the community. The initial offering was straightforward—raw millet packs in half and one-kilogram sizes. However, this effort quickly revealed the initiative’s potential. As the HNs distributed the products, they gathered insights into community needs and priorities, which helped shape Manesiri’s offerings, particularly addressing the challenge of incorporating millet into daily diets.