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Protecting the Sacred Groves

Sahyadri Community

Development and

Women Empowerment

Society (SCODWES)

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    

,

more than 100 kilometers from any major

city, SCODWES, or Sahyadri Community

Development and Women Empowerment

Society, runs its programmes that

cover health and sanitation, sustainable

agriculture, capacity development, creating

livelihood opportunities, rehabilitation,

ecology and environmental development

for the tribes, indigenous communities and

small and marginal farmers in the area.

Initially, SCODWES was supported

by the state Department of Agriculture to

implement its ‘Savayava Bhagya Yojane’

through which several agriculture and

watershed development projects were

implemented by the NGO in Karnataka.

is involves soil and water conservation,

introducing farmers to organic methods

of agriculture and mobilizing thousands of

them into federations and farmer producer

companies (PCs) so that they can have a

collective voice. SCODWES also works to

strengthen the capacity of the communities

through participatory involvement in social

and environmental management and builds

capacity of farmers for sustainable use to

Founded by Dr. Venkatesh L Naik in 2005

SCODWES, or Sahyadri Community

Development and Women

Empowerment Society, helps people

transform their lives with dignity

and equality. Its goal is integrated

development of tribes and indigenous

communities, small and marginal

farmers, and Endosulfan pesticide-

affected victims and their families in

Karnataka. SCODWES is a 100 per

cent compliant organization, has ISO

9001:2015 certification and is accredited

with the Guidestar Gold Transparency

Certificate. It works in 18 districts of

Karnataka with a beneficiary base of 1

million plus, which is growing every day.