Kadike Trust was born from an initiative of a few like-minded friends with the objective of nurturing sustainable rural livelihoods and indigenous knowledge systems that face the risk of being pushed into oblivion by modern unsustainable technologies.

The first project taken up by the Trust was a campaign to “Save the Udupi Saree”. The weaving of the Udupi Saree is a unique art practised in the two coastal districts of Karnataka, namely Udupi and Dakshina Kannada. Weaving in these districts was once one of the main sources of livelihood, next only to agriculture in terms of the number of people employed. This exquisite art had come close to extinction due to various reasons.

Since Kadike Trust started its revival efforts in the year 2018, the scenario has changed significantly. As a result of the intervention of the Trust, the number of weavers has nearly doubled. While weavers who had left for other jobs have returned to the profession, young weavers have taken to the profession for the first time in three decades.

The Trust has reprinted a book on 220 medicinal plants compiled by an Ayurveda professor based on the narrations of many rural indigenous herbal experts.

Kadike Trust was awarded as one of the three NGOs associated with NABARD for its outstanding performance in the field of Handloom sector in 2021 by H. O. NABARD Mumbai.