Manibhai Desai was a renowned Gandhian freedom fighter, pioneer of rural development, and cooperative social reformer. Entrusted by Mahatma Gandhi in 1946 to manage the Nature Cure Ashram at Uruli Kanchan near Pune, he established the BAIF Development Research Foundation (formerly Bharatiya Agro Industries Foundation). He leveraged cooperative mechanisms to introduce cross-breeding programs, frozen semen technology, and watershed management, lifting millions of landless and smallholder farm families out of poverty.
- April 27, 1920 – November 14, 1993
- Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.): Graduated in Physics and Mathematics from the University of Bombay (Surat/Pune) before joining the Quit India Movement in 1942.
- Place of Origin: Born in Kosmada village, Surat district, Gujarat.
- Father: Bhimbhai Desai (a respected agrarian leader) | Mother: Ramiben Desai.
- Founder and Managing Trustee of BAIF Development Research Foundation
- Founder of Uruli Kanchan Cooperative Joint Farming Society and Lift Irrigation Societies
- Chief Architect of the "Wadi" (Agri-Horti-Forestry) cooperative model for tribal communities
- Cattle & Livestock Cooperative Revolution: Introduced artificial insemination and frozen semen technology through cooperative livestock breeding centers across Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Rajasthan, drastically improving dairy cattle yields for smallholders.
- Tribal Empowerment (The Wadi Model): Engineered cooperative orchard-farming programs on degraded wasteland, enabling over a million scheduled tribe families to achieve sustainable, long-term food security and income.
- Instructional field manuals, whitepapers, and monographs on livestock crossbreeding, cattle nutrition, and land regeneration through community cooperatives.
- Ramon Magsaysay Award for Public Service (1982)
- Padma Shri (1968)
- Jamnalal Bajaj Award for Outstanding Contribution to Constructive Work (1983)