By Our Special Correspondent
SHILLONG: Phrang Roy, former Assistant President, International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), has been invited by Prince Charles of the United Kingdom as one of the speakers on food security in the light of global climate change and its deleterious impact on agriculture and food production.
Prince Charles has invited this small group of individuals playing leadership roles in philanthropy to start a dialogue on whether it is possible to develop a more integrated and strategic approach towards providing a healthy and sustainable food supply to a growing population against a background of climate change, resource depletion and food insecurity.
This meeting which will include Bill Gates and other Foundations will be meeting at the country home of Prince Charles in Highgrove, UK on June 28 and 29.
Phrang Roy, who has been involved in the Slow Food Movement is the promoter of the newly registered North East Slow Food and Agro-biodiversity Society. He has been asked to give a presentation and lead the discussion on new strategies for a more humane and sustainable world.
Phrang Roy is currently an invited international speaker on the issue of revitalizing and adding value to local food systems. His view is that modern planners have not fully understood the context-rich expertise of the more than 300 million strong indigenous communities.
“Indigenous peoples across the world are knowledge holders but they are threatened by deforestation, mining, loss of biodiversity, land grabs and well intentioned but top down development schemes. The rapid erosion of these unique knowledge systems through such extractive and destructive initiatives is alarming and it is like burning down a library,” Phrang Roy says.
In recent years this former administrator has been diligently working to get the International Slow Food Movement to hold its International Indigenous Conference and Festival in Mawphlang in May 2014.
This Conference proposes to have over 150 foreign participants who will be staying with Khasi families around Hima Mawphlang.
The State Government is providing all support with the hope that Meghalaya and North East India can rediscover its own food heritage and agriculture through this high profile Festival of more healthy, more local and more sustainable food.
Apart from well known international speakers and tribal leaders around the world, there will also be world class chefs to experiment with the idea of adding glamour to the local food systems.