GUWAHATI, Dec 6: The Balipara Foundation has honoured Padma Shri awardee from West Jaintia Hills, Trinity Saioo, for spearheading the women-led turmeric farming movement in Meghalaya.
“This year’s Annual Balipara Foundation Awards jointly went to Trinity Saioo and Association for Environmental Preservation, Mizoram, for work in organic farming and conservation action for wildlife respectively,” a statement said on Sunday.
“Her initiative has allowed women farmers to triple their income. From a modest start in 2003 with 25 other farmer women, Saioo’s self-help group (SHG) farmer collective has now grown to around 800 women farmers in Meghalaya, all of whom farm organically and cultivate Lakadong turmeric,” the statement said.
The Association for Environmental Preservation (Mizoram) has been working towards creating awareness and taking action towards wildlife and biodiversity conservation.
“From carrying out activities that would advocate for conservation, the organisation also works towards developing plans to address matters of ecological restoration through sustainable development,” the statement added.
The 8th Balipara Foundation Awards recognised the extraordinary visionaries of the Eastern Himalayas and their indomitable contribution, who continue to live in harmony with nature and adopt sustainable methods for greening the economy
This year, the Balipara Foundation launched two Lifetime Service Awards, celebrating national and international achievements. This year’s international award was given to Tin Tin Saw from Myanmar, who started community forestry in her village to stop illegal logging and mining for construction.
The national Lifetime Service Award went to Parimal Chandra Bhattacharjee, an academic and a retired professor of Gauhati University.
Bhattacharjee had pioneered many wetland studies, primatology and biodiversity studies across Northeast India, and went on to become a mentor to many leading figures of the region in conservation.
The eighth edition of the Balipara Foundation awards was preceded by a four-day one-of-a-kind virtual edition of the 8th Eastern Himalayan Naturenomics Forum 2020 which brought together global leaders and experts to discuss the theme of “Ecology is Economy.”