SHILLONG, June 19: A group of farmers from the state were familiarised with good farming practices recently during an exposure trip to France.
Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Department Minister, Ampareen Lyngdoh led the team.
She told media persons on Monday the Government of France through its External Affairs Ministry allowed the participation of the Meghalaya farmers in the Grenoble mart. The trip also had an aspect on climate change in farming practices.
Lyngdoh said the farmers, comprising winemakers, weavers and others, were exposed to good practices during discussions with the farmers of several countries.
She claimed the farmers from Meghalaya understood marketing, including how they should design and package their products and identify buyers and know their expectations.
The participants from the other countries were keen to know if the products of Meghalaya are organic.
Lyngdoh said the trip gave the Meghalaya farmers also an idea on how farmers collaborate with clusters to achieve international standards since farming in the state is mostly done on individual lands.
“These farmers will be our ambassadors. They will explain to their farmer friends how they can ensure quality control and save lives,” Lyngdoh said, adding that since Meghalaya is an agriculture practicing state, the ideas gathered from France will be of great benefit for the farmers of the state.
Meghalaya was invited to be a participant at the Cities in Transition Biennial, 2023 in Grenoble, between June 8 and 11. The participants got a platform to learn best practices from a cohort of more than 50 cities from around the world and address challenges in economic, ecological, social, and democratic transitions.
The event, which was organised by the City Council of Grenoble, discussed issues such as mobility, management of public spaces as well as social, economic and ecological transitions through the medium of workshops, conferences, meetings and other activities. The need to strengthen alliances between civil society and local government was a key message shared across different events in the Biennial.
The Biennial was hosted in Grenoble, which was adjudged the Green Capital of Europe in 2022. The representatives from the network cities were invited to engage in discussions and interact with one another.
The delegates attended several conferences and discussions which included subjects of women’s rights, sustainable tourism, climate change and citizen engagement.
Shillong was represented in a panel discussion on Ecological Agricultural Practices, where conversations about Meghalaya’s activities in the field were brought to the audience.
The Meghalaya panel shared learnings and best practices in natural farming and agro-ecology practices currently being taken up both by government departments, as well as associated agencies and individuals in the state.
The NESFAS project, supported under CLLMP, was represented by their Chairman who shared insights on food systems and traditional farming practices in Meghalaya. Further, the officers of the Agriculture Department and the Meghalaya State Rural Livelihood Society shared current interventions under the Organic Mission and natural farming practices by SHGs.
The officials, participants, and entrepreneurs were exposed to dialogues and best practices from across the world, especially in understanding how other cities and communities are engaging with transitions to more sustainable and ecologically-sensitive modes of agriculture. Additionally, aspects of nutrition and food security were discussed, and new perspectives from panelists were brought to light from fellow delegations from other countries.
Addressing the organisers and participants, Lyngdoh highlighted the state government’s continued efforts to engage with communities and diverse stakeholders to ensure joint coordination and success of all initiatives.
The delegation also deliberated on the possibilities of coordination, partnerships and knowledge exchange between the cities of Shillong and Grenoble.
