By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Nov 20: NESFAS and the Laitsohpliah community hosted a gathering of Agroecology Learning Circles (ALCs) on Thursday to celebrate a major award from the FAO World Food Forum in Rome.
On October 16, NESFAS’s ALC model received the 2025 Global Innovation Award on Farmer Field School for Sustainable Agrifood Systems. The award is a global recognition of community-led agroecology rooted in Indigenous knowledge. The gathering brought together communities, partners, and supporters to mark the achievement.
The event began with a procession into the village led by the Ki Sur Pynbang Band from Umsawwar. In his opening remarks, Wainsing Marwein, Sordar of Laitsohpliah, thanked NESFAS for its guidance and the community for its dedicated efforts. The ceremony also honoured five headmen from different communities for their leadership.
Deputy Executive Director of NESFAS, Alethea Kordor Lyngdoh, described the award as a milestone for “over 600 partner communities across Meghalaya and Nagaland.” She said the award resulted from a partnership “that grew from a small idea into a movement that today inspires others around the world.”
Lyngdoh noted the ALC model’s evolution into sovereign Indigenous learning spaces. Today, more than 100 ALCs engage over 2,000 members, 83% of whom are women and youth. The groups have mapped 210 landscapes, diversified meals in 26 schools, and supported 21 community cooperatives. These outcomes, she said, show how “farmers have become teachers, experimenting, innovating, and reclaiming confidence in their food systems.”
Community members also shared their experiences.
Wanpoiri Sumer, an ALC member from Lumtrep, said the platform inspires farmers to continue traditional farming. “The ALC encourages us and teaches us how to sustain our indigenous practices,” she said.
Jolina A Sangma from Darechikgre affirmed that Indigenous knowledge continues to “protect our food systems and biodiversity.”
Several speakers offered reflections on the achievement. Carl O Rangad, Former Vice Chairman of Operations at NESFAS, credited the award to community leadership, particularly the contributions of women and youth. H.H Mohrmen, Former NESFAS Chairperson, spoke on the resilience of traditional crops and praised the ALCs for their pioneering work.
Director of SSC, Fr. Teibor Lyngdoh, highlighted the synergy of scientific and Indigenous knowledge within the ALCs. “Let us continue to build together and care for nature. We can leave the world a better place for our future generations,” he stated.
Sohra MLA Gavin M Mylliem said the award was a testament to NESFAS’s success in uplifting Indigenous communities. He noted the comeback of crops like millet and said communities should look beyond broom cultivation to sustain themselves.
Executive Director of NESFAS, Pius Ranee, highlighted the upcoming International Mei-Ramew Learning Centre at Laitsohpliah, which will serve as a global hub for Indigenous knowledge and agroecology.
The founding Chairperson of NESFAS, Phrang Roy, said the recognition belongs to the ALC members across 100 villages. He contrasted their enduring food systems with past agricultural schemes that often led to ecological decline. He warned of the global environmental crisis and noted the urgency of returning to nature-based systems, concluding that the ALCs are “lighthouses showing pathways that communities, governments, churches, and traditional institutions can follow.”
The celebration closed with a vote of thanks and included a farmers market where ALC members sold their local produce.
