NEN Nagaland hosts ‘Confluence of Rural Women’

October 15, 2022 41 Views No Comment

Kohima, October 15 (MExN): Organised by North East Network (NEN) Nagaland, a two-day event to commemorate the International Day of Rural Women, ‘Confluence of Rural Women’ has started at Kohima on October 14.

Around 135 participants from the districts of Phek, Kohima, Tuensang, Mon, Shamator, Zunheboto, Peren in Nagaland, and representatives from Assam and Manipur are attending the confluence, according to a press release. The event started with the inaugural of a photo and seed exhibition by ten communities from Nagaland.

Temsuinla, Joint Director, State Agricultural Research Station, Yisemyong, Mokokchung delivered the inaugural speech.

She highlighted the significant role and contribution of women farmers in conservation of genetic diversity, and ensuring food and nutrition security for her family and communities. She encouraged the women to adopt farming practices that are sustainable and leave behind practices that have become obsolete in current context. She highlighted the need to improve jhum practices, maintain seed purity while conserving the same.

Wekoweu Tsuhah, State Co-Ordinator, NEN Nagaland welcomed the participants and set the context of the two-day confluence.

Dr Pauline Alila, Professor, SASARD Medziphema delivered the keynote address in the workshop session ‘millets and women – successes, challenges, strategies’ where she highlighted the nutritional value of diverse millets and Government’s recognition of the crops as nutri-cereals. She stressed on the importance of proper documentation of seed diversity by collaborating with research institutions, the importance of education and awareness to encourage consumption, and the critical need to recognise, engage with and enable their access to farming resources.

A panel discussion on the topic ‘rural women enabling sustainable food systems – voices from the ground’ brought six women farmers from Phek and Tuensang districts, who shared about their collective initiatives in conserving traditional seeds through community seed banks, and promoting millet based bio-diverse farming for food and nutrition security. Concerns and challenges related to seeds and millets were highlighted. The session was moderated by Akho Phira NEN.

Another panel discussion on ‘millets and seeds – programmes/ initiatives by Government and NGOs’ was moderated by Nagato Aye, NEIDA. Panel speakers from Agriculture department, IFAD FOCUS, and NGO representatives from RNBA Manipur, DAN, and NEN Assam and Nagaland shared various initiatives and strategies undertaken by them to promote traditional seeds, millets, and challenges thereof. The session concluded with a reflection on the way forward, towards co-creating a resilient and sustainable good and farming systems. Some of the reflections and recommendations included the need to recognise biodiversity as the first principle of millets farming; to recognise women farmers knowledge, roles and contribution and inclusion in all decision making bodies and community processes, encourage and support for collective farming to increase production; to create awareness on nutritive value of millets to increase consumption; to facilitate policy support to farmers by providing appropriate technology, marketing linkage, support for institutional building; and the need for collaboration and partnership amongst diverse stakeholders i.e. government, communities, NGOs, educational and research institutions etc.

Source: https://morungexpress.com/nen-nagaland-hosts-confluence-of-rural-women