‘Seeds need to be exchanged, not sold’

May 27, 2024 15 Views No Comment

IWFNEI advocates for empowering indigenous women through seed exchange & cultural preservation

Morung Express News
Meghalaya | May 27

“Seeds need to be exchanged, not sold. It is in the land of indigenous people where the land is still untampered, and we obtain seeds that have been passed down through generations.”

Chanmayo Jajo Aier, Advisor of Indigenous Women’s Forum of North East India (IWFNEI) mentioned during the training session on ‘Sustainable Livelihood: Perspective of IWFNEI,’ which was held in Siloam, Barapani from May 22-23. Trainees from 11 indigenous tribal women organisations across the Northeast region attended the workshop.

Organised by IWFNEI, the two-day training was held on ‘sustainable livelihood’ with primary focus on ‘seed preservation and exchange of seeds among the member organisations.’ The programme was sponsored by Pawanka, an indigenous-led fund, striving to support and empower indigenous peoples around the world, with Grassroot as its fiscal partner.

Dr AchanMungleng who was the resource person, explored sustainable livelihood by discussing its principles, framework and processes, as well as the tools for assessing livelihoods at both individual and village/community levels.

Dr Mungleng highlighted the importance of seed keeping and shared indigenous methods and techniques for seed saving. As per statistics, about 90% of food plant varieties have vanished, including an array of crops grown 100 years ago. Dr Mungleng emphasized the necessity of seed saving as a direct action to protect plant biodiversity and help with the regional adaptation of food plants.

“Saving seeds is a political statement against the corporate control of food, which puts us in charge of our own food,” she remarked. In this regard, the anthropologist encouraged the participants to go back and establish Community Seed Banks (CSB) in their villages.

She forewarned that without preservation efforts, seeds may not be available in the near future, and without seeds, “there would be no food.”

The training programme also included group discussions and presentations on on-farm, off-farm and non-farm activities etc.
Khesheli Chishi, Project Consultant and Advisor, IWFNEI who spoke on ‘handloom and textiles: our culture, our identity,’ held that handloom textiles are deeply rooted in the cultural identities of indigenous communities.

Chishi observed that while we often lose touch with ‘our identity, our culture continues to define us.’ She pointed out that preserving ‘our traditional attire’ is integral to maintaining ‘one’s heritage.’

Chishi urged ‘a return to our roots to carry our story forward.’

RomitaReang, Project Coordinator and Legal Advisor, IWFNEI presented on Indigenous Peoples (IP) and Intellectual Property Rights (IPR), while Dr Mungleng further delved on protection of indigenous weaving, handlooms and textiles through Geographical Indication (GI).

Founded in 2004, IWFNEI is a mass based indigenous tribal women’s organisation from the seven states of Northeast India, with its mission to empower indigenous women’s participation on decision-making bodies, traditional knowledge, socio-economic issues and culture.