Want to hear interesting real-life stories about farmers in a remote corner of India? I bring you this story based on our first-hand experience of working with farmers of Meghalaya. Zizira operates from Shillong, the capital of Meghalaya in the Northeast part of India – a region known for its verdant landscape, natural springs that irrigate fields, and unique herbs and spices.
Mr. Arun Mitra's story is an extraordinary saga, of someone who went beyond what could have been a humdrum life in a village called Oujari in Assam's Kamrup District. Oujari is off the national highway 37 which skirts the Kaziranga National Park. A harmonious mix of Assamese and Bengali inhabitants populate this small farming village that grows paddy, areca nut, betel leaves and vegetables.
Farmers are hardworking folks who make the best of what nature provides them. Many implement sustainable farming methods and their goal is to get good yield each harvest, enough to make a living and feed the population. Sustainable agriculture provides farmers with opportunities while having a beneficial impact on the environment.
Many farmers in Meghalaya still use indigenous farming methods and techniques developed over centuries, like using natural manures and growing mixed crops that complement one another. The inputs, irrigation systems, farm equipment and tools etc are largely traditional, manufactured with indigenous raw materials. Time and again this strategy ensured steady and sustainable yields, and has remained fail-safe and gentle on the environment.
Honey is a well-loved food; hardly anyone will disagree. Honey can come from many floral sources, giving it the distinctive flavour of the flowers the nectar is drawn from - wildflowers, multi-flora, mustard, orange…wherever the bees go foraging, they regurgitate honey of that flavour. Some time ago Zizira explorers had got in touch with a beekeeper from Assam’s Kamrup district for his honey derived from the nectar of litchi blossoms. As unprocessed honey is a product health conscious people are looking for, the team decided to visit the beekeeper and find out more. In late June 2017 we took a tourist cab to Jorabad, 80 km north of Shillong on the Shillong-Guwahati highway, and from there another vehicle eastwards to Khetri, 35 km away.
When it comes to food, people nowadays are spoilt for choice. There’s food every way one looks. The streets are full of them, suiting every palate and pocket. But, are they healthy? Possibly. Possibly not. There is one undoubtedly healthy option: traditional fare of the tribes that has stood the test of time, still using age-old cooking methods. Appearance, taste and texture look the same as when your grandmother first dished them out to you. Unchanged through the years. Made from ancient grains, original, non-GMO, traditionally grown, and unique.
It is known to everyone that the natural resources are depleting from our planet! Mainstream media have been updating us with alarming reports of our wasteful ways that are affecting the environment we live in. Overpopulation, global warming and deforestation reports are making many of us look at making the necessary changes in our lives to save the environment.
Meghalaya, one of the eight Northeastern states of India, is blessed with abundant rainfall and large agricultural land. Farmers of this region have been using traditional irrigation systems to channel water sources to their farms and fields.
At the beginning of February 2017, Zizira explorers visited the Umden weekly haat and witnessed a market packed with farmers and local traders. We learned that a lot of produces sold here, such as black pepper, perilla seeds, ginger, and chilies, are collected from a few local backyard farmers and sold collectively at these haats.
Meghalaya, like all the other states in India, is an agrarian state. Eighty-three percent of the population are dependent on agriculture. If we take a closer look, most of them are small-scale farmers. They face a lot of challenges, but have we ever stopped to think whether we know our fellow farmers? Are we doing anything to bring a change to their lives? Do we know about the problems faced by them? Is modern technology bringing any sort of development in their lives?