FOCUS making impact in Nagaland, says Mhathung Yanthan

DIMAPUR — The first externally-aided project in Nagaland — Fostering Climate Resilient Upland Farming Systems (FOCUS) – faced challenges in the initial years of implementation but “it has made up for lost time in the last few years”, observed Advisor to Agriculture, Mhathung Yanthan.

He was addressing the 5th Supervision Mission of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)-funded FOCUS Project that kick-started on Monday at the APC Conference Hall in Kohima.

A six-member IFAD team led by Piyush Kanal, Mission Leader and Country Programme Analyst, is in the state for the Supervision Mission from August 21 to the 29th, according to an update from FOCUS Nagaland.

Speaking at the event, Yanthan said FOCUS is a big project covering more than 50% of the state’s geographical area, which posed as a challenge to take up. Informing that most of the challenges have been overcome, he said continued efforts from the team led by the state Project Director, Dr. Jitendra Gupta and the departments of Agri and Allied would “make up for the lost time, which was also affected by the COVID-19 pandemic in the initial years”.

While asserting that the ultimate target of the project was farmers, he said “we have to work together” to bring change to the rural economy.

In his keynote address, Dr. Jitendra Gupta highlighted the objectives and overview of the project; the financial achievement, physical progress and implementing status, as well as the challenges and way forward of the project.

Piyush Kanal said the FOCUS project, which is primarily meant to help farmers transform their practices and improve their livelihoods, has improved over the last one year. He added that they would to the fields for further evaluation.

The FOCUS Newsletter, a half-yearly publication, and a booklet on Innovation Fund were also released during on the event by Yanthan, Gupta and Kanal.

The advisor for Agriculture also virtually inaugurated a water storage tank constructed under FOCUS Project, 2023-2024, at Hekiye village under Zunheboto district.

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