Nagaland: A book ‘Seeds and food sovereignty’ released at Chizami

A book titled ‘Seeds and food sovereignty: Eastern Himalayan experiences,’ published by North Eastern Social Research Centre (NESRC), Guwahati, was launched by Seno Tsuhah, activist working on community engagement in seeds and agriculture in Nagaland, during the annual Biodiversity Festival held in Chizami under Phek district on Tuesday.

The Biodiversity Festival was organised by North East Network (NEN).

An update from Meenal Tula, postdoctoral fellow at NESRC, Guwahati, informed that the experimental book was an outcome of the work done by the research team behind a project in Eastern Himalayas on practicing food sovereignty in consultations with community organisations, interlocutors, and attempts to centre indigenous voices on the ground.

“The central idea is that through control of seed and land resources, we can enhance local control over agriculture and ensure people’s right to nutritious, ecologically-sound and culturally appropriate food. Food sovereignty is becoming an avenue for asserting social justice and land-based rights in increasingly fraught landscapes in our region. Priortising local and regional land use and food production, the authors ask, how and to what extent do traditional food crops and knowledge systems shape present subsistence strategies among upland communities and what our futures would look like if they don’t,” Tula said. 

Meant for students, scholars, activists, farmers and anyone interested in the future of seeds, agriculture and communities in the region, it stated that the book explores the questions of sustainability in a time of undeniably changing climate and when oil palm and other monoculture plantations are ecologically devastating and are already contributing to conflicts with wildlife in Northeast India.

It further stated that the book would soon be available for sale on Amazon and as an open access digital version. Dimapur, March 7 (EMN)