The Nagaland Forest Management Project holds a two-day workshop in Dimapur to scale up SHG livelihood activities and integrate market strategies.
Share
DIMAPUR — A two-day workshop on self-help group (SHG) livelihood scale-up and market linkages was organised by the Nagaland Forest Management Project (NFMP), funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) under the Department of Environment, Forests and Climate Change, on May 12 and 13 at the State Environment and Forestry Training Institute (SEFTI), Dimapur.
The workshop was organised with the objective of formulating a comprehensive strategic roadmap to transition the project from primary activities to scalable, cluster-based secondary activities of the SHGs, while ensuring long-term sustainability through institutionalised management frameworks and market linkages.
During the inaugural session, Temjenyabang, Chief Conservator of Forests and Project Director of NFMP, stated that valuable feedback from field implementers is essential for strengthening the livelihood component of the project.
Also read: Drinking water facility commissioned at Dr. Imkongliba Memorial District Hospital
He stated that the project remains committed to providing all-round support to all components, including the livelihood component, which plays a crucial role in enhancing community-based economic development.
He urged all participants to contribute their rich field experiences in order to develop a roadmap for transitioning livelihood interventions from primary income-generating activities to secondary activities.
He further shared that besides the main objective of forest conservation, the project also aims to establish an “NFMP brand” and encouraged active participation in the various technical deliberations and discussions during the workshop.
The opening remarks were delivered by M Senthil Kumar, Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and Chief Project Director of NFMP, who highlighted that the project over the years has reached 185 villages and 440 SHGs across 11 districts and has channelled more than INR 2 crore through the revolving fund support, through which the SHGs have generated over INR 6 crore in earnings and INR 2.4 crore in profits.
He said that the project is nearing its final phase and stressed the need to focus on scaling up livelihood activities through the formation of clusters and a federation at the state level. He encouraged the participants to actively share their insights and collectively formulate a roadmap for the project’s remaining two-year implementation period.
Shailendra, Livelihood Expert of NFMP, made a PowerPoint presentation on the analysis of livelihood promotion under the project.
The workshop brought together 70 participants with representatives from all 11 DMUs, FMUs, and FNGOs under NFMP for technical presentations, group discussions, experience sharing, and plenary sessions aimed at strengthening livelihood interventions and market integration strategies across the project areas.