Shillong, Jul 3: The School of Livelihood & Rural Development (SLRD) hosted a project review visit under the “Integrated Value Chain Enhancement for Environmental Sustainability (IVCEES)” initiative in Ri-Bhoi, implemented in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
The delegation, including Dr Dipankar Saharia, Senior Director, TERI, Dr Manish Kumar Pandey, National Coordinator, Small Grants Programme, TERI, Ms Sounika Karmakar, Regional Coordinator, TERI and Dr Kasturi Goswami, Scientific Officer, SLRD, conducted an on-ground site inspection on Friday followed by a review meeting with Deputy Commissioner Dr Abhishek Saini.
During the site visit, the delegation interacted directly with representatives of one of the four Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) partnering on the project, Marngar and gathered feedback on the recently established turmeric processing plant, a key value-addition intervention under the project.
At the review meeting, Dr Saini expressed satisfaction with the progress made so far and encouraged the project team to develop robust business models for the participating FPOs, while also highlighting the importance of continued advocacy around the value and relevance of such interventions for the region’s farming communities.
The IVCEES project works with four FPOs engaging over 1,800 farmer members across approximately 1,500 hectares of cultivated land in Ri-Bhoi district. The project’s core objectives include building climate-resilient livelihoods through sustainable agriculture and agroforestry, introducing renewable energy solutions such as solar-powered water pumps and decentralised cold storage, strengthening market linkages and value-addition to increase farmer incomes, and conserving biodiversity and natural resources for long-term environmental sustainability.
