The North East Slow Food and Agrobiodiversity Society (NESFAS) was presented with the 2021 IFAD (International Fund for Agricultural Development) Indigenous Peoples Award on Monday.
NESFAS Executive Director Pius Ranee represented the organisation at a virtual awards ceremony during IFAD’s fifth global meeting of the Indigenous Peoples Forum.
The Indigenous Peoples Awards are given out biennially to recognize the efforts and the achievements of development projects that successfully engage with indigenous peoples living in rural areas.
As if in direct response to this challenge, NESFAS’ ongoing project which is funded by the Rural Electrification Corporation (REC) Limited Foundation “No One Shall Be Left Behind Initiative: Biodiversity for Food, Nutrition and Energy Security for 3000 households in Meghalaya and Nagaland” was selected as the winner of the 2021 IFAD Indigenous Peoples Award for the category ‘’best performing non-IFAD-funded project’’. The project submission showcased two-year activation by the organisation and its partners in 130 villages.
The awarded projects will gain visibility and recognition throughout IFAD and its network of partners. The awards aim to establish that the Indigenous peoples hold valuable knowledge and traditions that provide solutions to major challenges. Their exclusion and marginalization threatens the central tenet of the 2030 Agenda – to leave no one behind.
