Shillong, Nov 29: Pushing for inter-state collaboration on climate resilience, a high-level team from the Himachal Pradesh JICA project has completed a multi-day exposure visit to Meghalaya to study the state’s flagship MegLIFE Project, implemented by the Meghalaya Basin Development Authority (MBDA) and funded by JICA.

The visit aimed to understand how Meghalaya is operationalising community-led conservation, diversified livelihoods, and climate-adaptive practices at scale.

Community-based Forest Management and Livelihood Improvement in Meghalaya (MegLIFE) is a JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency) assisted project and the objective is to restore and conserve natural resources within the villages by sustainable forest management, livelihood improvement, and institutional strengthening, thereby contributing to the conservation of the environment, biodiversity, and uplifting of socio-economic conditions of people in the State of Meghalaya.

The Himachal delegation received a comprehensive project briefing from Gavade Sachin Shankar, Additional Project Director, Wankit Kupar Swern, Deputy Project Director, and vertical heads, who outlined MegLIFE’s integrated model linking forest restoration, water security, livelihood enhancement, and climate resilience.

During the field visits across Khasi Hills and Ri-Bhoi, the team examined some of MegLIFE’s most impactful interventions—including community nurseries, plantation zones, spring-shed rejuvenation works, and conservation forests in Pashang village. They also reviewed the Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) model at Laitmyndang, which has emerged as a replicable example of incentivising community stewardship.

Productive interactions with VPIC, IVCS, and SHG groups in Umwang Pyllun and Mawtai Umtasor offered firsthand insights into how MegLIFE is driving local enterprise development, women-led livelihood initiatives, and decentralised natural resource management. The delegation also visited the SALT farm at Nongrim Umksih, the Field Distillation Unit in Byrwa, and the PES intervention site in Sohra, observing practical models of sustainable agriculture and value-addition.

The exposure visit concluded with both states reaffirming their shared commitment to scaling community empowerment, climate-resilient livelihoods, and landscape restoration, marking a strengthened partnership between Meghalaya and Himachal Pradesh in sustainable development.

Also Read: ADB sanctions $77 million to boost Meghalaya’s ecotourism and sustainable farming

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