Jowai, Feb 23: The Society of Urban & Rural Empowerment (SURE), Jowai in collaboration with North East Slow Food Agrobiodiversity Society (NESFAS), Shillong funded by Rural Electrification Corporation (REC) organized a programme on “Community led Agroecology Learning Circle kick-off workshop and releasing of Indigenous Food Recipe Book” at Dulong Community Hall, Jowai. Recipe book of some of the indigenous food of Jañtia hills was released on Wednesday by LSN Dykes, Deputy Commission of West Jañtia Hills, in the presence of Pius Rani, Executive Director North East Slow Food and Agrobiodiversity Society (NESFAS), Shillong.

The book is a collection of food items prepared by cooks in the cooking competition organized by Society of Urban and Rural Empowerment (SURE), Jowai in the different villages of West Jañtia District. The cooking competitions were organized in Khonglah, Cham cham and Mukhap village and items included in the recipe were only those which won prizes in the competition.

Speaking during the function to release the bi-lingual recipe, LSN Garod said the food is also a major part of our culture, so the recipe is not only a documentation of the indigenous foods but it also celebrates the rich culture of the people. He also said that in the time where we can get recipes of food from different cultures at the click of a mouse, it is indeed heartening that there is now a recipe book for some of the cuisines of the local culture.

Pius Ranee, in his speech, talked about the nutritional values of local food and the benefits of consuming the right food group. He also addressed the ALC members and explained that ALC is a multi-faceted model for community engagement and innovation that helps to reveal knowledge holders, co-create and test new solutions, document and disseminate them. It is a bottom up approach and innovation that documents traditional knowledge, undertakes natural resource management, conserves agrobiodiversity, initiates technical information and builds self governance. Kong Kitboklang Suchiang of Iaraplang Participatory Guarantee System (PGS), Mulum who is also a custodian farmer promoted by SURE, highlighted the work conducted by the group which include instituting Iaraplang Community Seed Bank. She says that the seeds that they preserve are all organic seeds that are planted by the members in their own kitchen garden.

The group also started the Farm on Wheels where they sell the organic produce to Jowai and nearby villages. The group took part and won prizes in different exhibitions held at Jowai & Shillong.

In his introductory speech Dr H.H.Mohrmen said that the book was an outcome of two years of dedication of the staff of the organization that had painstakingly documented and put the prize winning items in the competition in the form of a recipe. The staff, which include Daka Bareh, Somja Phawa, Waiphang Shadap and Corin Slong with the support of the interns who were placed with the NGO by institutions like Martin Luther Christian University (MLCU) and Assam Don Bosco University, were instrumental in completion of the book. Mohrmen said that credit also goes to kong Anita and bah Phrang Roy for their support in making the project a success.