By Shambhavi Priyam, ASA

The Indigenous Terra Madre, organized jointly by Indigenous Partnership for Agrobiodiversity and Food Sovereignty, Slow Food, and the North East Slow Food and Agrobiodiversity Society (NESFAS), from November 3rd to 7th saw more than 600 delegates, representing 140 tribes from 58 countries in the city of Shillong to discuss the future of indigenous communities. Its aim was to bring together and showcase the knowledge and tradition of these communities in form of their songs, folklore, dance and, especially, food systems. 

The five day event consisted of plenary discussions, workshops, field visits, and a food festival visited by 30,000 people from Shillong and all over the world. An ASA delegation to the conference consisted of farmers and team members from the regions of Mandla and Dindori where the Neglected and Underutilized Species Project is in action with Bioversity International, supported by IFAD, the EU and CCAFS. 

The Gond and the Baiga communities were the only representation from the Central Indian region to this international conference. For the Mei Ramew food festival, the delegation put forth dishes like Kodo laddoo, Kutki kheer, and Ragi puri for its guests. The farmers also got to see the traditional practices of Jhum cultivation and visited the villages in the Khasi Hills and the Scared Grove of Mawphlang. 

The entire environment seemed rather colorful with indigenous people from all corners of the world representing their cultures and foods. One of the delegates, Jhanak Singh from Mehedwani said, “This is unlike any usual mela that we go to. Even though there are people from all across, we still feel connected like a big family.” The message that ITM concluded with established that we must view the traditional systems with respect and move forward to the future with hope and enthusiasm.

Related Links

• Photos from the Event on Flikr
• Read more on the project in Madhya Pradesh
• Reflection on PAR Webpage: The Future We Want – Perspectives from Indigenous Peoples
• Reflection on Bioversity Webpage: Agricultural biodiversity for “The Future We Want” – a close-up on indigenous perspectives
• Exhibit leaflet:  Agrobiodiversity in North-east India (9.6 MB)
• Poster presented in the exhibit: Holistic Value Chain Approach for Neglected and Underutilized Crop Species