Eight Caritas India partners in Madhya Pradesh have decided to intensify their efforts to localize agriculture for helping tribal communities achieve food and nutrition security. The partners also decided to work more intensively with women farmers for increasing access, availability and diversity of food and nutritious food for fighting serious condition of malnutrition which is endemic in the tribal areas of Madhya Pradesh. These decisions were taken during the review meeting of Caritas India-supported food and insecurity programme ‘Saksham’ that was held in Bhopal.

While addressing the review meeting Fr. (Dr.) Jolly, Assistant Executive Director of Caritas India, exhorted the partners to work more vigorously for securing the livelihood and food systems of small and marginal farmers of Central India. “Life of farmers has always been beset with huge existential challenges which are further aggravated by the negative effects of climate change. We need to realise our humanitarian duty to safeguard the dignity of farmers.

They should not become destitute on their own land”, Fr. Jolly added. He further said that Caritas India is committed to translating its mission to help communities lead a life of dignity. Caritas India does this mission of serving communities because of the love for the people notwithstanding their antecedents and backgrounds.

Saksham is being implemented in 140 tribal-dominated villages which have been plagued by food and nutrition insecurity. The programme is intended to enhance food and nutrition security and diversify livelihoods of smallholder farmers through rights realization and promotion of adaptive agriculture. The programme also seeks to help communities achieve agriculture and food sovereignty for the participant communities so that local solutions, which free communities from external dependencies, are identified and popularized.

Saksham partners, during the review meeting, also decided to work on reviving traditional agricultural and food systems which are generally climate-change resilient. “Modern agriculture is largely susceptible to the vulnerabilities created by climate change. Traditional food and agriculture systems, like millet-based food systems, cultivation of yams and tuber and uncultivated food systems of tribal areas are both hardy and robust enough survive the erratic climatic conditions. By going back to traditional ways of agriculture can address, to a great extent, the threats of climate change”, said Dr. Saju MK, zone manager, Caritas India. He urged the partners to increase awareness of communities uncultivated food which can considerably increase food security, especially in lean months.

Partners agreed that they need to start engaging young generation in the campaign for food and nutrition security so that food and nutrition insecurity is addressed on a sustainable manner. They also decided to involve the elderly farmers in popularizing traditional farming systems so that communities have self-reliance in terms of farming knowledge. The two-day review concluded with a vote of thanks by Mr. KA Sebastian, Caritas India state officer for Madhya Pradesh.