A five-day training on food processing was organised for women community partners from Manas Landscape in Baksa by region’s premier biodiversity conservation organisation Aaranyak from 3 – 7 September, as part of its ongoing conservation initiatives in the landscape.
The training organised in Aaranyak’s Manas Conservation and Outreach Centre (MCOC) in collaboration with Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) was attended by 23 women from Bhuyanpara, Karebari, Madanguri, Kumguri, Gorumara and Daodhara villages which was organised, Barpeta in Assam.
“The Boro community, dwelling along Manas National Park and Tiger Reserve, have a varied food habit and are traditionally known for their unique food preparation and preservation. These skills when harnessed, augmented and the processed food products being marketed properly may allow the practitioners earn revenue and play an important role towards providing them with an alternative livelihood option.”, said Aaranyak through press statement.
“Such alternative livelihood activities often play an integral part of conservation initiatives to engage the communities dwelling in forest fringe areas to minimise their tendency to rely on forests for basic livelihood needs and allowing them to earn livelihood through an alternative sources.”, Aaranyak added.
The training commenced on September 3 by providing a brief background regarding the purpose of organising the programme. The participant proceeded with the hands-on workshop activities under the able guidance of the master trainer, Ajanta Das.
During the 5-day programme the participants learned about preparation of pickles, jams, jelly, sauce, squash and juice. Das taught them about the composition of spices and ingredients for the individual items they produced and at the same time she also provided the participants with step-by-step guidance to prepare these products.
The products prepared during the training programme included – elephant apple pickle, mixed pickle, pineapple jelly, pineapple jam, coconut pickle, coconut jam, coconut squash, star fruit juice, tomato squash, among others. Smt Das also shared valuable tips on preservation of fruits and vegetables to the participants.
On the final day the participants demonstrated their skills in food processing by preparing different products on their own. The quality of the products was evaluated by the Home Science Expert of KVK, Dr Swapna Choudhury, and the master trainer, Ajanta Das. The programme concluded with the valedictory session where the participants were provided with certificates for completing the programme successfully.
On behalf of Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Barpeta, the training was led by Dr Swapna Choudhury, the Home Science Expert, and Ajanta Das, the master trainer, and the team Aaranyak was represented by Swapan Kr Das, Bijay Basumatary, Barnali Baro, Pankaj Das and Partha Sarathi Ghose and the entire team of Manas Conservation and Outreach Centre.
Aaranyak is committed towards conservation of biodiversity, ecosystem and supporting the indigenous communities through Alternative Sustainable Livelihood activities, education and awareness programmes residing in the Manas Landscape. The initiative is supported by IUCN-KfW.
