Shillong, June 28: The Meghalaya Natural and Organic Farming Society for Livelihood & Innovation in Agriculture (MEGNOLIA), under the Department of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, Government of Meghalaya, in collaboration with the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM) Organics Asia and KfW development bank, successfully concluded the two-day “International Conference on Women Farmers and Sustainable Organic Agriculture” at the State Convention Centre in Shillong on Saturday.
Celebrating the UN International Year of the Woman Farmer under the theme “Women Farmers Leading Change Globally for Organic Food Systems,” the event drew approximately 400 participants, including delegates, policymakers, and farmers from over ten countries.
Leveraging the State’s unique matrilineal advantage, the event led to enduring international partnerships and elevate women farmers to frontline leaders, showcasing gender-responsive policy milestones and the State’s visionary leadership in scaling sustainable organic agriculture.
Delivering the closing address, Smt Isawanda Laloo, IAS, Secretary, Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, Government of Meghalaya highlighted the opportunity the event provided to hear diverse yet unified voices from women across the globe.
She extended her gratitude to Shri Conrad K. Sangma, Chief Minister of Meghalaya, praising his visionary leadership and deep-rooted connection to the farmers and women of Meghalaya, which she credited as the constant motivation.
Furthermore, she celebrated the resilience and multifaceted roles of women, acknowledging their ability to lead as mothers, sisters, entrepreneurs, and agricultural pioneers despite the immense unseen efforts behind the scenes.
Reaffirming the State’s steadfast commitment to empowering the farming community through continued global exposure, market access, and collaborative partnerships, she stated, “The state has invested and is continuing to invest in events such as these because we believe that we are investing in our farmers, we are investing in our future, we are investing in our children.”
The closing ceremony marked a significant step forward in enduring agricultural partnerships with the official signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between MEGNOLIA and IFOAM Organics Asia. The delegation officially voted for the adoption of the conference declaration, cementing shared commitments for global organic standards.
The second day commenced with the session “Cultivating Change: Inspiring Journeys of Women Organic Farmers. facilitated a rich global knowledge exchange featuring sustainable agricultural models from Japan, New Zealand, and Nepal.
Anchoring it with a local success story, Padma Shree Awardee Smt Trinity Saioo highlighted the impact of farmer collectives, detailing how organizing local women transitioned them from isolated labour into a self-reliant economic force.
She expressed her gratitude to the State for its strategic support in organic certification and market linkages. She also extended a special thanks to the Hon’ble Prime Minister of India for promoting Lakadong turmeric at the G7 Summit, noting that this action successfully put the women of Meghalaya on the world map and granted their grassroots agricultural efforts global dignity and recognition.
The inaugural day established structural benchmarks for the State’s agriculture sector, Distribution of cheques amounting to ₹5.80 crores to Integrated Village Cooperative Societies (IVCS) across all 12 districts as the second tranche of organic input support under Phase I of the Meghalaya State Organic Mission 2024–2028.
The officially launch of Phase II of the Meghalaya State Organic Mission (MSOM) 2024–2028, expanding implementation to bring an additional 44,000 hectares and 46,000 small and marginal farmers under certified organic cultivation.
Backed by an investment of ₹295 crores over three years, the State reaffirmed its commitment to transforming Meghalaya into a globally competitive organic hub directly transitioning women farmers into profitable value-chain stakeholders.
The conference sessions brilliantly highlighted how linking sustainability to a matrilineal framework unlocks an ecosystem approach to development. Opening the global dialogue, Karen Mapusua, President of IFOAM Organics International, lauded Meghalaya’s matrilineal structure as unique, stating, “When a young woman in a village in the Philippines or Taiwan or Tamil Nadu sees a woman like the one in this room, who lead with confidence, the whole agriculture future shifts.”
This was reinforced during the third session, themed Women Farmers, Fair Value Chains and Access to Organic Markets, which mapped successful global models alongside regional frameworks.
Highlighting organic berry value chains among nomadic communities in Kyrgyzstan, Tungalag Lkhundevjamts praised the State, noting, “I can see strong commitment of your government to supporting mountain communities, I believe Central Asia has much to learn from Meghalaya.”
The technical panels also included a deep dive into Building an Organic Future, a review of women dairy farmers in the Sundarbans, and village-level retail aggregation networks in Bhutan.
The day concluded with the theme From Fields to Policy: Empowering Women Farmers at Scale, where PRIME Rural’s “doorstep incubation model” was showcased for incubating 290 enterprises and empowering 166 rural women to access digital platforms like Amazon and ONDC.
Transitioning from policy dialogue to field-level practice, delegates participated in a field trip to the Ri-Bhoi District. The trip was curated to showcase Meghalaya’s women-led farming systems in motion.
Delegates visited local women farmer groups and organic fields growing pineapples in Marngar, Ri Bhoi, followed by a visit to the processing and value-addition facilities at the Eastern Ri Bhoi Organic FPC. The trip concluded with direct interactions with local Self-Help Groups (SHGs) and producer cooperatives
Through these collaborative sessions and field-level demonstrations, the conference successfully synchronized global insights with the core objectives of guarding natural heritage, building resilience, and fostering future-ready leadership.
By showcasing its unique matrilineal structure and enduring partnerships, Meghalaya has established a model policy framework, proving that empowering women farmers is the ultimate key to sustainable rural transformation.
