Locations

India

Partner IFAD Investment Project

Meghalaya Livelihoods and Access to Markets Project (Megha-LAMP)

Goal
To improve household incomes and the quality of life in rural areas through enterprise facilitation centers in all of Meghalaya’s 39 subdistricts.  

Objective
To expand sustainable livelihood opportunities adapted to the hill environment and to the effects of climate change.

Approach
The facilitation centers will support around 47,400 enterprises over the project’s eight-year lifespan. A total of 54 clusters for development of natural resources, food security and marketable crops will be established in 18 of the subdistricts.

Local market in Meghalaya, India.

Target areas
Meghalaya with Enterprise Facilitation Centre in all 39 blocks

Target beneficiaries
191,070 households in 1,350 village

Components

  • Natural Resources and Food Security
  • Livelihoods Support with Sub-components on: (i) Enterprise development; (ii) Integrated production and marketing clusters; (iii) Livestock development; (iv) Marketing infrastructure; and (v) Rural finance
  • Knowledge Services
  • Project Management

Implementing agency
Meghalaya Basin Development Authority (MBDA)

Duration
2014-2022

FoodSTART+ main collaborative activities

  • Scoping study
  • Stakeholder validation workshop
  • Potato value chain study
  • Cassava value chain study
  • Value chain training and Farmer Business School (FBS) workshop
  • Training of Facilitators on FBS approach
  • FBS Refresher course and orientation
  • FBS Cross-learning visit to the Philippines
  • Learning visit to the Central Potato Research Institute (CPRI) and Central Tuber Crops Research Institute (CTCRI) for Megha-LAMP staff and FBS facilitators
  • Adaptation and translation of the FBS learning guide
  • Monitoring and mentoring of pilot FBS
  • Completion and business launch of six Farmer Business Schools (FBS)
  • Field evaluations of organic farming practices for ware and seed potato
  • Training and field demonstration on organic production of potato planting material for FBS participants
  • Field Identification Guide for major potato pests and diseases in Meghalaya
  • Evaluation of storage options for seed potato and management of storage pests (with focus on Potato Tuber Moth)
  • Introduction and demonstration of sweetpotato dual-purpose varieties (food and feed)
  • Silage learning visit to Vietnam
  • Silage training for Megha-LAMP and another IFAD investment project (FOCUS) staff, extension staff and FBS facilitators
  • Piloting of gender checklist for action research
  • Assessment of FBS outcomes with gender lens
  • Video on women and men farmers’ perception of the State policy on potato organic farming
  • Symposium “Opportunities and Challenges for Organic Potato in Meghalaya and other Northeastern Indian States: Research, Business and Policy Perspectives”
  • Participation in IFAD Country Office review for Megha-LAMP
  • Participation in two IFAD Country Office supervision missions to Megha-LAMP