The Mokokchung Ao Officers’ Telungjem (MAOT), in collaboration with the ABAM Youth Ministry, successfully organized a two-day Youth Empowerment through Agriculture and Leadership Training on the theme, “Grow Skills, Grow Enterprise, Grow Leaders.” The training was held on September 22 and 23 at the State Agricultural Research Station (SARS), Yimsemyong.
In the introductory session, Yashikala Jamir, Assistant Professor and General Secretary of MAOT, highlighted the interconnectedness of various Agri-based activities and emphasized that youth participation in agricultural enterprises can contribute not only to individual self-reliance but also to the wider agricultural ecosystem.
Speaking on the purpose of the training, I Lipokonen Jamir, Joint Director, SARS, and President of MAOT, highlighted the diverse opportunities available to young people in the agricultural sector. Referring to the growing number of young people seeking employment in relation to the limited availability of jobs in the State, and taking into account the demand in local markets, he encouraged the participants not to wait solely for employment opportunities but to explore ways of creating opportunities through agriculture and entrepreneurship.
The training combined theoretical sessions with hands-on practical demonstrations in a range of agriculture and enterprise-related areas. The sessions covered beekeeping, kitchen and nutrition gardens, oyster mushroom cultivation, composting and organic inputs, poultry management, tree nursery management, youth groups and collective enterprise, leadership, and basic agricultural business planning.
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A total of 17 experts and resource persons drawn from the various Government Departments and institutions such as Agriculture, Horticulture, Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK), Veterinary, District Rural Development Agency (DRDA), and Nagaland State Rural Livelihoods Mission (NSRLM) facilitated the various sessions during the two-day programme.
The participants were also encouraged through success stories from vegetable and poultry farmers, who shared their experiences of developing their respective enterprises. Their testimonies highlighted the importance of learning through trial and error, persistence, and the ability to overcome social and cultural challenges in pursuing agricultural enterprises.
In his closing remarks, Er Chubatoshi, Vice-President of MAOT, encouraged the young participants to identify their individual skills and areas of passion and to remain committed to them despite the various competing interests and influences that often shape young people’s choices.
The two-day training brought together 46 youths from different churches and institutions affiliated with the Ao Baptist Arogo Mungdang (ABAM). The programme sought to equip young people with practical agricultural skills, entrepreneurial perspectives, leadership capacity, and a greater appreciation of agriculture as a potential pathway towards self-reliance, enterprise creation, and community development.
