DIMAPUR: Mokokchung Ao Officers’ Telungjem (MAOT) in collaboration with the ABAM Youth Ministry, organized a two-day training programme on “Youth Empowerment through Agriculture and Leadership” under the theme “Grow Skills, Grow Enterprise, Grow Leaders.” The event was held on September 22 and 23, at the State Agricultural Research Station (SARS), Yimsemyong.
In the introductory session, assistant professor and general secretary of MAOT, Yashikala Jamir, emphasized the interconnectedness of agri-based activities and highlighted the role of youth participation in agricultural enterprises for both self-reliance and strengthening the wider agricultural ecosystem.
Joint director of SARS and president of MAOT, I. Lipokonen Jamir, spoke on the purpose of the training, encouraging young people to explore opportunities in agriculture and entrepreneurship rather than relying solely on limited job openings in the State. He pointed to the growing demand in local markets as an avenue for youth-led enterprise creation.
The programme combined theoretical sessions with practical demonstrations across diverse areas, including-beekeeping, kitchen and nutrition gardens, oyster mushroom cultivation, composting and organic inputs, poultry management, tree nursery management, youth groups and collective enterprise, leadership and agricultural business planning.
A total of 17 experts and resource persons from 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 sessions.
Participants were further inspired by success stories shared by vegetable and poultry farmers, who recounted their journeys of building enterprises through persistence, trial and error and overcoming social and cultural challenges.
In his closing remarks, vice-president of MAOT, Er. Chubatoshi, urged the youth to identify their individual skills and passions, and to remain committed despite competing influences.
The training brought together 46 youths from different churches and institutions affiliated with ABAM. It aimed to equip them with practical agricultural skills, entrepreneurial perspectives, leadership capacity and a deeper appreciation of agriculture as a pathway to self-reliance, enterprise creation and community development.
