MAOT, ABAM officials along with the participants pose for a photo during the leadership training held at SARS, Yimsemyong in Mokokchung on September 23.
Mokokchung, September 24 (MExN): The Mokokchung Ao Officers’ Telungjem (MAOT), in collaboration with the Ao Baptist Arogo Mungdang (ABAM) Youth Ministry, organised a two-day Youth Empowerment through Agriculture and Leadership Training at the State Agricultural Research Station (SARS), Yimsemyong.
The training, held on September 22 and 23, was conducted on the theme “Grow Skills, Grow Enterprise, Grow Leaders” and brought together 46 youths from different churches and institutions affiliated with ABAM.
In the introductory session, Yashikala Jamir, Assistant Professor and General Secretary of MAOT, highlighted the interconnectedness of various agriculture-based activities and emphasised that greater youth participation in agricultural enterprises could 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 amid limited job opportunities in the state, and taking into account demand in local markets, Jamir encouraged participants not to rely solely on employment opportunities but to explore ways of creating livelihoods through agriculture and entrepreneurship.
The training combined theoretical sessions with hands-on practical demonstrations covering various agriculture and enterprise-related 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 basic agricultural business planning.
A total of 17 experts and resource persons from various government departments and institutions, including Agriculture, Horticulture, Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK), Veterinary, District Rural Development Agency (DRDA) and Nagaland State Rural Livelihoods Mission (NSRLM), facilitated the sessions during the two-day programme.
Participants were also encouraged through success stories shared by vegetable and poultry farmers, who spoke about their experiences in developing their respective enterprises.
In his closing remarks, Er Chubatoshi, Vice-President of MAOT, encouraged the participants to identify their individual skills and areas of passion and remain committed to them despite competing interests and influences that often shape young people's choices.
The organisers said the training sought to equip young people with practical agricultural skills, entrepreneurial perspectives and leadership capacity, while fostering greater appreciation of agriculture as a potential pathway towards self-reliance, enterprise creation and community development.
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