Shillong, May 28: The North East Society for Agroecology Support (NESFAS) has received international recognition for its work in promoting indigenous foods in school meals programmes during the Rome Nutrition Week held from May 25 to 28, 2026 at the headquarters of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in Rome.
NESFAS was invited by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), through the Indigenous Peoples Assistance Facility (IPAF), to present its ongoing initiative aimed at improving children’s health through school meals incorporating indigenous and locally sourced foods.
The Meghalaya-based organisation was represented at the global event by Executive Director Pius Ranee and Founding Chairperson Phrang Roy.
According to NESFAS, the initiative traces its roots to extensive research conducted ahead of the 2015 Global Gathering Indigenous Terra Madre held in Shillong and Mawphlang. The study, carried out in collaboration with McGill University, Canada and the National Institute of Nutrition, Hyderabad, revealed that despite Meghalaya’s rich biodiversity and natural resources, nearly 31 per cent of school children were undernourished while 57 per cent were underweight.
Following the findings, NESFAS began working closely with communities, parents and teachers to integrate locally available indigenous foods into school mid-day meals. The programme has also been supported through collaboration with various stakeholders and by using tools such as the IFAD Digital Toolbox and FAO’s ten food groups model.
The initiative was first launched as a pilot project in 2022 across 11 schools with support from The Indigenous Partnership for Agrobiodiversity and Food Sovereignty (TIP), Rome. It has now expanded to 26 schools benefiting over 2,000 children.
Speaking during the event, Pius Ranee said the success of the initiative was made possible through the collective efforts of local communities, parents, teachers and farmers, who are now also benefitting economically by supplying indigenous foods to schools.
He highlighted that the inclusion of wild edible plants, especially green leafy vegetables, has become an important component of the meals programme. NESFAS has also conducted nutritional analyses of several wild edible species, which showed strong nutritional value capable of addressing health concerns such as anaemia.
Ranee further noted that many parents voluntarily contribute produce from their kitchen gardens to support the programme and improve nutrition among school children.
In his concluding remarks, he expressed hope that the initiative could eventually be expanded across Meghalaya through stronger collaboration with government departments, local communities and like-minded organisations working towards improving children’s health and nutrition.
The session during Rome Nutrition Week was chaired by Ambassador Elissa A. Golberg, Permanent Representative of Canada to the Rome-based United Nations Food and Agriculture Agencies.
