Children in Meghalaya, particularly in the school-going age are prone to malnutrition, stunted growth and micronutrient deficiency. To address these problems, the “Linking Schools to Agrobiodiversity for Improved diets, Nutrition, and Livelihoods” initiative was started by NESFAS. The objective of this initiative was to make healthy, nutritious, and diverse balanced diets increasingly accessible through school meals. It aimed at procuring at least one-third of the ingredients for the school meals either locally or from accessing the school gardens. The project also aimed to create opportunities or increasing the income of the local farmers by promoting locally sourced ingredients in Mid Day Meals. Wild edibles were also incorporated into the meals, which could be locally sourced. The pilot project that was launched for six months on May 2022 involved the partnership of 5 villages and the initiative with the self-financed by NESFAS. In June 2023, The Indigenous Partnership then supported the initiative to scale to 11 schools in 7 villages. Prior to launching of the project, it was found that school meals consisted of only rice, lentils and potato, which fell under only two food groups – pulses and starchy staples. Through the intervention of this project, the cooks were rigorously trained by experts. Thereafter, with the support of NESFAS, five food groups were incorporated into the school meals for a wholesome and balanced nutrition for the students.
