A farmer‑to‑farmer exposure programme held on September 2 in Englepathar village, Assam, aimed to promote banana cultivation as a sustainable livelihood for indigenous rural communities in the Kaziranga‑Karbi Anglong Landscape (KKL).
Organised by the biodiversity conservation organisation Aaranyak, the event brought together ten farmers from the Kohora and Diring river basins. They received training on improved cultivation techniques, pest and disease control, nutrient management, value addition and market linkages.
During the field demonstration, progressive farmer Boronson Tokbi showcased banana practices at his homestead. He demonstrated the selection of healthy saplings, bunch covering and mulching with locally available materials such as dry leaves and rice husks. Tokbi explained that he had previously lacked scientific knowledge but improved after receiving J9 Jahaji banana saplings and training from Aaranyak and the Department of Agriculture.
Participants shared challenges. Ramsing Engti of Sivoram Terang village said his earlier banana plants were lost due to poor management and damage by cattle and goats, while Wilson Taro of Diring Lekthe village reported that wild elephants and cattle had damaged most plants in his agroforestry plot and that surviving plants grew slowly because of inadequate nutrient management.
Aaranyak highlighted that banana cultivation could provide an additional income source for households reliant on paddy, subsistence farming and seasonal labour, and could make productive use of homestead spaces and local resources. The organisation also promoted local market linkages, especially with hotels and restaurants in the Kaziranga region, and supported efforts through its PIRBI community business hub and Food Processing Centres in the Diring and Kohora basins.
Larbeen Teronpi of Aaranyak said that combining traditional farming knowledge with scientific practices and locally available resources could support livelihoods and environmental sustainability. The programme, attended by farmers from Sivoram Terang, Englepathar, Phumen Engti and Diring Lekthe villages, aims to reduce dependence on seasonal wage labour and migration while strengthening rural incomes and local markets.
