Tura: World Food Day, which takes place on October 16, was celebrated on Monday by the Department of Food Science and Nutrition, College of Community Science, under the Central Agricultural University, Tura.
Chenxiang Rimchi Ch Marak, senior associate (Nutrition Unit) of The North East Slow Food and Agrobiodiversity Society (NESFAS) delivered the key lecture on the occasion.
Marak spoke about the role of indigenous food in global food security, as well as the importance of preserving traditional knowledge and mapping wild edible foods to ensure food security.
She encouraged the students to identify locally-available food items, particularly greens, to tackle the issues of stunted growth in children and anaemia in women and children. She also highlighted the work carried out by NESFAS throughout Meghalaya and its neighbouring states.
Jyoti V Vastrad, dean of the college, spoke on the significance of observing World Food Day and topics such as hidden hunger and the alarming statistics on malnutrition.
A kitchen garden set up by the students in which vegetables such as tomatoes, brinjal and chillies were grown, was showcased by Natasha R Marak. The garden will be maintained by the students and once harvested, will be used to augment their daily diets in keeping with this year’s theme of ‘Leave no one behind’, to ensure that every individual has access to nutritious food.
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