Gurez, August 11: GIAN, in collaboration with the District Administration Bandipora and with support from the Jamnalal Bajaj Foundation, organised a community-level programme and traditional knowledge and value-addition competition at Badugam in the Tulail area of Gurez on Monday.
The programme focused on documenting and promoting traditional knowledge, food practices and the use of locally available Himalayan bio-resources, while exploring opportunities for value addition, branding and marketing of traditional products.
The initiative is being carried out under the guidance of Prof. A. K. Gupta, Founder, GIAN, and Dr Anamika Dev, CEO, GIAN, in collaboration with the District Administration Bandipora under the leadership of Deputy Commissioner Bandipora, Indu Kanwal Chib (JKAS).
The organisers said the programme aims to connect traditional knowledge and locally available resources with modern methods of processing, packaging, product development and market linkages to support livelihood and entrepreneurship opportunities in Gurez.
Women associated with the National Rural Livelihoods Mission (NRLM) and students of Higher Secondary School Badugam participated in the competition and presented traditional food items and locally developed value-added products before the judging panel.
The competition was judged by Dr Iftikhar Ahmad Mir, BDO Tulail; Mohd Shafi Khan, SHO Badugam, J&K Police; and Abdul Hamid Mir, Principal, HSS Badugam.Mohd Yaqoob Lone secured first position for Wild Strawberry Jam, while Haleema Banoo and Parveena Banoo secured second and third positions for Potato Ladoo and Buckwheat Biscuits, respectively.
The programme was coordinated by the GIAN team comprising Dr Tanveer A. Rather, Jehangir Aursheed and Faisal Mushtaq, who have been working with local communities on traditional foods, Himalayan bio-resources, value addition and livelihood generation in Gurez.
The organisers thanked the District Administration Bandipora, Deputy Commissioner Indu Kanwal Chib, Jamnalal Bajaj Foundation, local administration, NRLM participants, HSS Badugam and residents of Badugam and Tulail for their cooperation.
The initiative seeks to preserve traditional knowledge and food practices of Gurez while creating opportunities for local communities to develop and market value-added products based on locally available resources.