Shillong, Aug 3 (UNI) The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) will launch the National Agricultural Innovation Project (NAIP) to empower the rural farming community in the North Eastern (NC) states.

Meghalaya Chief Minister D D Lapang will formally open the NAIP on August 6 at ICAR complex, Umiam.

The main features of the project include research on production- to-consumption system (market), sustainable livelihood security in disadvantaged areas (poverty) and basic and strategic researches at the frontiers of science (productivity).

The project called 'Livelihood Improvement and Empowerment of Rural Poor through Sustainable Farming Systems in North East India', will be established in seven disadvantaged districts of NE region, namely South Garo Hills in Meghalaya, Tamenglong in Manipur, Mon in Nagaland, Upper Subansiri in Arunachal Pradesh, Dhalai in Tripura, Saiha in Mizoram and North Sikkim.

The programme will be operated in consortium mode for improving and developing most suitable farming system models in less favourable environments through action research, packaging of proven technologies by multi disciplinary group of scientists of different institutions.

The project will be implemented with a cluster approach through various partners for a period of five years starting from the month of August 2007. CAU (Imphal), SASARD (Nagaland), Mizoram University (Aizawl), NERIST (Nirjuli, A P), IWMI (New Delhi), ILRI (New Delhi), Zilla Parishad (Dhalai, Tripura), RRTC (Umran, Meghalaya) are the other consortia partners in the project.

UNI