GUWAHATI, Sept 13 - Mushroom Development Foundation (MDF) in collaboration with Assam State Rural Livelihood Mission Society (ASRLMS) has started an initiative for educated youths for creating livelihood professionals termed as �Jibika Bahini�.
Some of the activities taken up as part of the initiative are mushroom production technologies from agricultural wastes, organic manure and vermicompost production technology, organic fruit and vegetable production with 12 crops for 12 months, aquaponic system that combines conventional aquaculture with hydroponics electro coagulation systems that make water safe to drink, LED bulb assembling as a sustainable livelihood source, bamboo and steel usage in building several kinds of utilities, agarbatti production technology and bamboo waste utilisation in making moulds.
A workshop organised recently in the city to mark the occasion at the initiative of Pranjal Baruah (Ashoka Fellow), general secretary of MDF, along with his team, was attended by a number of resource persons and noted personalities including Father VM Thomas, Dr Navanil Barua, Nandita Hazarika and Dr Arup Kumar Misra (Director, ASTEC).
From among the 30 participants at the workshop, the selected few will be joining in the existing facilities of the livelihood activities and practically learn selection of raw materials, production processes, value chain, supply chain, brand building and brand positioning along with marketing.
Simultaneously, the Jibika Bahini will build a prototype at Chandrapur High School in collaboration with ASTEC and incorporate school students and the rural school dropouts, unemployed and underemployed youths in the mission.
