Back to news
15 May 2017 | SANDEE

Solar drier to reduce human dependency on forest resources in Mizoram, India

The State of Mizoram in India has a land use policy in place where the priority is on converting unsustainable land management practices into more sustainable ones. Population growth has put substantial pressure on the traditional practice of shifting cultivation. Rotations nowadays are much shorter and a lot less sustainable than they were some decades ago.

Mizoram’s forest cover is the highest of any state in India but it is severely degraded. ICIMOD’s Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+ Initiative) is working with the Advanced Research Centre for Bamboo and Rattan (ARCBR) of the Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE) and the State Department of Environment, Forests and Climate Change in Mizoram for building capacity on REDD+ in India’s North East.

1 min Read

70% Complete
Demonstration on how to use a solar drier Photo: Rajesh Rai/SANDEE

As a measure to promote value addition in agricultural practices on farmlands, the project has supported local communities in the villages of Reiek and Ailawng by installing one solar drier each for processing turmeric. This will translate to higher income for farmers and reduce the need to extract forest products to support their livelihood. This serves as one demonstration activity that can contribute to addressing the drivers of forest degradation. The drier was handed over to the local community with an understanding that farmers are only allowed to process turmeric harvested in their farmlands.


Principal Secretary and PCCF of Mizoram Lalram Thanga inaugurating the handing over ceremony
Photo: Rajesh Rai/SANDEE

Principal Secretary and Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF) of Mizoram, Lalram Thanga, inaugurated the handing over ceremony on 28 April 2017. During the event, he suggested that local community members carry out regular maintenance of the drier by cleaning the panels and trays. The inauguration was followed by an orientation session on REDD+ by Rongura Hrahsel, Assistant Forest Officer, Aizawl District, Mizoram. While thanking ICIMOD for selecting Mizoram for the REDD+ Himalaya project, he said that more driers could be introduced after observing the performance of the two driers for the next few months.

Locals were pleased to receive the drier which can be used to fulfill multiple purposes such as for drying vegetables. It can also run on electric power. The drier can dry 150 kg of turmeric at a time, and when it is running on solar power, the process takes two days to complete. The drier needs to be able to operate on electricity as well as Mizoram experiences a very long monsoon.

Stay current

Stay up to date on what’s happening around the HKH with our most recent publications and find out how you can help by subscribing to our mailing list.

Sign Up

Related content

Continue exploring this topic

5 Dec 2015 Uncategorized
ICIMOD Becomes an Observer in the IOM Council

ICIMOD became an Observer in the International Organization for Migration (IOM) Council during its 106th Session, which was held ...

22 May 2015 News
Team Kathmandu inspires

‘Tracking and Sensing through Android Robotics’ from Kathmandu’s 2015 NASA SpaceApps Challenge was named the 'Most Inspirational' in Global Competition ...

9 Mar 2015 News
Improving Rapid Response Mapping and Information System

One of the main challenges for countries prone to disaster events, such as Nepal, ...

10 Feb 2015 News
Inception workshop on Cryosphere Monitoring Programme – Bhutan held in Thimphu, Bhutan

The main focus of the programme is to build the capacity of national agencies including DHMS for long-term cryosphere monitoring ...

ICIMOD makes available more datasets for download

Hindu Kush Karakoram Pamir Landscape (HKPL) Birds Species of Wakhan Corridor Birds Species of Wakhan and Big Pamir Vegetation ...

6 Jan 2015 News
ICIMOD participates in the roundtable meetings on DRR in New Delhi, India

The meetings were attended by delegates from 26 member countries, along with 10 international organizations and representatives from ...

Haa Summer Festival Showcases Local Culture for Tourism Promotion

Haa Valley is a pilot site of the Kangchenjunga Landscape Conservation and Development Initiative (KLCDI) of the International Centre for ...

30 Dec 2015 Himalica
Developing Community-led Micro-plans for Improving Livelihoods and Climate Change Adaptation

As a strategy for ensuring the sustainability of Himalica pilot interventions on livelihood improvement and climate change adaptation, Himalica supported ...