PANAJI
The Conference of Catholic Bishops of India (CCBI) Commission for Ecology will launch the ‘Prithvi Parivar pan-India Ecological Movement’ and 'Eco-Achievers Recognition' programme on Saturday, which marks World Environment Day.
CCBI President and Archbishop of Goa and Daman Filipe Neri Ferrão will formally inaugurate the movement, which aims to actualise integral human ecology, and the stakeholders will then develop a roadmap for the next six months.
Chicalim Parish Priest Fr Bolmax Pereira, who is also Assistant Professor of Botany at St Joseph Vaz college in Cortalim, has been selected for recognition to represent Western Region and will present the 'Hope Story of Chicalim village'.
Throwing more light on the 'Hope Story of Chicalim village', Fr Pereira said Chicalim village has a rich biodiversity, impressive heritage and history, right from the megalithic Era and the fields in the village are very fertile.
“Unfortunately many fields have been left fallow for a long time and our hills and plateaus are fast being converted at the cost of loss of biodiversity.”
“Chicalim Bay has been the hotbed and breeding ground for Windowpane Oysters and clams, but clams and oysters seem to have disappeared in recent times. Hence, there is a need for restoration and conservation.”
Fr Pereira said the Chicalim Biocrusaders Group was formed with like-minded individuals coming together and engaging with the local panchayat to formulate plans for the development of the village “with intergenerational equity and conservation of biodiversity in mind.”
“As a fallout of pandemic last year, youth of Chicalim realised they can work in their fields as the migrant labour moved out of the State. Eventually, we formed the Chicalim Youth Farmers Club (CYFC) to take up the challenge to revive agriculture in Chicalim.”
“The CYFC interacted with farmers, consulted the department of Agriculture and engaged with owners of fallow fields. As a result, CYFC is reviving nearly 20,000 sq mts of land which had been left fallow for nearly 20-25 years,” said Fr Pereira.
Encouraged by the initial success and support of the village community, the Chicalim parish priest said the CYFC has set up a store to make available organic food products, some of which will be grown in their own fields and some through the collaboration of SEED foundation.
