YAZALI, 28 May: Agri & Allied Minister Gabriel D Wangsu on Thursday said traditional ecological knowledge is the state’s greatest defence against climate change, an official report said.

Speaking after inaugurating the Arunachal Pradesh Jaiv Vividhata and Mvm Liid Soonam/Beej Utsav 2026, Wangsu described Keyi Panyor district as a pioneering model of “biohappiness-driven” development.

Highlighting changing climatic conditions, the minister said rainfall patterns have become increasingly erratic, winters are shorter, and floods more intense.

He cautioned that solutions designed for the plains cannot be simply transplanted to the region’s unique terrain and urged protection and promotion of indigenous crop varieties as “living insurance” against climate uncertainty.

The two-day festival and stakeholder consultation, being held at the Government Higher Secondary School in Yazali, is co-organised by the 16th YAC MLA office, the Keyi Panyor Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK), the Arunachal State Rural Livelihoods Mission (ArSRLM), and the MS Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF).

The event aims to position the newly established district as a living template for sustainable development that fuses biodiversity conservation with human wellbeing.

Officials said Keyi Panyor has been recognised as India’s first ‘bio-happy district’, a distinction based on biological diversity, tribal cultural identity, ecological sustainability, and community wellbeing.

They said the recognition highlights the district’s traditional wisdom, resilience, and ecological practices among the country’s more than 800 districts.

Wangsu lauded local conservation efforts and singled out Hage Nanya from Ziro for seeking intellectual property protection under the Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights (PPV&FR) Act for 12 indigenous paddy varieties from Lower Subansiri district.

To scale up such successes, the minister announced measures to bolster community seed banks, strengthen local seed certification systems, expand storage infrastructure, and mobilise networks of women-led ‘seed guardians’.

Yachuli MLA Toko Tatung in his address celebrated the region’s rich agricultural heritage.

MSSRF chairperson Dr Soumya Swaminathan said the biohappiness concept can integrate grassroots conservation with inclusive livelihoods, nutrition security, and social equity. (With PTI input)