The state of Arunachal Pradesh is situated north and west of Assam - in the hills of the Himalayas.  Home to many Tibeto-Mongolian tribal groups, unemployment amongst young people is high and opium use has become a growing concern.. 

Members of a new organization of tea growers recently contacted Pompy Ghosh at the training centre Fertile Ground  helped establish in Assam - and arranged for her to travel to the state capital to meet with a group of 50 people interested in learning about how to grow tea organically. 

Fertile Ground has produced powerpoint presentations and other resource materials in both English and Assamese languages.  This year, with Pompy's help, we also organized a 2 day training program at Gossainbarie Tea Estate in Sibsagar district, as well as sessions for growers from the Bodo tribe living in the northwest part of the state, close to the Bhutan border. 

Every year, we bring back small quantities of naturally-grown teas made by growers in northeast India.  You can read about - or purchase those teas -  by visiting the small tea co-op's website:  www.smallteacoop.com