Dimapur, January 04 2008: AN ESTIMATED number of around 20 Nagas are said to have graduated from the Asian Rural Institute, in Japan.

The Asian Rural Institute is a specialized agriculture and rural sciences institution that has catered to a plethora of people seeking expertise in community development-based education for wider community-building and outreach.

The institute boasts of a huge set of capacity and corporate agriculture sciences for students.

About 20 Nagas have graduated from the institute while more are expected in future, wrote Mutsezo Tetseo, coordinator of the Naga Fellowship of Japan, in an article made available here.

The article mentioned another Naga, Menovino Krose from Medziphema who was stated to have graduated recently from the Asian Rural Institute.

Krose, a church worker in her community's local church in Medziphema is described as a citizen with deep commitment to her community.

With her strong agricultural background, and her ARI training her community 'may improve their current programs and implement new ones' the article stated.

Mutsezo Tetseo is also said to have graduated from the institute earlier on.

The article quoted Krose describing her work.

"First of all my duty is to see that all the members of the church are doing spiritually well.

I also understand that spiritual well-being can never be fully possible without the basic needs of the members being provided" she stated.

Krose is said to have been sent to Japan April last year by her church to garner expertise and knowledge in assisting in Agri activities as a means towards community-capacity building.

Her local church is a small, consisting of 142 households with 430 members located in the village of Medziphema.

"One major responsibility as a church is for spiritual growth.

Yet we also encourage our people in every sphere of life.

It is also our responsibility to help the poor and direct them toward better living.

To do this they carry out church projects in farming and income generation such as growing pineapples and raising fish.

As they have experienced difficulties in their fish-raising and agricultural projects they say they are eager to send Ms.Krose" the article stated.

The prospectus of Asian Rural Institute include project management, agriculture accounting, development courses , sustainable agriculture study, integrated farming systems, crops and vegetables, livestock, natural farming in tropical areas, likened technology, , alternative marketing systems, food and energy, food processing, three dimensional agriculture among many others.

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