Network for Conserving Central India (NCCI)

And that brings us to the final introduction in our Meet the Team series—Vijay Ramteke. 🌾 A storyteller at heart and deeply rooted in the landscapes he works in, Vijay brings together research, community engagement, and creative practice in ways that feel both grounded and expansive. From documenting biocultural realities on the ground to building spaces like the Johar Field School, his work reflects a deep commitment to listening, learning, and carrying stories forward. As we close this series, we’re reminded that NCCI is, at its core, a network shaped by people—each bringing their own journeys, questions, and ways of seeing the landscape. Thank you for being a part of this journey with us. 💛 #NCCI #CentralIndia #Agriculture #India #Photographer

This Earth Day, we’re looking to the heart of India. The Central Indian Highlands are home to tigers, elephants, ancient forests, and millions of people whose lives are woven into this land. Here, conservation isn’t a concept. It’s everyday life. For over a decade, Network for Conserving Central India (NCCI) has been quietly, persistently building something rare, a network where scientists, communities, forest managers, and NGOs work together. Where reviving a drought-resilient millet and protecting a tiger corridor are understood as the same fight. We call it Jugalbandi: the harmony of people and nature. This Earth Day, we’re celebrating that vision. And the extraordinary landscape, and people, keeping it alive.

Something is taking shape in the heart of Central India—and this is where you’ll get to see it unfold. From communities and landscapes to science and storytelling, our work brings together people, knowledge, and action in ways that are quietly building momentum on the ground. Sign up for our newsletter via the link in bio and be part of the journey. Coming soon! #NCCI #CentralIndia #Agrobiodiversity #Millets #Conservation

The first meeting of the Bandhavgarh–Sanjay–Guru Ghasidas (BSGG) Corridor Working Group, held in Tala on April 8, marked an important step towards strengthening corridor understanding and management. Bringing together forest departments, research institutions, and on-ground partners across Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, the meeting reflected a shift toward coordinated, landscape-scale conservation. NCCI Coordinator, Prajakta Hushangabadkar, represented the network and shared insights from the study “Synthesizing habitat connectivity analyses of a globally important human-dominated tiger-conservation landscape” (Schoen et al., 2022). The findings highlight a critical reality—nearly 70% of Critical Connectivity Areas fall within village administrative boundaries, and 100% overlap with forest department management areas, including parts of the BSGG corridor. Strengthening connectivity within these lived-in landscapes, calls for a jugalbandi—an integrated approach that centres both ecological integrity and community presence. #centralindia #ncci #conservation #corridors #forest

Snippets from last week’s on-ground action! The first meeting of the Bandhavgarh-Sanjay-Guru Ghasidas Corridor Working Group was held in Tala, Bandhavgarh on 8th April, 2026 - a significant step towards improved corridor understanding and management, and a first of its kind working group in India! The one-day meeting was presided by the Field Director BTR, and CCF Shahdol, and facilitated by the Coalition. We had strong participation from members of both Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh Forest Departments, from the State Forest Research Institute, and of course, from coalition members who actively work in the region. Meeting outcomes: 👉🏽 Identified collaborative plans of action for both the short and long term among MPFD and CoCo 👉🏽 CoCo extended support on various fronts including community engagement, outreach, and inputs for strengthening management plans that include corridors We are moving forward, together, towards better corridor management and safer shared spaces for wildlife and people 💚🙌🏽 #corridors #connectivityconservation #cocoforwild #madhyapradeshwildlife #collaborativeaction

If the Woman Farmer Project Fellowship 2026 has been on your mind, this weekend might be the perfect time to sit with it and take that step! This is a 4-month, paid, immersive fellowship (May–August 2026) where women storytellers get to work closely with communities and document real, lived stories of climate, food, and farming across India. As the grassroots partner for Central India, we’d truly love to see more voices from the region come through; stories from here deserve to be told by those who can hold them with care. You don’t need to have it all figured out. Just start. 🗓️ Apply by 5 April #centralindia #agriculture #farmer #women #ncci

Still thinking about applying? This might be your sign. The deadline for the Woman Farmer Project Fellowship has been extended to 5 April. Led by The Locavore in collaboration with the Doc Society Climate Story Unit, this initiative creates space for young women storytellers to step into communities and document the lived realities of climate, food systems, and farming across India. As the grassroots partner for Central India, we’re especially keen to see more voices from the region step forward—stories from this landscape deserve to be told with care, context, and lived understanding. If you’ve been considering this, you now have a little more time to take that step. 🗓️ New deadline: 5 April 🔗 Apply via the link in @thelocavore.in bio

Some stories are not as easily told. They are lent from hesitant hands to eager ears. They need to be gently, but fiercely documented. The Woman Farmer Project is creating that space. Led by The Locavore in collaboration with the Doc Society Climate Story Unit, this initiative brings together storytellers, grassroots organisations, and community networks to document the lived realities of women farmers across India’s food landscapes. At the heart of it is a 4-month, paid, immersive fellowship (May–August 2026) for young women storytellers (18–29)—across writing, film, research, and more. Fellows will be embedded within communities, allowing stories to emerge through trust, time, and everyday interaction. As the grassroots partner for Central India, NCCI is especially excited to see more voices from the region step forward—stories from this landscape deserve to be told by those who are willing to listen closely and tell them with care. If you’ve been wanting to work at the intersection of climate, food, and people, this might be where you begin. Applications close on 29 March—don’t miss your chance to apply. Have questions? Join the Virtual Open House 26 March | 5:30 PM Details in link in bio *To know more about the other locations and grassroots partners hosting this fellowship, please refer to the project page. #ncci #centralindia #women #farmers #food

In India, millions of people live alongside wildlife - across forest margins and biodiversity-rich landscapes that rarely make it into mainstream coverage, except in moments of crisis. The stories we see are often shaped by urgency and conflict. The deeper context, habitat pressures, community adaptation, ecological change and governance gaps are seldom part of the frame. This International Day of Forests, the Climate Narrative Hub - an initiative by Dasra and Momentum Shifts, in collaboration with @rainmatterorg - is proud to launch the Human–Wildlife Interactions Reporting Manual. Co-created with our partners Network for Conserving Central India, Wildlife Conservation Society–India, Coexistence Consortium, The Corbett Foundation, Vidhi Center for Legal Policy, and The Nature Conservancy - the manual is a practical resource for journalists and communicators to report these stories with greater depth and care. Anchored in Dasra’s ecosystem approach of convening partners, journalists, and domain experts, the guide includes expert directories, data sources, and interview frameworks, to strengthen how climate stories are told in India. Head to the link in bio, to read the manual! (Hindi and Marathi versions coming soon) #HumanWildlife #ConservationJournalism #EnvironmentalJournalism #IndiaWildlife #MediaAndConservation

The Fifth Agrobiodiversity Roundtable reminded us that strengthening millet systems in Central India goes beyond a single solution; it’s about holding many pieces together. Across two days of dialogue, communities, practitioners, and researchers reflected on what it takes to build trust in millets again: reliable processing, food safety science, strong institutions, women-led enterprises, and a shared landscape identity rooted in place. From conversations on matona and testing, to lessons from exposure visits and the need for resilient infrastructure, the roundtable surfaced both possibilities and hard truths. What emerged most clearly was this: progress happens when knowledge moves both ways, when communities shape decisions, and when long-term thinking anchors every step. These insights now guide what comes next, for the landscape, and for all of us working within it. [Agrobiodiversity • Millets in Central India • Community-led conservation • Landscape-based livelihoods • Food safety & nutrition • Women-led enterprises • Farmer Producer Organisations • Knowledge to action • Science and traditional knowledge • Place-based solutions • Jugalbandi of people and nature • Kanha landscape • Collaborative conservation] #NCCI #Agrobiodiversity #MilletsInCentralIndia #CommunityLedConservation #LandscapeApproach

In Central India, conservation is not separate from everyday life. It lives in farms and forests, in food systems and faith, in livelihoods and landscapes. At NCCI, our work centres communities, because protecting wildlife also means strengthening the systems that allow people to live with dignity, resilience, and choice. From agrobiodiversity and millet-based livelihoods to coexistence work through Bagh Chaal, we support pathways where health, heritage, and livelihoods move together. This World Wildlife Day, we reflect on conservation that is lived, shared, and sustained, built through trust, long-term collaboration, and deep respect for place. [Central Indian landscape, community-led conservation, coexistence, agrobiodiversity, millets, sustainable livelihoods, Bag Chaal, human–wildlife interactions, landscape approaches, indigenous knowledge, food systems, resilience, people and nature] #WorldWildlifeDay #CommunityLedConservation #CentralIndia #BaghChaal #NCCI

Community Voices | Episode 3 In today’s episode, we hear from Yamod Janghela, who works with Tejaswini Ekta Mahila Mahasangh in Koko Ryt, a village in Madhya Pradesh. Through their women-led bakery and food enterprise, the group is producing and selling millet-based, natural, and locally rooted products, turning everyday food into a source of dignity, income, and collective strength. Their work is a powerful example of what becomes possible when agrobiodiversity, livelihoods, and women’s leadership come together. It reflects the values NCCI stands for: community ownership, local knowledge, and enterprises that grow from the landscape and give back to it. Through Community Voices, we continue to listen to the people shaping change from the ground up. Keywords: Community voices, women-led enterprises, millets, agrobiodiversity, local livelihoods, food systems, community ownership, Central India Hashtags: #CommunityVoices #NCCI #WomenLed #MilletBased #Agrobiodiversity LocalLivelihoods CentralIndianLandscape KokoRiyat VoicesFromTheLandscape