00:01Here in the hills of Meghalia, lunch is more than a meal.
00:06Plantina Mujai's cooking is a quiet return to roots.
00:11The natural, indigenous ingredients she uses
00:14mark a break from the grip of monocultures.
00:20Here in the pot, I've mixed turmeric, chili pepper and salt.
00:25And now we can add the fish to the pot.
00:28This is without oil.
00:30I cook with just water because these fish are naturally fatty and flavorful.
00:37In her Merimu Mother Earth Cafe in the village of Quang,
00:41Plantina is stirring a quiet revolution.
00:45While most of the world's food comes from just 12 plants and 5 animals,
00:50she is bringing India's traditional flavors back to the table.
00:54In her eatery, nature rides the menu.
00:57Many people still don't understand the value of these wild edibles found in our forests.
01:03They simply discard them.
01:05We prepare our food using ingredients that are naturally available and in season.
01:09And Plantina's community cafe is thriving.
01:13Her journey began with a small roadside tea stall.
01:20Then, around a decade ago, a road was built connecting Quang to the wider world.
01:26She then got another boost.
01:29NESFUS, the Northeast Society for Agroecology Support, works across Meghalia and Nagaland to revive indigenous people's food systems,
01:40map biodiversity and strengthen community resilience through traditional and sustainable farming.
01:47It helped Plantina's cafe flourish and connect with people beyond the village.
01:56It opened the door for local women and young people.
02:04Usually, on a regular day, we used to have workers.
02:08Around 11 to 12 people.
02:11But on the weekend, we required more than that.
02:16Whatever else I've done at Rei Remue Cafe, I feel I've also given employment to many people in the village.
02:28In Quang, where most families rely on small-scale farming and other low-paying jobs,
02:34many struggle to maintain a steady income.
02:37Mayor Remue has grown into a small but reliable community economy,
02:42offering farmers, foragers and young people a reliable market for their produce.
02:48Among those helping run the kitchen is local farmer Radian Sayam,
02:53who believes in keeping traditions alive.
02:56I started farming when I was young.
03:00It is the kind of work I truly love to do.
03:03All the crops and vegetables I grow are completely organic.
03:07I don't use chemical fertilisers.
03:12Whatever is left after we consume ourselves, I sell.
03:18But now, since the Rei Remue Cafe is there,
03:20we sell our produce directly to them.
03:22Yet, the work of farmers like Radian Sayam is becoming more difficult as the effects of climate change
03:36are becoming a harsh reality in Quang.
03:39Sometimes climate change affects our farming.
03:43When it is supposed to rain, it doesn't.
03:45And when it is supposed to be dry, it rains instead.
03:48These are the challenges that we farmers face.
03:51Radian keeps her traditional practices to make her feels resilient in these challenging times.
03:56By carefully timing planting and maintaining mixed farms of rice, ginger, yams, beans and herbs,
04:05she keeps her land fertile and her crops diverse.
04:09That translates into flavourful dishes that visitors love.
04:13It took us around an hour and a half from home.
04:15And it is something that I am very glad we did make this trip because the food out here, it's awesome.
04:23It's very tasty.
04:24It's very good.
04:25It's cooked well.
04:26It's organic.
04:27We relish it because of the taste.
04:29And this kind of authentic taste, it's very difficult for you to get this kind of taste anywhere else.
04:35It's with great pride that we say it belongs to our community, you know.
04:40For Plantina, it's important that the cafe serves food that is not only delicious but also affordable.
04:47The menu is carefully priced for local residents, with single dishes for everyday meals and larger shared platters that bring families and groups together.
04:58All of it is served inside a traditional bamboo hut, a space Plantina believes reflects the land around it.
05:05People often ask me, why don't you put your shop on a busy street?
05:15I always reply, if I put my cafe in a crowded place, it would lose its special charm.
05:23Our food is called the me-remu, so Mother Earth food, because it comes from Mother Earth.
05:42Global food systems produce a third of greenhouse gases.
05:46Indigenous food practices offer a lower impact alternative.
05:51They're environmentally sustainable and could hold lessons for the wider world.
05:56In Meghalia, Nespas is working to build on these strengths.
06:01There are already five me-remu cafes, and more to come in over 20 other villages.
06:07The me-remu cafe is basically promoting the circular economy.
06:14The fish that you can see there, the insects that you can see there, and then the rice that you can see there, all are basically sourcing from the local landscape.
06:23So there's not much transportation involved in that process.
06:26So this is one way that we are reducing the carbon emission from that point of view.
06:31Empowering women, creating economic opportunities, using sustainable ingredients.
06:38Plantina's local approach has a global message.
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