
15 November, 2024
From November 15 to 22, 13-member Japanese group led by Ms. Etsuko Nakano, OISCA International President, visited India to participate in the Global Summit 2024 sponsored by OISCA South India Chapter.
In the Global Summit held at the Indian Institute of Management Kozhikode (IIMK) in Calicut, about 400 people, including 13 OISCA Japan members, participants from various parts of India and OISCA Chapters of Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Taiwan, took part, and diverse sessions on issues such as the global environment and climate change were held.
At the beginning of the Summit, Ms. Nakano made a speech. She said “OISCA has been working with people from all over the world under the slogan ‘Never Leaving the Soil’ since its establishment. However, the reality is that environmental destruction on a global scale has not stopped and natural disasters are becoming more frequent, I hope that each of us will recognize this reality, be aware of it, help each other, and act with a strong will to improve our own community”.
In each session, in addition to prominent figures from the government and private sector from all over India, students and other young people actively presented their proposals for solving global-scale issues.
On November 17, OISCA President Etsuko Nakano and her party visited Wayanard, a town rich in nature, and participated in the Inauguration of the OISCA FURUSATO VILLAGE, which OISCA South India Chapter members have worked to develop as a model in harmony with the environment, OISCA Japan group then visited the OISCA ECO RESOURCE CENTER, a local base for environmental education, to observe its activities and interact with OISCA members and students who are enthusiastic about OISCA activities.
On November 18, the 9h OISCA Business Matching Forum, the first of its kind in India, was held at a hotel in Calicut with the participation of companies from Japan, India, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, and Nepal. The Forum featured presentations by Japanese and Indian companies, followed by lively discussions on business with Indian companies of interest to each other.
On Nov. 19, the OISCA Japan group visited two schools participating in the “Children’s Forest” program in South India. They received a grand welcome from students and teachers, and the visitors were impressed by the enthusiasm of the local people for environmental education.
On Nov. 20, the OISCA Japan group moved to the capital city, Delhi, and paid a courtesy call to the Japanese Ambassador to India, H. E. Mr. Keiichi Ono, where reported on OISCA’s activities in South India and the ongoing symbiotic agriculture extension project (JICA grassroots technical cooperation) in villages along the Ganges River in Varanasi, North India. The Ambassador expressed his gratitude for OISCA’s long-standing activities in India.
On Nov. 21, the OISCA group visited schools participating in the “Children’s Forest” program and observed their on-campus initiatives. However, due to the smog that covered northern India, face-to-face classes were suspended and online classes were held, and the group experienced Delhi’s air pollution, which is said to be the worst in the world. After that, the group visited the Director General of MMCC, a government agency for the revitalization of the Ganges River basin under the Ministry of Water Resources, with whom OISCA has signed a MOU for more than 10 years, and in the presence of Mr. Alok Sinha, OISCA International Vice President, exchanged views on the promotion of organic farming in India and other issues.
On Nov. 22, the last day, the OISCA Japan delegation completed their visit to India with a visit to a vocational training school for the physically handicapped in Delhi, where they observed a site that supports the reintegration of physically handicapped people into society.


















Additional photos




