Download the document here: https://kisanswaraj.in/wp-content/uploads/ASHA-KSS2026-EastNE-India-29-31Oct-Invite-to-Register.pdf

Diversity – Sovereignty – Sustainability – Peaceful Co-Existence 

KISAN SWARAJ SAMMELAN 2026

A Confluence of Farmers & Well-wishers of the Farming Community

 Eastern & North Eastern Region – 29-31st October, 2026 (Thu-Fri-Sat)

Organized by: Alliance for Sustainable & Holistic Agriculture (ASHA-Kisan Swaraj)

In Collaboration with Gramya Resource Centre for Women and Panchal Susthaye Krishi Udyog Samiti (PSKUS) 

Venue: Science City, JBS Haldane Ave, Mirania Gardens, East Topsia, Kolkata, 700046

INVITATION TO REGISTER! – https://sammelan.kisanswaraj.in/East-NE-India2026  

Alliance for Sustainable & Holistic Agriculture (ASHA-Kisan Swaraj) along with Gramya Resource Centre for Women & PSKUS announces the 6th edition of Kisan Swaraj Sammelan for Eastern & North Eastern Region, during 29^th to 31^st October of 2026 (Thu, Fri and Sat) in Science City in Kolkata, West Bengal. Participants from Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh (eastern, south-eastern), Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Odisha, Sikkim, Tripura, West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh (eastern, south-eastern) are encouraged to register and participate in the Sammelan. 

ASHA-Kisan Swaraj (www.kisanswaraj.in) is a pan-India informal citizen-volunteers’ platform focusing on 4 key pillars: 

• Ensuring environmental sustainability in agriculture 
• Securing dignified farm incomes
• Protecting farming communities’ rights over natural resources
• Consumers having access to safe, nutritious, diverse and sufficient food

          Kisan Swaraj Sammelan

ASHA has been organizing periodic Kisan Swaraj Sammelans to create an occasion for strengthening our understanding of the highly complex challenges before us, and for rejuvenating our common bonds. These are also confluences that bring in new people, thoughts, analyses, energies and plans, to collectively move forward towards improving farm livelihoods in India. In the past, such Sammelans were organized in Bhopal (2013), Hyderabad (2016), Ahmedabad (2018) and Mysuru (2022). ASHA joined hands with OFAI (Organic Farming Association of India) to organize an organic farmers’ convention in Chandigarh (2015). Kisan Swaraj Sammelans (KSS) are intended to bring together the pioneering practitioners of natural/organic farming, farmers, civil society representatives, activists, academics, scientists, social entrepreneurs, writers and journalists, artists, govt officials, conscious consumers, medical/nutrition fraternity etc. Our Sammelans give due importance to economic prosperity, social equity and environmental sustainability. 

Rather than one national Sammelan, three regional Sammelans are being organised in 2026, and this note is about the Eastern & North-Eastern India  Kisan Swaraj Sammelan. ASHA’s Kisan Swaraj Sammelan 2026 for Eastern & North-Eastern India will have special focus on four emerging issues in India:

• Seed Sovereignty: Developments like Draft Seeds Bill 2025, proposed amendments to Protection of Plant Varieties & Farmers’ Rights (PPV&FR) Act 2001 and to International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA also known as ‘Plant Treaty’) are threatening our farmers’/nation’s seed sovereignty and thereby our food sovereignty. 
• HT Crops/Weed Management: India’s seed market now has 3 non-GM herbicide tolerant (non-GM HT) crops introduced, in addition to genome edited rice varieties, both developments based on compromised regulatory systems, science without integrity and undemocratic policy-making. They will largely compromise the very integrity of organic/natural farming by spirit, standards and practices even as our food systems will be threatened with increased herbicide usage along with increased corporate control. India’s Pesticides as well as GM regulatory regimes will be discussed. 
• Labour in Farming: Human and draught labour in agriculture is undergoing complex changes and needs practical and policy solutions to be put into place, for a win-win solution for agricultural labourers, farmers, environment and livestock; this debate acquires new dimensions after the repeal of MGNREGA and the enactment of VBGRAMG.
• Human-Wildlife conflicts: These are on the rise, with wildlife attacks on farmers’ lives, crops and livestock leading to losses and strife; this issue needs both policy level and practice level mitigation and other solutions.

All topics will dwell on the various nuances of the problem statements; more importantly, they will focus on the way forward. Other important topics like Free Trade Agreements (incl. Indo-US FTA), Gene Editing, Women Farmers & AgroEcology, Markets & Certification for organic/natural farmed produce, Protecting and Reviving Commons, energy-related issues in farming etc. will find space for knowledge-building and conversations in parallel sessions in the Sammelan. Activities and workshops to engage with urban consumers in Kolkata are also being planned. 

Format

The Sammelan is expecting 500 participants as speakers and discussants in plenaries and parallel sessions. It will also have Seed Diversity Festival, Organic Food, Exhibition on relevant themes and cultural programmes. The parallel sessions will be interactive and participatory, with free-flowing informal discussions leading to sharing, mutual learning, networking and marketing opportunities. Kisan Swaraj Sammelan is an unique opportunity for celebrating our food sovereignty, sharpening our thoughts and coming together for amplified voices.  

GLIMPSES OF THE PAST KISAN SWARAJ SAMMELANS

The programme schedule for, and pictures of the 2018 Sammelan in Ahmedabad’s Gujarat Vidyapith are available at https://tinyurl.com/KSS2018Schedule  and https://photos.app.goo.gl/wP1WHJjU364msarK8 

The programme schedule for and pictures of the 2022 Sammelan in Mysuru’s Karnataka State Open

University are available at https://tinyurl.com/KSS2022Schedule  and https://photos.app.goo.gl/oKr3SfwgyuFFiwKH9 

The programme schedule & pictures of Regional Sammelans – i) North & Western India in LokNiketan in Palanpur, Gujarat and ii) South of India in Mysuru’s Karnataka State Open University are available at https://photos.app.goo.gl/NKbmcKywS1HfdvWg6  https://kisanswaraj.in/wp-content/uploads/KSS2026-Lokniketan-Schedule-English-01012026.pdf &

https://kisanswaraj.in/wp-content/uploads/KSS2026-South-India-KSOU-Mysuru-Schedule-Penultimate-English.pdf

https://photos.app.goo.gl/D7rGzkgAFyHmn1Qd9

Registration as a Participant:

PARTICIPATION IS ONLY THROUGH PRIOR REGISTRATION, AFTER PAYING A REGISTRATION FEE. All participants, including Resource Persons and all Organisers, have to pay a registration fee compulsorily, because we seek to build a self-reliant movement. Registration will be on a first-come-first-registered basis. It needs to be noted that ASHA does not rely on government funds, project funds, foreign funds, and corporate sponsorship. As is the tradition with ASHA Kisan Swaraj events, we would like to make the event self-supported to the maximum possible extent. Registration fee covers a convention kit, very basic shared accommodation (with common toilets), organic food for all meals in the Sammelan, access to all plenaries, participation in parallel sessions, visits to seed diversity festival, exhibition and workshops ONLY. It does not cover travel to and from the Sammelan venue. Those who want to make their own accommodation bookings in Kolkata are free to do so, but the registration fee payable will still be the same, and no daily conveyance will be arranged by ASHA for such participants. Please also note that registration fees once paid will not be refunded.

Registration Fees:

Category		Participant Registration Fees
1	Salaried and Professional Urbanites, Researchers and Academicians, Govt. Employees	4000
2	Civil Society Organisations’ (CSOs/NGOs) Representatives	3000
3	Farmers having income other than farming, Media Representatives	2500
4	Farmers’ organisation representatives (Farmer Unions, FPO office bearers etc.)	2000
5	Male Farmers having no source of livelihood other than their farming	1500
6	Students	1000
7	Women farmers	750
8	Day Registrations (no accommodation provided – only lunch provided)	500 per day
9	Genuine organic/natural farmers who cannot afford fees	8 kg of any edible cereal grain or 5 kg of pulse they had produced

For all registrations and payments, the link is here: https://sammelan.kisanswaraj.in/East-NE-India2026 

Kindly note that only when registrants provide full and accurate information can the organisers provide hassle-free accommodation and other arrangements.

Last Date for Registration: – 30th September 2026

Please note that the organisers reserve the right to close registrations if the planned capacity for the Sammelan is filled up before the last date. The registration will be deemed to be complete only if the registration fee as provided is paid along with submission of a fully filled registration form.

Accommodation Facility Time Window: Organisers will take care of 3 days of stay and food in Kolkata, starting from 6 pm on 28th October 2026 to 12noon on 31st October 2026 (the Sammelan is for 3 days, from 29^th October 2026 to 31^st October). All participants have to check out from their accommodation venues on the morning of 31^st October 2026 when they come to the Sammelan venue, unless explicitly requested, and provided for otherwise. Any request to extend the accommodation facility prior to and after this time window may be entertained by the organisers only for farmers to accommodate train schedule limitations. In such a case, the farmers may need to shift to some other place and/or need to be prepared to pay extra. Organizers will try their best to avoid extra financial burden on farmers, but it is not   guaranteed. It is advised that couples traveling together might need to pack their luggage separately, given that there would be separate accommodation for men and women.

Organizers will send a letter of confirmation for participation along with other logistic details before 20^th  October 2026, which will form the basis for participation. Registrants are however requested to book their tickets without waiting for a letter of confirmation.

Some exhibition stalls will be arranged for organic/natural farmers, farmers’ groups, registered non-profit organizations, private entrepreneurs and (quasi) Govt departments to sell their organic farm produce, showcase their activities and projects related to organic/natural farming, display tools, implements and small processing units, books, literature and other IEC materials, and put out messages related to organic/natural etc farming. AGRI INPUTS ARE NOT ALLOWED TO BE DISPLAYED AND SOLD EXCEPT IF THEY ARE PRODUCED AND SOLD BY GENUINE NATURAL/ORGANIC FARMERS, SMALL FPOs and Govt. Agricultural Universities/Institutes. SIMILARLY, NO ANIMAL PRODUCTS ARE ALLOWED, and in exceptional cases where the organicity is verified and proven, such applications may be accepted.

REGISTRATION FEES PER STALL FOR DIFFERENT TYPES OF ORGANISERS:

Category		Exhibition Registration Fee, in Rs.
1	Private entrepreneurs, Semi Govt and Govt Departments	15000
2	Non- profit organization having 12 A certificate	12500
3	Farmers’ group: FPO, Farmers’ Cooperative, SHG, Micro credit group	7000
4	Kisan Haat: Individual organic/natural farming farmers, living in villages and having no other income than farming to sell their own farm produce.	2700

Note: Interested applicants must apply for a stall through the online application form available at https://sammelan.kisanswaraj.in/East-NE-India2026  by providing all the required information. The above charges are only for stall space and facilities, and exhibition stall-holders have to separately register as any other participant, for accommodation and food to be provided to them on the three days.

Each application will be reviewed by a Screening Committee, which will verify the details submitted, including the nature of the products, claims made, pricing, and overall suitability for the Sammelan. Applicants may be asked to share additional information or samples of the products proposed for display or sale to support this review. An undertaking has to be signed by the applicants, before organicity is verified and confirmed. Once the verification process is completed, the organisers will inform applicants about the status of their application. Applicants whose applications are approved will be provided with a payment link to complete the exhibition registration. The stall registration will be confirmed only after successful payment and receipt of a confirmation message from the organisers.

Organisers reserve the right to not provide the stall/table space at any moment including during the sammelan without giving any reason.

Use of plastic as carry bags (excluding original packing), flex banners and thermocol is prohibited in the Sammelan and all exhibitions. No littering and spitting of paan or tobacco is allowed either. Exhibitors are encouraged to adopt bulk vending method, with paper bag packing done at the time of sales. No tobacco consumption in any form, or alcohol is allowed in the Sammelan space and time, either at the venue or accommodation. 

For any queries, you can write to kisanswarajsammelan2026@gmail.com, or reach out to 

For Jharkhand – Sandip Kumar (9955599443)

For Bihar – Saif (9304468443)

For Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim & Tripura – Monuhar (9101085599)

For Chhattisgarh & Uttar Pradesh – Rohit (9892019369)

For Odisha – Ekadashi Nandi (9437412411) 

For West Bengal – Dr Anupam Paul (9432356490), Bhairab Saini (7384596494)