Z T Lalrithangi, popularly known as Pi Mari-i, from Sangau village in Mizoram’s Lawngtlai district has been selected for the Food and Agriculture Organization’s 100 Women Heroes in Agrifood Systems and Rural Development honour. The Food and Agriculture Organization picked her from more than 600 nominations across 131 countries as one of only two women from India and the first person from Mizoram on the list. The recognition, linked to the International Year of the Woman Farmer 2026, will be presented at the World Food Forum in Rome from 12 to 16 October 2026.
Who Is Pi Mari-i and Why Was She Selected?
Z T Lalrithangi, known locally as Pi Mari-i, is a 35 year old former private school teacher from Sangau in Lawngtlai district in southern Mizoram. The Food and Agriculture Organization chose her for her steady work in strawberry cultivation and rural development, describing her effort as an example for other women in the sector. The Mizoram Horticulture Department had earlier informed her about the selection, and the Food and Agriculture Organization confirmed it through an email on 21 September 2026 with an invitation to Rome.
Pi Mari-i is one of only two women from India in the first list of 100 honourees and the first person from Mizoram to receive this global recognition. The global pool included more than 600 nominated women from 131 countries, which shows the scale of competition. Her story stands out because she started without formal training or initial project support and built a profitable farm through self learning, family labour and value addition.
| Detail | Fact |
|---|---|
| Name | Z T Lalrithangi, popularly called Pi Mari-i |
| Village and district | Sangau, Lawngtlai district, Mizoram |
| Age and background | 35 years, former teacher with postgraduate degree in Sociology |
| Recognition | FAO 100 Women Heroes in Agrifood Systems and Rural Development |
| Selection scale | 100 chosen from more than 600 nominations across 131 countries |
| India representation | One of two women from India, first person from Mizoram |
| Award event | World Food Forum, FAO headquarters, Rome, 12 to 16 October 2026 |
What Is the FAO 100 Women Heroes Recognition?
The FAO 100 Women Heroes in Agrifood Systems and Rural Development is an honour by the Food and Agriculture Organization. It recognises 100 women whose practical work is transforming food production and rural life. The first honourees will be felicitated at the World Food Forum in Rome in October 2026.
The Food and Agriculture Organization launched this annual recognition to celebrate the International Year of the Woman Farmer 2026. The aim is to bring attention to both visible leadership and quiet everyday work that improves lives, strengthens communities and makes food systems more efficient, inclusive, resilient and sustainable. The focus is on sustained practical effort, not one time achievement, so that no woman or girl is left behind in rural progress.
The Food and Agriculture Organization invited its member countries to send nominations through the Ministry of Agriculture or the Permanent Representation to FAO. Nominations for the first list closed on 15 June 2026. Nominees include farmers and producers, entrepreneurs and innovators, community leaders, environmental champions, scientists, extension workers, civil society leaders and public officials. Their work can cover the full chain from sustainable production and care for natural resources to nutrition, market access, processing and rural development, from small local farms to larger markets, and from traditional knowledge to new technology.
What Is FAO?
FAO stands for the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. It is a specialised agency of the United Nations that leads global efforts to end hunger and improve food security. The Food and Agriculture Organization was established on 16 October 1945 and is headquartered in Rome, Italy.
The Food and Agriculture Organization was created at Quebec City in Canada on 16 October 1945 after the Hot Springs Conference on food and agriculture and the work of an interim commission in Washington. Washington served as the temporary base. The headquarters moved to Rome in 1951, where it remains. The Latin motto of the Food and Agriculture Organization is fiat panis, which means let there be bread.
The Food and Agriculture Organization has 194 members, which include 193 countries and the European Union, and it works in more than 130 countries. It helps governments improve farming, forestry, fisheries, land and water use, collects farm data through systems like FAOSTAT, sets food safety standards with the World Health Organization through the Codex Alimentarius, and runs training and technical support. Its current work follows the Strategic Framework 2022 to 2031 built around Four Betters, which are better production, better nutrition, a better environment and a better life. The Director General of the Food and Agriculture Organization (as of September 2026) is Qu Dongyu.
FAO Headquarters and Work in India
The FAO headquarters is located in Rome, Italy, in the former building of the Department of Italian East Africa. The Conference of Member Nations, which meets every two years, decides policy and budget, while a 49 member Council acts as the executive body between sessions. The Food and Agriculture Organization works closely with the other Rome based United Nations agencies, the World Food Programme (WFP) and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).
The Food and Agriculture Organization has an office in New Delhi and works with the Government of India on food security, climate resilient farming, digital tools, fisheries and forest based livelihoods. In India, women form the backbone of small farms, livestock care, biodiversity protection and household nutrition. The joint focus is on better access to land, credit, technology, training and leadership roles for women farmers.
What Is an Agrifood System?
Agrifood system means all people and activities that bring food and farm products from production to use and disposal. It covers growing, harvesting, processing, packaging, transport, trade, eating and waste reuse. Agrifood systems also include non food products like fibres, wood and biofuels.
The term agrifood system is wider than food system. Food system covers items meant for eating, while agrifood system also covers non food farm and forest products and all related jobs, investments and choices. It includes smaller linked systems such as seed supply, food safety, school meals and food waste management. How these parts connect decides results for farm output, diets and health, jobs, incomes and care for nature.
Women play a central role in these systems. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization report on the status of women in agrifood systems published in 2023, about 36 percent of working women globally work in agrifood systems. In southern Asia, which includes India, about 71 percent of working women are engaged in agrifood systems, compared with 47 percent of working men. The same report notes that closing gender gaps in access to land, finance, technology and markets can raise output and reduce food insecurity for millions of people.
From Classroom to Strawberry Fields: Pi Mari-i’s Farming Journey
Z T Lalrithangi worked earlier as a private school teacher. She holds a postgraduate degree in Sociology from the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), which is a central open university headquartered in New Delhi. After her studies she appeared for several government job selection tests but did not succeed. She then decided that a government job should not be the only path to a secure income and chose farming to become financially independent.
The Mizoram farmer learnt about successful strawberry growers in neighbouring Siaha district and started experimenting in 2024 on a small plot about 5 km from Sangau. She began with around 1,000 saplings without formal training in strawberry cultivation. She studied online tutorials and videos late at night while caring for her three young children. Her husband, who works in a state run primary school, and her parents in law supported the daily farm work, and the family spends weekends at the farm along with hired workers when needed.
The first harvest earned about ₹1.5 lakh. That result gave her confidence to expand. She now grows more than 10,000 strawberry plants on two hectares, along with avocado, banana and other fruits and vegetables. Her income from strawberries crossed ₹10 lakh in 2025, with annual earnings reported between ₹6 lakh and ₹10 lakh from the venture.
| Year | Scale and Income |
|---|---|
| 2024 | Started with about 1,000 saplings, earned about ₹1.5 lakh in first year |
| 2025 onward | More than 10,000 plants on two hectares, income crossed ₹10 lakh |
Pi Mari-i did not stop at selling fresh fruit. She processes part of the harvest into strawberry wine for local markets and has diversified into dehydrated strawberries and candy. She is also working with the Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK), which means Farm Science Centre, on strawberry juice production. The Krishi Vigyan Kendra network gives farmers local training, testing and advice on crops.
Her start was not easy. The Mizoram farmer first asked the authorities for help but was told that strawberry was not covered under the department project at that time. She went ahead on her own, and the state Horticulture Department later extended support in different forms. Her work earned state recognition when she was named the best farmer of Lawngtlai district at Horti Fair Mizoram 2026.
Significance for Mizoram Agriculture and Rural Development in India
Mizoram is a hill state in northeast India where small farms and horticulture provide the main livelihood for a large share of families. The state capital is Aizawl, and Lawngtlai in the south is a remote district with limited market links. In such areas, high value horticulture crops like strawberry offer an alternative to jhum, which means shifting cultivation on hill slopes. Research bodies such as the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), established in 1928 and headquartered in New Delhi, had earlier shown in Siaha district that strawberry on terraced plots with water harvesting and organic manure can raise annual income to several lakh rupees per hectare.
Pi Mari-i’s success shows how this model can work when led by women. Rural development in India depends on such local enterprise because it creates income near the village, adds jobs in picking, packing and processing, and keeps value within the community through products like wine, juice, dried fruit and candy. Her journey also shows the role of family support, self learning and later public support from the Horticulture Department and the Krishi Vigyan Kendra network.
The honour carries a wider message in the International Year of the Woman Farmer 2026. The United Nations General Assembly declared 2026 as the International Year of the Woman Farmer in 2024 on a proposal moved by the United States, and asked the Food and Agriculture Organization to coordinate events with the World Food Programme and the International Fund for Agricultural Development. The Year seeks stronger rights to land, better access to credit, technology, training, markets and leadership roles for women. The Food and Agriculture Organization has noted that reducing gender gaps in farming can lift global output sharply and lower food insecurity for about 45 million people. Pi Mari-i’s farm, built from 1,000 saplings to a two hectare enterprise, gives a clear local example of that larger goal.
The Way Forward
The immediate next step is the felicitation at the World Food Forum at Rome from 12 to 16 October 2026. The Mizoram farmer is completing travel documents for the visit. The Rome meeting will bring the 100 honourees together on a global stage and is expected to increase interest in their products, methods and community work.
For Mizoram, the recognition can help expand temperate fruit cultivation and local processing. Steady support for quality planting material, cold storage, transport links, food safety testing and market access can help more growers move from fresh sales to higher value products like juice, dried fruit and preserves. Continued guidance from the Horticulture Department and the Krishi Vigyan Kendra network will be important. The Food and Agriculture Organization plans this women heroes honour as an annual list, so Pi Mari-i’s selection can also encourage more nominations from India in the coming years.
Key Takeaways
- Z T Lalrithangi, popularly known as Pi Mari-i from Sangau in Lawngtlai district of Mizoram, was selected for the FAO 100 Women Heroes in Agrifood Systems and Rural Development honour.
- Pi Mari-i is one of only two women from India among 100 honourees chosen from more than 600 nominations across 131 countries.
- The honour is linked to the International Year of the Woman Farmer 2026 and will be presented at the World Food Forum in Rome from 12 to 16 October 2026.
- FAO stands for the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, established on 16 October 1945 at Quebec City and headquartered in Rome since 1951.
- Pi Mari-i started strawberry farming in 2024 with about 1,000 saplings, expanded to more than 10,000 plants on two hectares, and raised income from about ₹1.5 lakh to more than ₹10 lakh.
- She was earlier named the best farmer of Lawngtlai district at Horti Fair Mizoram 2026 for strawberry cultivation and value addition into wine, juice, dried fruit and candy.
