Mizoram Woman Farmer to Receive FAO 100 Women Heroes Award

Pi Mari-i, who was a teacher and now a farmer, hails from Mizoram and has been chosen among the FAO 100 Women Heroes in Agrifood Systems and Rural Development. This is part of the International Year of the Woman Farmer 2026, which was designated by the United Nations to celebrate the contributions made by women in agrifood systems. As per FAO, this effort seeks to promote the understanding of the roles played by women farmers and tackle challenges associated with land, financing, technology, education, and services. Lalrithangi hails from the Sangau area in Lawngtlai District of Southern Mizoram. She is among two Indian women chosen for this honour, according to the report.

Strawberry Cultivation Changes Her Way of Living

Lalrithangi started cultivating strawberries in the year 2024 when she came to know about successful strawberry farmers in the nearby Siaha district.

Initially, she cultivated about 1,000 strawberry plants on her land situated at a distance of about 5 km from Sangau. Making a profit of about ₹1.5 lakh per annum, she decided to increase her production.

Now she is cultivating more than 10,000 plants of strawberries along with other fruits like avocado and banana on two hectares of land.

Through strawberry farming, she earned more than ₹10 lakh in 2025. Besides this, she also manufactures strawberry wine from her production.

From Teacher To Farmer

Lalrithangi is a postgraduate in Sociology from IGNOU and also worked as a teacher in a private school.

After her studies, she appeared for various competitive exams as she was in search of a government job. Ultimately, she opted for farming and took up strawberry farming as her choice.

Initially, she had tried to seek help from the government since strawberry farming was not included in the project of the department then. But later, she continued the farming alone while receiving government help in different forms.

Though she had no training in strawberry farming, she had sought guidance through online farming videos and information from other farmers.

Family Support and Innovations in Farming

Lalrithangi has three children and said that she frequently learned about farming methods during the night despite having domestic chores to take care of.

Her husband, who is employed at a government primary school, along with her in-laws, has helped her in farming.

The family also visits the farm on weekends, and other laborers are hired where needed.

Her story demonstrates the potential of horticulture to serve as an alternative source of income for people living in rural areas through innovative crops and cultivation methods.

The FAO Women’s Heroes and the International Year of the Woman Farmer

The International Year of the Woman Farmer 2026 (IYWF 2026) was declared by the UN to recognize the role of woman farmers and foster gender equality in the agrifood sector. The FAO is organizing activities for the year.

According to FAO, women play an important role in all stages of the agrifood chain. There are several gaps that are mentioned by FAO such as access to land, finance, technology, education, and decision-making.

The award of 100 Women Heroes is connected with the individual stories of women farmers and the international issue of the IYWF 2026.

Award Ceremony in Rome

The award ceremony will take place from October 12 to 16, 2026, at the World Food Forum organized by the FAO headquarters in Rome.

According to the report, she was notified via email by FAO on September 21, 2026, regarding her selection.

Prior to the receipt of this international award, she was also chosen as the best farmer of Lawngtlai district in the Mizoram Horti Fair 2026.