With 10,000 Strawberry Plants, Mizoram’s Pi Mari-i Earns a Place Among UN’s 100 Women Heroes

What happened to Pi Mari-i, and why was she recognized by the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization?

Pi Mari-i, whose name is ZT Lalrithangi, was recognised by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations as one of its 100 Women Heroes in Agrifood Systems and Rural Development. She is 35 and comes from Sangau in Mizoram’s Lawngtlai district.

Her achievement began with an idea about strawberries. She watched farming tutorials late at night while caring for three children and learned from other growers. In 2024, she planted about 1,000 saplings. Her first harvest earned roughly Rs 1.5 lakh, while strawberry earnings crossed Rs 10 lakh in 2025.

The recognition highlights both her personal success and the wider importance of women in rural economies. More than 600 nominees from 131 countries were considered, and only two selected women were from India. Mari-i now farms more than 10,000 plants across two hectares.

What is the FAO’s “100 Women Heroes in Agrifood Systems and Rural Development” list meant to recognize?

The FAO’s “100 Women Heroes in Agrifood Systems and Rural Development” list is meant to recognise women making important contributions to farming, food systems, and rural communities. The article presents the honour as recognition of achievement, leadership, and independence in an area where women often have fewer opportunities.

Pi Mari-i is a clear example. She had a master’s degree in sociology but no agricultural training. After failing to secure a government job, she studied farming tutorials at night and started growing strawberries. Her work later expanded from 1,000 saplings to more than 10,000 plants across two hectares.

The list also places her story in a global setting. More than 600 nominees from 131 countries were considered. Only two of the 100 chosen women were from India. The honour connects her local farm in Mizoram with wider efforts to value women’s work in rural development.

How large is Mari-i’s strawberry operation, and how did her earnings change between her first harvest and 2025?

Mari-i’s strawberry operation covers two hectares and includes more than 10,000 plants. The land also carries avocado, banana, and other fruit and vegetables. Some strawberries are made into wine for local markets, adding another use and possible income stream to the farm.

Her first planting involved about 1,000 saplings in 2024. The first harvest earned around Rs 1.5 lakh. By her own account, reported by PTI, strawberry earnings crossed Rs 10 lakh in 2025. That is close to seven times the first harvest’s earnings.

The figures show rapid growth, but they are Mari-i’s reported earnings rather than independently verified figures. Her expansion reflects continued investment after the first harvest. She now relies on family labour, weekend work, and hired workers when the fields require more hands. She was also named Lawngtlai district’s best farmer at the Mizoram Horti Fair 2026.

How did Mari-i learn strawberry farming and build the operation despite having no formal agricultural training or initial government support?

Mari-i had a master’s degree in sociology but no formal agricultural training. With three children at home, she studied late at night by watching farming tutorials on YouTube and learning from other growers. Farmers in neighbouring Siaha district also showed her that strawberries could grow successfully nearby.

She planted about 1,000 saplings in 2024 on land roughly five kilometres from Sangau. When she first approached authorities, she was told strawberries were outside the department’s project. She therefore began without official help. Her husband and parents-in-law shared the work, while labourers were hired when needed.

Government assistance came later, and the Horticulture Department eventually told her about the FAO recognition before its formal email arrived. The farm grew through practical learning, family labour, local knowledge, and reinvestment. Her first harvest helped finance continued growth, leading to more than 10,000 plants across two hectares.

Why is Mari-i’s success unusual for women in agriculture, given the differences in land ownership, farm management, and agricultural wages?

Mari-i’s success is unusual because women often have less control over agricultural resources and decisions. The FAO report cited in the article says women are less likely to run farms of their own. They are more often unpaid family workers or casual labourers, which limits their income and authority.

Her position is different. She has the land, chooses the crop, manages production, and controls the farm’s direction. Her strawberry business expanded from 1,000 saplings to more than 10,000 plants across two hectares. She also earns from strawberries and local strawberry wine.

The wider numbers show the gap she has crossed. On farms of the same size, land productivity is 24 percent lower where a woman is the manager. Women in agricultural wage work earn 82 cents for every dollar earned by men. Mari-i’s story shows what becomes possible when a woman has control over land, production, and income.

What could happen to incomes, global GDP, and food insecurity if women had the same opportunities and resources as men in agrifood systems?

The FAO estimates that equal opportunities and resources in agrifood systems could produce major economic and food-security gains. Removing gaps in jobs, education, income, land access, and farm productivity would allow more women to contribute fully to production and earn more from their work.

The article gives three striking estimates. Closing the gaps could lift global GDP by about 1 percent, equal to nearly USD 1 trillion. It could also bring 45 million people out of food insecurity. Narrowing gender gaps in jobs, education, and income could close 52 percent of the food insecurity gap between women and men.

These are global estimates, not results from Mari-i’s farm alone. Her two-hectare operation offers a local example of the broader principle. When women control land, crops, and income, their work can strengthen household livelihoods and rural economies. Wider access to resources could magnify that effect across countries.

What are agrifood systems, and why does women’s work across farming, food production, and rural economies matter for food security?

Agrifood systems are the connected activities and people involved in growing food, raising animals, processing crops, moving products to markets, and supporting rural livelihoods. The article focuses especially on women’s role in this system. Their work may be visible on farms or unpaid within families, but it still helps produce food and sustain communities.

Mari-i shows why women’s access and authority matter. She learned strawberry farming, planted 1,000 saplings, and expanded to more than 10,000 plants across two hectares. She controls the crop and earns from it, while her family and hired workers support production. Her farm also supplies local markets with strawberries and strawberry wine.

The article links these opportunities to food security. Women make up 36 percent of working people in agrifood systems, compared with 38 percent of men, yet they face lower productivity and wages. The FAO estimates that closing these gaps could help 45 million people leave food insecurity.

Key Facts:

📌 Pi Mari-i was named an FAO 100 Women Hero at age 35.

📌 Her strawberry earnings crossed Rs 10 lakh in 2025.

📌 Only two selected women were from India.

📌 The FAO list recognises women in agrifood systems and rural development.

📌 More than 600 nominees from 131 countries were considered.

📌 Only two of the 100 chosen women were from India.

📌 Mari-i tends more than 10,000 strawberry plants.