The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations has recognised the West Bengal government’s flagship soil rejuvenation initiative ‘Matir Sristi’ and accorded international status to three traditional aromatic rice varieties of the state as “Food and Cultural Heritage”.
Sharing the FAO’s communication on X, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said the recognition marked a major endorsement of the programme launched in 2020 to transform unfertile land in the western districts into productive, multi-cropped farmland.
“This international-level certificate of appreciation is due to the huge success of the pioneering ‘Matir Sristi’ project that we started in 2020 in the western districts of our state,” she said.
According to the Chief Minister, the initiative was conceived to convert barren and mono-cropped land into fertile, year-round cultivable fields through an integrated model combining land development, irrigation infrastructure and panchayat-level coordination. The programme emphasises conservation of natural heritage and biodiversity while enhancing agricultural productivity.
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Banerjee said the project has enabled vegetables and fruits to be grown in areas that previously lacked irrigation facilities. Water supply has been ensured through pond-digging, renovation of water bodies and the creation of new irrigation systems, thereby expanding cultivation cycles and improving soil quality.
Describing the recognition as an honour for the people of the state, she said the UN had acknowledged the project as a unique, people-oriented model that links ecological restoration with livelihood generation. The Chief Minister added that the initiative had generated employment for millions and substantially increased rural incomes in the western districts.
In a parallel development, the FAO has also granted international “Food and Cultural Heritage” status to three of Bengal’s traditional fragrant rice varieties, Gobindabhog, Tulaipanji and Kanakchur.
Banerjee termed the recognition a tribute to the farmers of rural Bengal and said it reflected the state’s sustained focus on protecting biodiversity, promoting indigenous crops and strengthening food culture.
Sources indicated that the state government is now considering expanding the scope of the ‘Matir Sristi’ project to additional areas in the western belt, building on the global recognition and the reported success of the integrated land and water management model.
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