The Ministry of Environment, UNDP and WFP in Sri Lanka collaboratively encourage mainstreaming the use of traditional underutilized crops.
The ‘Lesser-Known Foods of Sri Lanka’ campaign – an advocacy initiative launched by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the World Food Programme (WFP) in Sri Lanka together with the Ministry of Environment launched on 22 January 2025 sought to reintroduce nutritious underutilised traditional, heirloom food crops into the diet of everyday Sri Lankans. This campaign is directly supported through the Early Action Support (EAS) project, funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) which plays a critical role in accelerating Sri Lanka’s implementation of the Global Biodiversity Framework by integrating biodiversity conservation into national policies and strategies.
A final event to conclude the 6-week-long campaign was held yesterday with the attendance of Mr Gamini Wijesinghe, Additional Secretary to the Ministry of Rural Development, Social Security and Community Empowerment in Sri Lanka; Ms Chandani Wilson, Director- Biodiversity, Ministry of Environment; Ms. Malin Herwig, Officer-In-Charge, UNDP in Sri Lanka; Mr. Abdur Rahim Siddiqui, Representative and Country Director, WFP Sri Lanka; Dr Manjula Wickramasinghe, Dean, Faculty of Technology, Wayamba University of Sri Lanka; and other key government officials and stakeholders from the private sector and academia.
A digital cooking competition was held throughout the campaign, inviting people from all over the country to submit recipes that use underutilised crops. A highlight of the finale event featured the three finalists of the competition in an exciting live cook-off, crowning Dayathree Nayanathara Munasinghe – with a Kaju Dalu Wanjanaya (Cashew leaf curry) as the Winner, Udeshika Hansani with a Madatiya dalu vanjanaya (Red bead leaf curry) and Panchamee Hewavissenti with an Attika vanjanaya (Curried Wild Figs) as Joint Runners-Up. The dishes prepared by the three finalists were judged by famous social media and YouTube personality Dinux Kitchen, along with representatives and partners of the campaign.
Commenting on UNDPs leadership in this campaign, Ms. Malin Herwig, Officer-In-Charge, UNDP in Sri Lanka stated, “This campaign marks a crucial step toward reshaping food systems, reviving local crops and ensuring a more nutritious, resilient future for all. By reintroducing indigenous foods and innovative practices, it supports food security, enhances nutrition and promotes environmental sustainability. We are thankful to all the partners that have come onboard for this important campaign, and we look forward to expanding into tangible and sustainable initiatives to promote these lesser-known foods.”
The campaign included online and offline activities that engaged both urban and rural communities. A key knowledge product of the campaign included the curation of a recipe book, with the support of the Department of Agriculture, comprising over 50 recipes using underutilised ingredients. Over the course of the next few months, this recipe book will be distributed amongst school meal providers enrolled in WFP’s Home-Grown School Feeding (HGSF) programme who supply meals for over 200,000 school children across seven districts, along with other key target audience groups including pregnant mothers and hotel school students, and will be made available online for the general public. A knowledge sharing session was also held at the Dambulla Divisional Secretariat Auditorium for caterers from the Matale District, with on-site demonstrations on how to prepare underutilised crops, focusing on nutritional best practices, selecting ingredients and plant biodiversity conservation.
As a part of the regional engagements, Thema Collection partnered with the campaign for a knowledge sharing session with 25 hotel school students from Dambulla hosted at Aliya Resort Dambulla. Technical experts from UNDP and WFP shared insights on the importance of biodiversity conservation and nutrition while chefs from the property conducted demonstrations on how to prepare selected underutilised ingredients. Two activations were held in Colombo at Diyatha Uyana, Battaramulla and at Galle Face Green, with dishes served to over 1,000 people across two weekends. Snacks, drinks and desserts using lesser-known ingredients such as dandila, hibiscus, moon seed and taro leaves among others were prepared by celebrity chef Pubilis Silva and his team, giving the public an opportunity to interact and learn more about these lesser-known foods of Sri Lanka.
Highlighting the Government’s priorities in this area, Ms. Chandani Wilson, Director- Biodiversity, Ministry of Environment highlighted, “Sri Lanka is a country with significant endemic biodiversity. And in that sense the loss of any species found in Sri Lanka, is a loss to the entire world. As a country which already conserves 30% of its land area, there are many limitations and restrictions in expanding the protected area network. Which is why we must look towards community-based conservation efforts. Mainstreaming underutilized crops is important as it will ensure people will conserve a wider variety of species with food value. The Ministry of Environment is committed to support any programme that conserves our biodiversity.”
The objective of this campaign was to address two main concerns in Sri Lanka; the rapid decline of Sri Lanka’s biodiversity and the multiple threats it faces; and the access to a wide variety of foods among vulnerable communities to promote better nutrition. By popularising underutilised food crops, the campaign aims to create commercial value for these nutrient-dense crops and thereby create the incentive for their cultivation and ultimately their preservation. These crops can be easily grown in a home garden or adapted to commercial cultivation, providing affordable food options across the urban and rural population of Sri Lanka.
To learn more about the campaign, visit: https://www.lesserknownfood.com
Pictured here: Winner and Joint-Runners Up of the Lesser-Known Foods Cooking competition are recognized by the judging panel and high-level attendees from the event, with prizes courtesy of campaign digital partner Antyra Solutions.
