From Thambapanni to Ceylon, through the rise and fall of kingdoms, independence, civil war, natural disasters and an economic crisis, Sri Lanka has had a lot on its plate. But throughout the good and the not so good times the island’s richness of culture and culinary traditions have prospered.  

Sri Lanka’s diverse culinary traditions across the island speak to the creativity and resilience of its people. Have you heard of amaranth, jack bean or taro? These are some examples of underutilized superfoods that are found in Sri Lanka. The country is home to over 700 plants with agricultural uses – many of which have been domesticated over the course of centuries. Many of these traditional crops are nutrient-dense and possess climate resilient potential. Unique methods of preparation and a diverse array of ingredients stand as testament to both the extent of nature’s bounty blessed upon the country and the close relationship its people have historically had with their environment.

However, due to rapid urbanization, modernisation and glocalization, the Sri Lankan diet has shifted and is now often confined to a limited number of commercially grown grains, vegetables, leafy greens, legumes and fruits.  

Once recognized as having some of the best health indicators in the region, recent years have presented significant challenges, placing the country’s hard-earned progress at risk. Food insecurity and persistent socioeconomic challenges, such as poverty and high food prices, have hindered progress in addressing malnutrition. Climate change, which is causing an increase in the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events, aggravates this further. In this era of poly-crisis, it is time to take a renewed look at homegrown solutions to augment nutrition intake through diverse food crops.

According to WHO, four out of five deaths (84%) in Sri Lanka in 2016 were due to non-communicable diseases, with cardiovascular diseases being the leading cause of mortality accounting for one in every three (34%) deaths, followed by cancers, diabetes and chronic respiratory diseases.  Traditional systems are underpinned by the belief that that many underutilised foods possess high nutritional and therapeutic value, though there is insufficient research to verify the same  

This is why the Ministry of Environment with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the World Food Programme (WFP) in Sri Lanka launched ‘The Lesser-Known Foods of Sri Lanka’ campaign. It reintroduces urban communities to the traditional heirloom crops and incentivises the uptake of cultivation and consumption of these crops in rural, agrarian communities.  

By reintroducing these once-commonly-used plant species into the daily meals of Sri Lankan families, we can not only conserve and preserve the island’s extensive plant biodiversity but also expand Sri Lanka’s tourism offer to include sustainably grown and unique seasonal produce, diversify local meals, and strengthen food security.  

This campaign was initiated as an activity of the Global Environment Facility (GEF) funded Early Action Support (EAS). The project plays a critical role in accelerating Sri Lanka’s implementation of the Global Biodiversity Framework by integrating biodiversity conservation into national policies and strategies. Through WFP’s network of over 3,000 school meal providers enrolled in its Home-Grown School Feeding (HGSF) project, the campaign aims to reach over 200,000 school children across seven districts with lesser-known foods.

The objective of promoting underutilized food crops is to incentivize the conservation of plant biodiversity by creating commercial value for these lesser-known food plants. Sri Lanka is one of 36 biodiversity hotspots in the world. This refers to a region that contains at least 1,500 species of vascular plants, also known as endemic species, found nowhere else on earth that has lost at least 70 percent of its primary native vegetation.  

According to Sri Lanka’s Department for Forest Conservation, Sri Lanka is one of only three countries in the world where the population density is more than 300 people per square kilometre and the forest population is maintained at 30%. Accordingly, apart from Sri Lanka, only two countries, namely South Korea and Japan, maintain such a forest system.

While this is a positive, and something to be very proud of, it also implies that with a rapidly increasing population, and a demand for natural resources, it will become harder to dedicate more land to conservation or maintain this status quo. To this end, innovative solutions are required to incentivise the public to champion plant biodiversity conservation.  

Ensuring that people have access to nutritious food is critical to improving health standards. No single food will provide the right amount of all nutrients. Sri Lanka is fortunate to have a wide and varied range of foods, many of which are nutrient dense. Stimulating our food systems and encouraging the cultivation of diverse, nutrient-rich foods plays a vital role in improving the health of our population.

As this campaign comes to an end, I invite every one of you, to add lesser-known foods into your meals. Together let’s conserve Sri Lanka’s plant biodiversity one bite at a time!  

To learn more about the initiative: https://www.lesserknownfood.com/about-the-campaign/ 

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About the author

Azusa Kubota, Resident Representative, UNDP in Sri Lanka