Download Promoting Water for Green Growth in Sri Lanka -Climate smart agriculture

Promoting Water for Green
Growth in Sri Lanka
-Climate smart agriculture
for women farmers
Kusum Athukorala,
Champa Navaratne,
Janaka Gunartna,
Ravi Peiris and
Anusha Alles
Workshop on Water and Green Growth in Asia and the Pacific
23-25 February 2015, Bangkok, Thailand
• Climate change a recognized reality and
threat to Sri Lankan farmers
• Specifically North Central Province of Sri
Lanka the ill effects of poor soil and water
management ,overuse of fertilizer and
pesticides leads to major human health and
soil fertility issues
• Epicenter of epidemic of Chronic Kidney
Disease (CKD) exacerbated by toxic
agriculture
• Need for a community move towards the
goal of water for green growth
Oscillating between flood and drought
 Women's most affected by climate change impacts - diminished food and water
security, resultant distress migration
 Catalysts for enhancing food security as well as domestic water management if
given access to knowledge and resources
 Home gardening a vital role to improve community food security , daily
domestic domestic needs, optimize domestic water ,
 generate domestic enterprises
 Needs fewer inputs and resources than commercial agriculture but moves
away from toxic agriculture
 Current productivity related to home gardening very low
 Dependence on inorganics, high fertilizer overuse due to subsidies and toxic "
cocktails"
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* Jalavahini Empowerment
for Women
farmers extension activity started in 2012-14 by
NetWwater and Brandix Lanka Ltd in Anuradapura
* Unusual alliance of civil society and corporate CSR
program brought together by common interest in
water security
* Capacity building activity leads to
feasibility of a
training program for women farmers in climate smart
agriculture
* Increased non toxic food
for domestic use as well as
high value crops
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* Pilot project with 50 women farmers from Rajangane
and Pubbogama, two farming communities in
Anuradapura
* Practical exposure, technical knowhow and awareness
* Production of essential food crops for own
consumption
* Improving income of farming communities through
green technologies
* Micro level rainwater harvesting techniques and water
saving systems for promoting soil and water
conservation measures
* Cultivation of special High Value
crops such as turmeric, ginger,
medicinal herbs , aloe vera
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* Data management , cultivation diary listing costs, labour
inputs, marketing and major challenges
* Regular visits
* Prolonged communication and troubleshooting via post
and telephone
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NOVEMBER/ DECEMBER 2014
UNUSUALLY HEAVY MONSOON RAINS
•
•
•
Constant inundation, spilling of irrigation
reservoirs and heavy flooding
•
•
A heavy financial loss (both in income and
expenditure)
•
Damage to fields and home gardens
• A severe psychological setback
• Presidential election in early January 2015
• Overworked, stressed out and demoralized
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
Heavy demand on mentoring and encouragement from the
project team-reviving the devastated home gardens and
cultivating smaller extents of HVCs

Poorer households could not afford a second investment

Use of inorganic fertilizers again to compensate for the loss of
fertility in the home gardens

Revival of the age old rural tradition of “attam”

formally registered organizations needed

Need for official standing, access to agricultural
knowledge and to a decision making forum
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
The need to be prepared climate related impacts - mindset and related gender
ideologies

The knowledge /techniques related to water management and climate smart
agriculture which can withstand extreme climate events is still limited

Access to planting material and seeds is limited

The heavy loss of investment due to floods needs to be recouped - Access to
high quality seed material is a problem here too

Lack of a functional follow up systems following the breakdown of the T&V
system of the Dept of Agriculture , officers request an incentive payment

Knowledge transmission system is very weak and the farmers are dependent
on commercial companies who promote their own products for knowledge

Loss of Traditional agriculture related knowledge values, systems



Need for continued mentoring
Support from local agricultural extension
Advocacy for promoting green growth software as well as hardware –
for green growth
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