The
World Bank Board of Directors approved a $140 million credit for Sri Lanka to
improve the resilience and productivity of agriculture for more than 470,000
small farmers in 6 provinces in the dry zone of the country under the Climate
Smart Irrigated Agriculture Project (CSIAP). The provinces selected are those
that are most exposed to climate impacts. The
new CSIAP will be implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Economic
Affairs, Livestock Development, Irrigation and Fisheries & Aquatic
Resources along with the six Provincial Councils (Northern, North Central,
North Western, Eastern, Uva and Southern) in the dry zone.
The total project cost is $140 million, including a $125 million credit from
the International Development Association, with a $10 million contribution from
the Government of Sri Lanka and a $5 million contribution from the project
beneficiaries. Lanka is particularly
vulnerable to climate-related natural disasters such as floods and droughts.
The agriculture sector, which contributes approximately 7.7 percent to the
country’s economy and employs 27 percent of the population, more than 38
percent of whom are women; is especially
The
objective of CSIAP for Sri Lanka is to improve the productivity and climate
resilience of smallholder agriculture in selected hotspot areas. The project
has four components.
(1)
Agriculture Production and Marketing component will improve agriculture productivity
and diversification through the adoption of Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA)
practices and improved on-farm water management.
(2)
Water for Agriculture component will facilitate (a) planning for water and
other infrastructure necessary to support climate-resilient irrigated
agriculture, (b) construction of the planned infrastructure, and (c)
co-management of this infrastructure by central/provincial governments and the
local community.
(3)
Project Management component will ensure the quality of overall project
management, while ensuring smooth coordination of activity implementation by
various agencies and strategic partners at national and subnational levels.
This component will finance:(a) the consultancy and operating costs of the
Project Management Unit (PMU) and Deputy Project Director (DPD) Offices and of
different project executing agencies, including for fiduciary and safeguard
aspects; (b) the monitoring and evaluation (M&E) of project activities at
baseline, midterm, and end of project, including geotagging of the assets
created; and (c) information, education, and communication campaigns to make
all stakeholders aware of the project.
(4)
Contingent Emergency Response component will allow for rapid reallocation of
project proceeds in the event of a natural disaster or crisis that has caused
or is likely to imminently cause a major adverse economic and social impact.
