Best wishes to all Sri Lankans to mark the New Year 2021

Climate Smart Irrigated Agriculture Project (CSIAP) extends its sincere greetings and best wishes to all Sri Lankans to mark the New Year 2021 a meaningful and fruitful one. We are entering a decade during which we must find solutions for combating climate change and building a better future for all. Therefore, CSIAP is making greater efforts in fighting climate change vowing to keep people safe and healthy as COVID-19 which, is spreading in our community, has been remaining an urgent task on an unprecedented scale.

May this year bring new happiness, new goals, new achievements, and a lot of new inspirations on your life. CSIAP encourages its beneficiaries to make 2021 a better year, and overcome challenges. May all Sri Lankans’ dreams come true and all their hopes are fulfilled. Let us all get together and join hands in order to strengthen and uplift our country. CSIAP wishes you a healthy, peaceful, and prosperous new year.

CSIAP is moving forward in 2021 to improve the agricultural economy in Sri Lanka

The climate Smart Irrigated Agriculture Project (CSIAP) is moving forward in 2021 to improve living standards of farmers in CSIAP command areas and boost agroeconomic in Sri Lanka said, Miss. Sharmi Shanmuganathan, Gender Development Officer and Acting Social Safeguarded Officer, Climate Smart Irrigated Agriculture Project, (CSIAP), with an exclusive interview with Tamil National Service of SLBC  on 24th Dec 2020. 

CSIAP is implementing COVID 19/ YALA 2020 Cultivation Programme, Mid-season Cultivation Programme, Maha Season Cultivation Programme, Cluster Village Development programmers, Climate Smart Nutritional Sensitive Home Garden Progaamme, 47 ASC Modernization and Digitalization, Rehabilitation of Agriculture Roads, Construction of Grain Warehouses, Cascade Development through the rehabilitation of minor and medium tanks, Establishment of Farm Field School at Thirappane and CSA Model Villages, She further added. This discussion was broadcasted simultaneously with  Thendral FM and Yaal FM of SLBC too.

Please click to listen to full interview on: Tamil Service at SLBC

The CSIAP Farmers’ Database Training Programme for CSIAP Staff

A special training programme on CSIAP framers’ database was held at the Governor’s Auditorium of North Central Provincial Council Office, Anuradhapura yesterday (22^nd) under the patronage of Dr. Priyantha Weerasinghe, Project Director, CSIAP. This is the first time that CSIAP has conducted such a training for its staff.

 Selected staff from six Deputy Project Directors’ Offices including Provincial Deputy Project Directors and senior officials of PMU attended this event. Those, who were on the training programme, had been given hands on experience by Mr. Uvindu Anuradha, Senior Web Developer and Mr. Ajantha Lakmal, Senior Web Developer, a   team from SLT Digital Info Service Ltd lead by Mr. Danushka Gangoda, Team Leader. Mr. Lakshman Premanath, Deputy Project Director, North Central Province, CSIAP organized the above programme.

Improving the productivity and climate resilience of smallholder agriculture

The climate Smart Irrigated Agriculture Project is to improve the productivity and climate resilience of smallholder agriculture through long-term sustainability of irrigation infrastructure development. The infrastructure supported under the project will be identified and designed based on projections of climate change including the frequency of drought and flood events both to maximize the availability of water to farmers and also to protect land and assets from potential flooding. Climate resilience is defined as the capacity of agricultural systems to respond to drought and flood by resisting or tolerating the impacts and recovering quickly, through integration of adaptation, mitigation, and other climate-smart agriculture (CSA) practices.

Miss. Sharmi Shanmuganathan, Gender Development Officer and Acting Social Safeguarded Officer, Climate Smart Irrigated Agriculture Project, (CSIAP), talks about CSIAP and its current activities on Tamil National Service, Thendral FM and Yaal FM at 7.30am on 16th Nov 2020.

Please click to listen: Tamil Service at SLBC

The International Rural Women’s Day

Recognizing rural women as ‘farmers’ and as ‘leaders’in adopting climate resilience agriculture technology and practices

 Sri Lanka is a lower-middle-income country with total population of 21.8 million of which 77.4% of the population is largely rural.[1] Overall, poverty level of the country is 6.7%, and poverty remains concentrated in rural areas - of the poor, 82 percent are rural residents.[2] While agriculture sector contributes 6.9 percent to GDP, the sector employs approximately 27% of the population, which is mostly rural..[3] While the share of women in agriculture has remained between 30-33% for over two and a half decades[4], women play a key role in agricultural production and processing, both in family and farms outside; though women’s role have been mostly limited to home gardening and small-scale farming activities.

 The World Bank funded “Climate Smart irrigated Agriculture Project (CSIAP)” targets farmers in climatically vulnerable hotpot areas to improve the productivity and resilience of smallholder agriculture activities.  As part of the project’s strategic and operational design, it seeks to address gender gaps and risks in order to empower women as ‘farmers’ and as ‘leaders’ in their communities for adopting climate resilience practices.

Rural women in farming communities face multiple challenges, 

which risks them of being excluded from benefiting from project activities  

During the project preparation and assessment phase, many issues were identified which limits and prevents women from equitably benefiting from and participating in agriculture activities. These issues include: lack of land and asset ownership which limits women’s ability to engage and grow their agricultural production and livelihoods (e.g. in Sri Lanka, only 16 % of all privately-owned land belongs to women)[1], lack of access to climate smart agriculture production technologies and marketing, lack of decision-making power as most of the farmer organizations are led by male farmers, inability to fully participate in agriculture activities due household and care responsibilities, additional requirements to hire labour, difficulties in traveling to agriculture lands which are generally away from residential locations, greater risks of impact from the Human elephant conflict (HEC) as women mostly engage in cultivation work during day time when HEC is most prevalent and impacts linked to domestic abuse/gender based violence with increased consumption of alcohol by men. With all these setbacks for rural women, the current COVID pandemic situation increases their vulnerability affecting household income, food security and nutrition. 

Rural women benefited from gender informed approaches in climate smart sub projects.

The project has taken multiplicity of actions to ensure the inclusion rural women in project activities. Thus the project has taken measures to:   

1.     reformulate project strategies during COVID19 period to implement several subprojects specially targeting rural women farmers to ensure their food and nutrition security.

2.    assess gender gaps, issues and risks during participatory rural needs assessments and social screening.  

3.    incorporate measures in hot-spot area development plans and social impact management plans to ensure women’s participation and inclusion.

4.    revise beneficiary selection criteria to be inclusive giving priority to women beneficiaries including vulnerable groups (such as women who are living under the poverty level, widows, families with young children and those living with elderly & disable persons)

5.     establish minimum targets for female beneficiaries in project interventions

6.    build capacities of project staff on gender issues and sensitize communities (both males and females) on principals of gender equity in line with the training manual developed.

7.     build capacities of women on climate-resilient agricultural technologies

8.    support to address risks of Human-Elephant conflict

9.    provide support to purchases assets, hire labour and access services (such as credit, childcare facilities, etc.)

10. strengthen links with community-based organizations to receive project implementation support 

11.  implement GBV prevention measures (i.e. Code of Conduct for Communities etc.) and strengthen GRM reporting measures for GBV.

12. increase women's engagement in decision making in Farmer’s Organizations, Producer’s Groups & Social Audit Committees including acting on issues affecting them 

Over 5,500 rural women farmers involved climate resilience agriculture practices

CSIAP strategies that are formulated and are being implemented have generated favorable outcomes for rural women farmers to ensure these groups are benefiting from climate resilience agriculture practices in an equitable manner. Therefore, in addition to increasing participation of women in project activities, the project has exceeded its target of 30% of beneficiaries to be women in all its programs and is also successfully implementing programs targeting 100% women as beneficiaries through its climate smart nutrition sensitive home gardening program. 

By Sharmi Shanmuganathan,
Gender Development Officer and Acting Social Safeguarded Officer, PMU, CSIAP.

[1] https://www.worldbank.org/en/country/srilanka/overview#1 & RPF of CSIAP.
[2] Sri Lanka Poverty Update 2019 - The World Bank South Asia
[3] PAD of CSIAP
[4] Assessment to develop strategies for promoting gender involvement and increasing nutrition levels of farmer families – CSIAP

The Yala 2020 is designed to promote the OFC cultivation

Mr Sisira Semasinghe, 

Agriculture Extension Specialist 

The Yala 2020 is designed to promote the Other Field Crops cultivation among the farming community in hot spot areas of the 11 districts of the island said Mr Sisira Semasinghe, Agriculture Extension Specialist of Climate Smart Irrigated Agriculture Project (CSIAP) with an exclusive interview with Lakhanda News on 11^th August 2020. 

This Yala 2020 covers the area of more than 3,600Ac of OFC (Groundnut, green gram, cowpea, chilli, maize, soya, red onion, kurakkan, sesame and Blake Gram are grown) cultivating lands of the country. Farmers who will be involving with the project have been familiar with the cultivation of OFCs and involving with the cultivation of OFCs for production purposes. The lessons learned by implementing the project in this season will be applied to correct mistakes in the coming seasons. In order to achieve the objectives of the programme,  many strategies have been planned to be implemented by the CSIAP with implementing agencies.

Please click  Lakhanda Newsto listen

Activities of CSNSHG and CVDP for the betterment of Sri Lanka

Mr Sisira Semasinghe, Agriculture Extension Specialist

Women farmers are provided greater access to agriculture expertise, participation in local cultivation planning and decision making under Climate Smart Nutrient Sensitive Home Garden (CSNSHG); they are also provided adequate representation at all levels in relevant planning and decision making addressing the gender gap. CSNSHG is identified as the women farmer-based activity targeting to empower women farmers

A cluster village is an area where farmers are cultivation same crop or crop combinations following the Climate Smart Practices under the Cluster Village Development Programe (CVDP) . Cluster Village hence act as a Climate smart model village for farmers in hot spot areas and act as a information exchange and feedback receival village on Climate Smart Agriculture providing greater learning experience for farmers. The basic idea of each Cluster Village is to increase farmer income, applying all possible Climate Smart Agriculture practices. 

Mr Sisira Semasinghe, Agriculture Extension Specialist, Climate Smart Irrigated Agriculture Project (CSIAP) explained the current status of both CSNSHG and CVDP, which is being implemented by CSIAP , in an exclusive interview with Lakhanda Radio on 29^th this month.

Please click Lakhnda Radio to listen .

Harvesting under Yala 2020 to strengthen food production in Sri Lanka

Harvesting of cultivation in hotspot areas in 11 districts of six  provinces  in the dry zone of Sri Lanka under  Yala 2020 food production program launched by the Climate Smart Irrigated Agriculture Project (CSIAP) has been broadcasted by national Radios.  The news was in the main news bulletins of Sinhala, Tamil  and English services of Sri Lanka Broadcasting Services and Lakhanda Radio of Independent Television Network today (24^th).

Yala 2020 food production programme goes in line with the programme of the Implementation Ministry in promotion of food crops cultivation in the Yala 2020 season to overcome possible food shortage that could surface out owing to COVID 19 pandemic. It focuses on the promotion of Other Field Crops Cultivation following Climate Smart Agriculture Practices  in hot spot areas of 11 districts as from the food crops sector Other field crops occupy the highest share of importation at present. 

More than 7000 farmers affected by climate changes in Hambantota, Kilinochchi, Mullaitivu, Trincomalee, Batticaloa, Ampara, Polonnaruwa, Anuradhapura, Puttalam, Kurunegala and Monaragala  have been selected for the above purpose. Cultivation is being carried out on 3635 acres and it is expected to produce nearly 8000 tons of OFCs.  Groundnut, green gram, cowpea, chilli, maize, soya, red onion, kurakkan, sesame and Blake Gram are grown under this programme. The  CSAIP contribution to this project is Rs 115.12M..8M.
Please click to listen:Lakhanda Radio, Sinhala Services at SLBC, Tamil Services at SLBC and  English services st SLBC

An Awareness Programme on the CSNSHG for Gov.Officers in Buttala

An awareness programme on the Climate Smart Nutrient Sensitive Home Garden (CSNSHG), for officers in Buttala and Welaway Divisional Secretariats Areas, Uva Province was held at the Divisional Secretariats, Buttala on 21st this month.  Climate Smart Nutrient Sensitive Home Garden is a very special programme that has been planned to implement with 2695 women farmers is aiming to increase the nutrition level of the farming families to ensure adequate immunity level to face COVID-19 pandemic. 

Mr. I. H. Dharmasekara, Deputy Project Director, CSIAP is addressing the audience

This program is implemented in all 11 districts to establish 2695 sustainable home gardens applying Climate Smart practices to provide nutrient enrich diet to farmers. CSNSHG is in line with the “Saubagya Gewaththa” implemented by the Ministry of Mahaweli, Agriculture, Irrigation and Rural Development Mr. S. K . Semasinghe, Agriculture Extension Specialist at Project Management Unit and Dr.Y. Ketipearachchi, Agriculture Specialist in Uva Province, CSIAP delivered lectures to educate officers too.

Officers of Department Agriculture (Provincial Uva), Department of Agriculture (Inter Provincial-Uva), Agrarian Services Department (Wellawaya, Buttala, Thelulla) and Divisional Secretariats Offices (Buttala, Wellwaya) attended this programme.

Mr. S. K . Semasinghe, Agriculture Extension Specialist, Mrs. S. M. S. Udayangani, Assistant Director, Department of Agriculture, Mr. H.K. P Jayalath, Deputy Director, Department of Agriculture(Provincial-Uva), Mrs. K, A. R. M, Karunanayakr, Assistant Director (Planning), Divisional Secretariat, Buttala and   Dr. Y. Ketipearachchi, Agriculture Specialist CSIAP were at the head table while Mr. I. H. Dharmasekara, Deputy Project Director, CSIAP is addressing the audience.

The beginning of groundnut harvesting at Nediyamadu Cluster Village in Batticaloa

Symbolically the first harvest was given to the District Secretary

The beginning of groundnut harvesting was held in the Nediyamadu Cluster Village in Batticaloa  under the "Field Day" programme on 10th this month under the patronage of Mrs. Kalamathy Pathmarjah, the Government Agent / District Secretary, Batticaloa.  The first harvest of groundnuts in the village was presented to the chief guest.  Mr. S. Suthakar, Divisional Secretary, Manmunai West and Mrs. Sasikala Punniyamoorthy, Director (Planning), Batticaloa Kachcheri attended as guests of honour.

Continuing the Field Day activities, Mr. K. Vishnukaran, Technical Assistant at SLGAP Division of Department of Agriculture demonstrated how to Cultivate for high yield and how to prevent insects that harm crops. During the event, Mrs. Pathmarajah discussed with farmers about their ongoing issues faced when cultivating and suggested solutions too. 

The Field Day Demonstration

Groundnuts were cultivated in an area of 50 Acres a Nediyamadu village by 50 farm families with the direct support of the Climate Smart Irrigated Agriculture Project (CSIAP) which was funded by the World Bank. Due to a large number of farmers in the village, “Nediyamadu Groundnut Producer Society” was formed and registered under the Department of Agriculture. The project provided everything needed including seeds and technical guidance for successful cultivation. 

Mrs. Sasikala Punniyamoorthy, Director (Planning), Batticaloa District Secretariat, around 60 officers from Manmunai West Divisional Secretariat, Department of Agriculture, Department of Agrarian Development, the CSIAP officers  including  Dr. R.M. Ariyadasa, Deputy Project Director, Eastern Province , Mr. Amal Arunapriya , Institutional & Capacity Building Specialist-PMU,  and  50 groundnut farmers were present in this ceremony.

Yala 2020 is now in operation throughout the country

Climate Smart Irrigated Agriculture Project implements Yala 200  which is in line with the programme implemented by the  Ministry of Agriculture to overcome possible food shortage that could surface out owing to COVID 19 pandemic. Therefore, this project will be implemented in all climatically vulnerable hot spot areas identified by the project covering 11 districts of the island giving priority for the promotion of Other Food crops (OFC). The total cultivable area expected to cover by the project is 4,029.4 Ac involving with more than 7,074 beneficiaries. The project aims to grow OFC in fields coming under the command area of tanks with adequate water applying climate-smart practices.

Harvesting cowpea  in the field

The COVID -19 pandemic occurred in end 2019 will limit the future food supply of the country owing not only to the limited availability of food items in the export market but also to the unhealthy financial status of the country to import those. Under this circumstance, the Government of Sri Lanka has launched a Saubhagya National Food Production Drive persuading the cultivation of all food crops. Consistent with the AgStat volume XVI (Department of Agriculture, 2019), it was noted that from the total importation of food items, OFC alone utilizes 39.26% of the food import bill. Further, the decision recently taken by the cabinet of ministers to limit imports except pharmaceuticals and petroleum will create a food shortage in the market in the short run.

To face this situation, the Presidential Task Force established to fight for Covid 19, has declared the promotion of food crops as an urgent need and which has become a high priority in the country at present. This task force has identified Maize, Mung bean, Ground nut, Cowpea, Kollu, Sesame, Kurakkan, Chili, Soya, B Onion, Red Onion, Black gram, Turmeric and Ginger as the main crops to be given priority.

Main the objective  of the Yala 2020

To support more than 7,000 farmers in hot spot areas of 11 districts to cultivate OFCs in 4,029.4 acres to increase food production in the country and the annual farmer family income by 10%.

Beneficiaries of  Yala 2020

The number of direct beneficiaries of the sub-project is 7074 farmers in all hot spot areas. Out of which 4882 farmers are male and 2192 are female. No of women headed farmer families involved in the sub-project is 384.

Type of agriculture inputs and assistance for beneficiaries.

It is proposed that the selected farmers will be provided with seed materials required for the cultivation of identified crops. the table  shows the seed requirement different OFC crops that would be cultivated under the project.

Crops proposed to be cultivated and the seed requirement.

CSIAP’s Cluster Village Development Programme is now underway

The main objective of the Cluster Village Development Programme (CVDP) is to contribute to the government of Sri Lanka to reduce the importation cost of selected crop products, increase the farmer annual income and maximum utilization of farmer land for higher productivity. 

Under this program, a Cluster Villages are established in an each hotspot district with selected crops applying all possible climate-smart practices by farmers with market-oriented products in the village. This village is developed as a ‘Climate Smart Modal Village’ which will provide a greater learning experience for farmers in hot spot areas.
Please click to listen: CVDP on SLBC Radio

CVDP is underway in 11 hotpots districts to avoid any future shortage of food

Cluster Village Development Programme is designed to increase farmer income, reduce food importation by applying all possible Climate Smart Agriculture practices in 11 hotpots districts.  This programme covers 530 ac with 630 beneficiaries. The Project expenditure is Rs 43.0 million and it has been progressing successfully regardless of the many barriers encountered due to a chaotic situation in the country. The commitment of the officials and the farmers contribute to the success of the project. 

Cluster Village Development Programme is one of four programs launched by Climate Smart Irrigated Agriculture Project in parallel to National Food Production Drive under Saubhagye Dekma   to avoid any future shortage of food supply due to the Covid19 pandemic. 

Benefits to beneficiaries     

·       Identifying marketing opportunities

·       Identifying suitable crops and lands

·       Developing water resources and associated infrastructure.

·       Providing 50% of the agricultural inputs from the project

·       Forming market-focused producer groups and societies

·       Setting up trade agreements to connect farmers with the market

·       Smart technology for product sales, weather, cultivation technology and trade information

·       Training farmers on cultivation to withstand the changing climatic conditions

·       Conducting Farmer Business Training Schools

·       Providing assistance to empower the farmers as agro-entrepreneurs

·       Providing seed and technology transfer

·       Implementing sustainable garden development programs

·       Developing the ecosystems of the village

·       Providing facilities to cultivate in each land

·       Establishing market and agricultural access

·       Establishing village cantered market in the village

·       Establishing processing and packing centres

·       Providing storage facilities for production teams

·       Supplying plastic crates and agricultural implements to pack the farmers' produce

·       Establishing demonstrations of climate smart agricultural practices

·       Evaluating the farmers and create a mechanism to  reward them     

CSIAP extends its sincere greetings and best wishes to Sinhalese and Tamils

Climate Smart Irrigated Agriculture Project extends its sincere greetings and best wishes to the Sinhala and Tamil community to mark the Sinhala and Hindu New Year in a meaningful and fruitful manner. Currently, we are passing through uncertain and unprecedented period due to Covid 19. We must do the right things and be prepared to take steps beyond what we are typically required to defeat this pandemic. We hope that all Sri Lankans are safe and well during this critical time. We stand with all Sri Lankans and with the world at large in these trying times. We wish for a full recovery for all the infected and we are confident that together we will overcome this new challenging crisis very soon.

This New Year is the national and cultural festival of the people in Sri Lanka. The dawn of New Year is the most powerful cultural festival which unites all Sri Lankans. This is the season where all people enjoy traditional merrymaking. The New Year binds with the traditional customs which blooms interrelations, family relationships and friendships. Let us all get together and join hands in order to strengthen and uplift our country.  Climate Smart Irrigated Agriculture Project wishes you a healthy, peaceful, and prosperous new year. 

CSIAP is moving forward to boost the agricultural economy and living standards

Dr. Priyantha Weerasinghe,
Deputy Project Director, CSIAP

CSIAP is moving forward to boost the agricultural economy of the country and uplift the living standards of farmers in climatically vulnerable hot spots areas of 11 districts of the country despite a critical situation where the whole country is facing due to the Covid19 pandemic said, Dr. Priyantha Weerasinghe, Deputy Project Director, Climate Smart Irrigated Agriculture Project (CSIAP) with  excursive interviews with National electronic media.  

Expressing furthermore during the interviews with the SLBC, Lakhanda and Ruhunu Sevaya, Dr. Weerasinghe said that this project aims to improve the climate resilience of farming communities through increasing  productivity in climatically vulnerable Hot-Spot Areas identified in 11 districts of Sri Lanka.

In moving forward the project is implementing a program to increase other field crops production covering more than 3000 ac and 5000 beneficiary farmers in this Yala season in all 11 districts and the project will be implemented over six years (2018-2024), he further added.
Please click to listen: 
SLBC Sinhala Service, SLBC Tamil Service, SLBC English Service, Lakhanda and Ruhunu Sevaya.

The HSAADP is being reviewed by CSIAP with the World Bank

Hot Spot Area Agriculture Development Plan (HSAADP) of the Climate Smart Irrigated Agriculture Project (CSIAP) is currently being reviewed at the Uva Management Development Institute (UMDI), Passara. It has been decided that all the specialists of CSIAP must review the HSAAD plans developed by the consultancy firms to make certain that HSAADPs are well prepared, organized.  

Eng. Nadaraja Sivalingam, Project Director, CSIAP, is explaining the objectives of the HSAADP

The HSAADP is the key instrument of the CSIAP project which would identify necessary interventions to be carried out in Hot spot areas during the period of its implementation based on the HSAADPs developed. It is expected that the HSAADPs will propose productive, economically sound, environmentally friendly and socially acceptable interventions for the respective Hot spot areas assuring the improvement of agriculture livelihood of the community.

The Project Management Unit (PMU) of the CSIAP has organized this two-day training workshop for the specialists and officers of the CSIAP to furnish them with necessary understanding of reviewing the HSAADP with the assistance of experts from the World Bank. Representing the World Bank Mr. Seenithamby Manoharan, Task Team Leader  of CSIAP and Senior Rural Development Specialist,  Mr. Sarath Wickramarathne, Consultant, Dr. Gamini  Wickramasinghe, Consultant (Social Safeguard) also participated in this event.

A cluster village programme will be launched in 11 districts to develop villages

Dr. Priyantha Weerasinghe, Deputy Project Director, CSIAP,  is conducting the session. Eng. 
Nadaraja Sivalingam, Project Director, CSIAP, Mr. Seenithamby Manoharan, The World Bank 
are also at the main table. 

Climate Smart Irrigated Agriculture Project (CSIAP) has initiated to launch a cluster village programme in each district where the CSIAP is currently  being implemented in pre-determined hotspot areas of eleven districts:  Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa, Hambantota, Monaragala, Kilinochchi, Mullativu, Kurunagala, Puttalam, Trincomalee, Batticaloa and Ampara.

The objective of this programme is to develop cluster villages in hot spot areas where cultivate market driven crops with  climate smart agriculture practices. A special discussion with the World Bank officials and the staff of CSIAP  on the Cluster Village programme were held at the Sri Lanka Foundation Institute, Colombo 07 recently.

Specific objectives of the cluster village programme

1.     Establishing 11 climate smart production villages.

2.    Modifying 47 Agriculture Service Centers to function as efficient and effective one - stop Service Centers.

3.    Renovating water bodies in 11 selected villages.

4.    Establishing Haritha Uyan.

5.     Appraising and rewarding 11 farmers for establishing best Climate Smart Agriculture practices in each village.

6.    Training 110 selected farmers of 11 villages on entrepreneurship development by Farmer Business School methodology.

7.     Forming 22 Producer Groups in 11 villages and enhancing the leadership and management skills of the leaders of the producer groups.

8.    Introducing 11 potential market linkage avenues to the farmers through the producer groups.

9.    Promoting 5 water saving techniques and rain water harvesting method among farmers within the yala season.

10. Establishing 22 market driven CSA crops in 11 selected villages during Yala and Maha seasons of 2020.

Activities

    1.     Identifying marketing opportunities.

    2.    Identifying suitable crops and lands. Crops will be identified according to the supply and demand. Major crops cultivated in the village (supply driven) and crops which have the market (market driven) are selected.

   3.    Developing water resources and other related infrastructure.  

   4.    Selecting suitable farmers. 50 farmers from each village will be selected.

5. Forming Producer Groups/societies. Crop based Producer Groups will be formed in each village.

6. Linking farmers with the market 

7. Providing training for farmers and conducting Farm Business Schools. Farmers will be trained on CSA interventions & value addition.

8. Supply of inputs and technology transfer. 

9. Establishing crops in the fields of farmers in each village.

10.Eco system development will be setup under Haritha Uyan.

11.Providing facilities for marketing (Market access roads, village fairs, processing centres, pack houses, stores will be provided for producer groups. Plastic crates and equipment required for value addition will be provided for individual farmers).

12.Evaluating farmers and developing a mechanism to reward them.

Representing the World Bank Mr. Seenithamby Manoharan, Task Team Leader  of CSIAP and Senior Rural Development Specialist,  Mr. Sarath Wickramarathne, Consultant, and Mr.V.Mohamed Ameen, Consultant (Financial Management) also participated in this event.

CSIAP and its objectives on SLBC

All three services of Si Lanka Broadcasting Corporation broadcasted the news of the Climate Smart Irrigated Agriculture Project (CSIAP) and its objectives in Sinhalese, Tamil and English.

Please click to listen: SLBC Sinhala service,  SLBC Tamil Service and  SLBC English Service