The World Bank suggests scaling up activities related to agricultural production

The World Bank suggested scaling up activities for agricultural production to enhance food security and increase farmers’ income to overcome the prevailing economic crises in Sri Lanka.

In order to accomplish the above task, the following areas were discussed at a very special meeting held at the Project Management Unit, Climate Smart Irrigated Agriculture Project (CSIAP) yesterday (25^th)
1. Aggressive scaling-up of homestead vegetable gardening
2. Rapid scaling up of organic compost production
3. Aggressive promotion/supply of materials for leguminous cover crops (Green manure; Sun hemp, Glyricedia etc.) and other soil enhancement techniques
4. Dialogue with our procurement team on involving Farm Organizations in canal maintenance.

Provincial Deputy Project Directors, CSIAP  of six provinces where the CSIAP is being implemented joined the meeting remotely. Mr. John C. Keyser, Senior Agriculture Economist and the Task Team Leader of the CSIAP, Dr. Athula Senaratne (Senior Agriculture Specialist), Mr. Seenithamby Manoharan (Consultant - Agriculture & Rural Development) of the World Bank, R.M.B. Rajakaruna Project Director, Specialists and Officers of the CSIAP were present physically in this discussion.  Please click Images to see more photos of the discussion.

“ It is important to speed up activities to reach CSIAP’s PDOs” says Secretary, MoA

Secretary Mr. Bandaranayake addressing the audience 

We need to act fast to reach Project Development Objectives (PDOs ) of the Climate Smart Irrigated Agriculture Project ( CSIAP) in a timely manner according to the schedule, said Mr. D.M.L Bandaranayake,  Secretary to the Ministry of  Agriculture on the final day of the 03 day special workshop conducted to develop the Comprehensive Action Plan (CAP) for the Project Component- 1 of CSIAP  held yesterday (07th) at Janki Hotel, Colombo.

When local projects in the country have been halted due to the current economic crisis, an opportunity has arisen for you to do something for the country with a foreign-funded project like the CSIAP, the Secretary expressed. You should think of moving forward by fulfilling your own duties and responsibilities. The focus should be on the physical development of the project. Therefore, we must all work together to develop the country through agriculture and uplift the living standards of the farming community, Mr. Bandaranayake further added.

The CSIAP's Project Director Eng. R.M.B. Rajakaruna, Provincial Deputy Project Directors, Subject Specialists and Subject Officers attended this workshop which was organized by the Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist of the Project Management Unit, CSIAP Mr. Bandula Sirimal. Please click Images to see more photos of the final day.

A 03-day workshop on the development of the CAP commences

Project Director Eng. Rajakaruna addressing his staff  on the inaugural day of the workshop

A 03 day special workshop on the development of the Comprehensive Action Plan (CAP) for the Project Component- 1 of the Climate Smart Irrigated Agriculture Project (CSIAP) began under the patronage of the CSIAP's Project Director Eng. R.M.B. Rajakaruna this morning (05th) at Hotel Janaki, Colombo. This workshop is structured to develop a set of norms for the preparation of a detailed action plan which will seed up CSIAP’s activities till the project ends in 2024.

Day 01:

* Adoption of CSA practices for Agriculture production and demonstration of the effectiveness of CSA practices through FBS and uptake of CSA practices through Producer Society/Producer Association

* Institutional development and marketing

* Cascade Management and Operation & Management of the Irrigation Systems (identifying the activities for Cascade management and Operation & Management

Day 02:
* Preparation of overall action plan for agriculture production and marketing for each province with separate plans for ASC with a focus on the planning of cascade
 
Day 03:  
* Continuation of overall action plan preparation for agriculture production and marketing for each province based on the comments given for ASC level action plans

Deputy Project Directors, Subject Specialists and Subject Officers attended this workshop which was organized by the Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist of the Project Management Unit, CSIAP Mr. Bandula Sirimal. Please click to see Images more photos of the above programme.