Monday, 21 November 2022

The CSIAP could contribute to preserving foreign currency - Minister of Agriculture

Hon. Mahinda Amaraweera, Minister of Agriculture, Wildlife & Forest Resources Conservation assured that Climate Smart Irrigated Agriculture Project (CSIAP) could contribute to  preserving Sri Lanka’s foreign currency reserves by increasing local production in the country at  a special Progress Review  Meeting held at the Ministry this morning (21st). The minister advised continuing the ongoing programmes in a very systematic manner to increase productivity furthermore.  It is important to maintain the sustainability of the activities, which are being conducted,
after the project period, the Minister further added. Eng. Rx.M.B. Rajakaruna, Project Director, CSIAP presented the current progress of the CSIAP and future activities.

Mr. Gunadasa Samarasinghe, Secretary to the Ministry of Agriculture, Senior Officials of the Ministry and Subject Specialists of the CSIAP attended this meeting. 

Photograph by Pathum Rasanjana, Ministry of Agriculture

Thursday, 10 November 2022

Around 700 farmers in Puthukudiyiruppu received Rs 6.65m worth of inputs

The Climate Smart Irrigated Agriculture Project (CSIAP) continually provides farmers with inputs to carry out cultivation without delay in the areas where the CSIAP is being implemented. Under this, around 700 farmers representing producer societies in  Mallikativu, Manakandal and Puthukudiyiruppu East received Rs 6.65m worth of inputs recently from the CSIAP.

Inputs such as 13 types of vegetable seeds, Turmeric & Ginger rhizomes, 50 Grow bags, Plants (Guava, Lime, Murunga, Papaw, Passion) Manioc and Sweet potato cuttings were distributed among farmers. The World Bank Team headed by Mr.  Sheu Salau, CO- Task Team Leader (TTL) of the CSIAP & Mission Leader handed inputs over to farmers with CSIAP staff.

Addressing the audience Mr. Salau said that the World Bank always support improving the productivity and living standards of the farming community. Consultant Mr. S. Manoharan and Dr. Athula Senarathne, Senior Agriculture Specialist of the World Bank, Mr. George Babu, Provincial Deputy Project Director (Northern Province) Subject Specialists and Officers of the CSIAP attended this event.

Story by R. Sanjeepan (Institutional Development & Capacity Building Specialist), NP, CSIAP

The World Bank opens a Sales Center and Training Hall at Puthukudiyiruppu, NP

The Sales Centre & Training Hall built at the Agrarian Service Center in Puthukudiyiruppu, Mullaitivu under the modernization of Agrarian Service Centers was inaugurated by the World Bank recently. The World Bank Delegations led by Mr.  Sheu Salau, CO- Task Team Leader (TTL) of the CSIAP & Mission Leader along with Consultant Mr. S. Manoharan ceremonially opened the new Center and Hall by unveiling the plague, and the Climate Smart Irrigated Agriculture Project (CSIAP) spent Rs 10m to modernize the Puthukudiyiruppu Agrarian Service Center. Dr. Athula Senarathne, Senior Agriculture Specialist of the World Bank, Mr. George Babu, Provincial Deputy Project Director (Northern Province) Subject Specialists and Officers of the CSIAP were on this attended this occasion.

Story by R. Sanjeepan (Institutional Development & Capacity Building Specialist), NP, CSIAP

Wednesday, 9 November 2022

The World Bank oversees Home Garden, Crop Clinic and Compost Production in NP

The World Bank Team arrived in Koolamurippu village,  Mullaitivu to supervise Climate Smart Nutritional Sensitive Home Garden (CSNSHG), Crop Clink and Compost Production Programmes conducted by the Climate Smart Irrigated Agriculture Project (CSIAP) recently. The World Bank Officials met members of a Producer Society in the village to find CSISP’s contribution to improving productivity and livelihoods. Farmers in the village highly appreciated the support provided by the CSIAP to improve productivity.

The World Bank Delegations led by Mr.  Sheu Salau, CO- Task Team Leader (TTL) of the CSIAP & Mission Leader along with Consultant Mr. S. Manoharan and Dr. Athula Senarathne, Senior Agriculture Specialist, Mr. George Babu, Provincial Deputy Project Director (Northern Province) Subject Specialists and Officers of the CSIAP were on this tour.

Story by R. Sanjeepan (Institutional Development & Capacity Building Specialist), NP, CSIAP 

A workshop on training the CSIAP staff to use the FMIS

The Climate Smart Irrigated Agriculture Project (CSIAP) commenced a two-day residential workshop in the Project Management Unit (PMU) this morning (09th) to train the Staff of Accounts Departments working for Provincial Deputy Project Directors’ offices and PMU of the CSIAP to use the Financial Management Information System (FMIS). The CSIAP’s finance and accounts activities will be handled via the FMIS from December 01st onwards. Soft Vision Technologies (Pvt) Ltd designed the finance and account application for the CSIAP. Mr. T.T. Dhayalan, System Analyst and Consultant, Soft Vision Technologies (Pvt) and his team are giving the CSIAP Staff a hands-on experience with the FMIS.

Tuesday, 8 November 2022

The WB oversees Matamodei Kulam Tank being rehabilitated at a cost of Rs 46m

The World Bank Officials observed the construction of Mathamoddai Kulam Tank in Semankunru village located in Mulankavil  Agrarian Service Center Area in Kilinochchi recently. The Climate Smart Irrigated Agriculture Project (CSIAP) builds this tank at a cost of Rs 46.32m.

The World Bank Team led by Mr.  Sheu Salau, CO- Task Team Leader (TTL) of the CSIAP & Mission Leader along with  Consultant Mr. S. Manoharan and  Dr. Athula Senarathne, Senior Agriculture Specialist met members of the Social Audit Committee and Farmer Organization in the area. The World Bank insisted that the farming community in the project area will be aided. The World Bank advised the contractor of the tank to speed up the rehabilitating process and explain to them the necessity of completing construction as planned.

Mr. George Babu, Provincial Deputy Project Director (Northern Province) Subject Specialists and Officers of the CSIAP were present in this meeting.

Story by R. Sanjeepan (Institutional Development & Capacity Building Specialist), NP, CSIAP 

Monday, 7 November 2022

The World Bank’s visit to Pallai Kulam Tank being rehabilitated by the CSIAP in NP

The World Bank Officials observed the construction of the Pallai Kulam  Tank which is being rehabilitated by the Climate Smart Irrigated Agriculture Project (CSIAP) at the cost of Rs 6.52m in  Semankunru village located in  Poonakary, Kilinochchi recently.

The World Bank Delegations led by Mr.  Sheu Salau, CO- Task Team Leader (TTL) of the CSIAP & Mission Leader met the Social Audit Committee & the Producer Society in the village to highlight the importance of rehabilitating tank which leads to the improving productivity. Mr. Salau pointed out the World Bank’s interest in supporting the farming community in the Northern Province to improve their livelihoods.

Consultant Mr. S. Manoharan, Dr. Athula Senarathne, Senior Agriculture Specialist of the World Bank, Eng. R.M.B. Rajakaruna, Project Director, Mr. George Babu, Provincial Deputy Project Director (Northern Province) Subject Specialists and Officers of the CSIAP were on this mission.

 Story by R. Sanjeepan (Institutional Development & Capacity Building Specialist), NP, CSIAP 

The CSIAP’s Contribution to Climate Change Adaptation & Mitigation in Sri Lanka

United Nations Climate Change Conference ( COP27)
The Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC  from 06th to 18th November 2022

The United Nations Climate Change Conference, COP 27 takes place in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt from 6 to 18 November 2022. The Climate Conference of the Parties is held every year since 1995. It provides a platform for stakeholders to discuss the climate crisis on a global level. Annually, the conference brings actions on issues to addressing the climate emergency from reducing Greenhouse gas emissions (GHG), helping communities build resilience and adapt to the impacts of climate change, financing climate actions and addressing loss and damage all over the world. This year, the climate conference supposes to assess the progress of the nation toward enhancing resilience and helping the most vulnerable communities.

Sri Lanka, a member county of the United Nations intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), is experiencing climate-related natural disasters that resulted in major economic impacts. The damages caused by natural disasters such as floods, droughts, cyclones and landslides are reducing the economic value of the country. The agriculture sector of the country plays a major role in the economy and most of the farmers in the agriculture sector are smallholders, largely depending on rainwater. This has increased the risk of adverse climate change impacts on smallholder farmers.

In this context, it is appropriate to brief on the Climate Smart Irrigated Agriculture Project (CSIAP) in Sri Lanka which has been designed to improve the productivity and climate resilience of smallholder agriculture in climatically vulnerable hotspot areas. This project is implementing strategies for climate change adaptation and mitigation in the smallholder agriculture sector through the introduction of Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA) technologies and practices to boost agriculture production and marketing. CSIAP educate the farmers and develop their skills with scientific knowledge on CSA. The newly established Farm Field School (FFS) will launch its operation in a few weeks to provide scientific training to promote CSA practices to mitigate the climate change impact. The concept of Farm Business School promotes CSA practices in hotspot areas to increase resilience and adapt to climate change. Demonstration Villages have been established to multiply CSA technology transfer to uplift the farmer's cultivation practices.

Cultivation programs including Maha Season, Yala Season, Inter-Seasons, Climate Smart Nutrition Sensitive Home Gardens and Cluster Villages are being implemented to promote CSA practices and increase the resilience of farmers. The beneficiaries are able to achieve maximum production from their farmlands using CSA practices and it helped their socioeconomic resilience. The project introduced new institutional arrangements including Producer Society and Producer Associations to strengthen the farmers against climate change.  These institutions are the foundation of a community organization to take collective decisions to promote CSA practices and develop their plan for mitigating climate vulnerability and enhancing climate resilience.

The water for agriculture program is building climate resilience and supporting the rehabilitation of irrigation systems targeting possible future climate changes. It aimed to collect more rainwater and surface runoff to mitigate floods and drought by buffering against climate change. Hydrological assessments and water balance studies have been conducted in 14 river basins to assess effective water availability for the future in river basins, watersheds and cascades of tanks.

Socio-economic well-being is the paramount requirement to strengthen climate resilience in society. Social vulnerability is higher among the elders, women-headed families, differently able people, and economically marginalized people. CSIAP provided safety nets for over 70,000 vulnerable community families in eleven hotspot areas. The community has been strengthened by social and economic capital to mitigate climate change impact and increase resilience.

Climate resilience in biodiversity plays a major role in balancing the production system. As land becomes increasingly scarce and impacts climate change, an effective management system needs to balance conflicting demand or land use in a large landscape. Sustainable management of natural resources will ensure ecosystem resilience. CSIAP is implementing Agro-ecological Landscape Resilience Studies in selected hotspot areas to conduct auditing the landscapes to understand their ecological character both in production and non-production habitat, current issues and challenges and seek opportunities to bring in greater environmental and social resilience through appropriate integration of sustainable agroecological practices to face future climate change risk.

 The above study will provide hotspot area development guiding principles that will address a number of key points including land degradation neutrality and nutritional security; the welfare of the watershed community and economic gains to the farmers; adaptation to climate change; emphasis on secondary agriculture; promoting land use and production systems in sync with climate and soil site-suitability of land resources; scientific planning based on technology inputs, spatial and non-spatial data, hydro-geologic and aquifer characteristics; institutional sustainability; and convergence of programs and resources.

The CSIAP wishes the COP 27 a success!

By Dr. Janaka Jayawardana,
Environmental & Social Safeguard Specialist, PMU, CSIAP

Sunday, 6 November 2022

The World Bank reviews the CSIAP's progress in Northern Province

The World Bank Delegations arrived in the Northern Provincial Offices of the Climate Smart Irrigated Agriculture Project (CSIAP) situated in Kilinochchi to review the current progress in the province under the CSIAP recently. The World Bank Team led by Mr. Sheu Salau, CO-Task Team Leader (TTL) of the CSIAP met senior officials of implementing agencies Mr. V.Premakumar, Provincial Director of Irrigation, Northern Province, Mr. K. Karunanithy, Deputy Director of Irrigation, Kilinochchi, Mrs. S. Yamini, Acting Deputy Provincial Director of Agriculture, Mullaitivu and Mr. R. Paraneetharan, Assistant Commissioner Agrarian Development, Mullaitivu to discuss ongoing project activities which are implemented and how to move forward to meet the project development objectives. 

 Consultant Mr. S. Manoharan and Dr. Athula Senarathne, Senior Agriculture Specialist also represented the World Bank Team. Eng. R.M.B. Rajakaruna, Project Director, Mr. George Babu, Deputy Project Director (Northern Province), Subject Specialists and Officers of the CSIAP attended this meeting. Please click Image to see more photos of the event.

 Story by R. Sanjeepan (Institutional Development & Capacity Building Specialist), NP, CSIAP 

Saturday, 5 November 2022

The World Bank Officials visit Climate Smart Demonstration Village in Mullaitivu

The World Bank Delegations visited the Climate Smart Demonstration Village formed in Keppapulavu village located in the Mulliyawalai Agrarian Center area in Mullaitivu, Northern Province recently. The World Bank Officials discussed with the Keppapulavu producer society, formed in the village by the Climate Smart Irrigated Agriculture Project (CSIAP), to Find out how to support furthermore to improve productivity and their livelihoods. The CSIAP provided this producer society with inputs, seeds and technical guidance to carry out cultivation in the village.

The World Bank team headed by Mr. Sheu Salau, CO-Task Team Leader (TTL) of the CSIAP visited the village along with Consultant Mr. S. Manoharan, Dr. Athula Senarathne, Senior Agriculture Specialist represented the World Bank, Mr. George Babu, Deputy Project Director (Northern Province), Subject Specialists and Officers of the CSIAP.

Story by R. Sanjeepan (Institutional Development & Capacity Building Specialist), NP, CSIAP 

Thursday, 3 November 2022

The World Bank assures “ the CSIAP will be the best project in South Asia”

CO-Task Team Leader (TTL) of the Climate Smart Irrigated Agriculture Project (CSIAP) Mr. Sheu Salau says that the CSIAP will be the best agricultural project in South Asia during a special meeting held in the Project Management Unit (PMU), CSIAP, Colombo this afternoon. Representing the World Bank Mr Salau visited the PMU for the first time along with Consultant Mr. S. Manoharan and Dr. Athula Senarathne, Senior Agriculture Specialist. Eng. R.M.B. Rajakaruna warmly welcomed World Bank Officials with the CSIAP staff.

Mr. Salau insisted that all staff of the CSIAP including Provincial Deputy Project Director Offices should work hard to achieve Project Development Objectives that lead to improving the productivity and climate resilience of the farming community where the CSIAP is being implemented. The World Bank stands with the CSIAP staff to support and guide them to move forward with project activities, he further added. Subject Specialists and Officers of the PMU were present in this meeting. Please click Images to see more photos of the event.

Photographs by Gayani Dassanayake, PMU-CSIAP 

The World Bank meets members of the Producer Association in Thanduwan, NP

World Bank Delegations had a discussion with members of the Producer Association in Thanduwan of Oddusuddan Agrarian Service Center area, Mullaitivu to find a way that the World Bank could support farmers in the area furthermore to improve their productivity and livelihood.

The Climate Smart Irrigated Agriculture Project (CSIAP) has taken initiative to establish market linkage between farmers and leading retail change to sell agricultural production. 

Mr. Sheu Salau, CO-Task Team Leader (TTL) of the CSIAP, Consultant Mr. S. Manoharan, Dr. Athula Senarathne, Senior Agriculture Specialist represented the World Bank. Mr. George Babu, Deputy Project Director (Northern Province), Subject Specialists and Officers of the CSIAP were present in this meeting.   

Story by R. Sanjeepan (Institutional Development & Capacity Building Specialist), NP, CSIAP 

Wednesday, 2 November 2022

Inaugural Ceremony of the Contingent Home Garden Programme in Eastern

The World Bank delegation participated in the inaugural ceremony of the Contingent Climate Smart Nutritional Sensitive Home Garden (CSNSHG) Programme of CSIAP was held in the  Thriyai Conference Hall at Kuchavelli, Trincomalee recently. The World Bank Officials headed by Mr. Sheu Salau, CO-Task Team Leader (TTL) of the Climate Smart Irrigated Agriculture Project (CSIAP) Consultant Mr. S. Manoharan, Dr. Athula Senarathne, Senior Agriculture Specialist were warmly welcomed by farmers.

The 470 farmers are selected for this home garden programme in Kuchchaveli ASC area and 14 varieties of seed packs, grow bags & 25 Kg of compost have been given per beneficiary at the initial stage.  Farmers expressed their gratitude to the World Bank Officials & the Climate Smart Irrigated Agriculture Project for the rehabilitation Agro wells and for improving their livelihood through Yala & Inter Seasonal cultivation. Also, they insisted that more service and support from World Bank through CSIAP Project would be expected furthermore.  

Mr. K. Kunanathan, Divisional Secretary, Kuchchavelli, Mr.S. Vimalathas, Principal, Thriyayi Tamil Maha Vidyalayam,  Grama Niladari, Economic Development Officers,   Trincomalee and Dr. R.M. Ariyadasa, Deputy Project Director (Eastern Province), Subject Specialists and Officers of the CSIAP were present in this event.   

Story by K.Karthiga (Monitoring & Evaluation Officer), CSIAP, EP

The World Bank meets Members of SAC and FO at Pulmodai, Trincomalee

The World Bank Officials led by Mr. Sheu Salau, CO-Task Team Leader (TTL) of the Climate Smart Irrigated Agriculture Project (CSIAP), met members Social Audit Committee (SAC) and Farm Organization (FO) of Periya Kalillupai Tank & Kattaru Anicut at Pulmodai Agrarian Service Centre in Trincomalee recently during the special tour in Northern and Eastern Provinces to review the progress of the CSIAP. The role of the SAC members in tank rehabilitation work, Grievance Redressal Mechanism and 2022/2023 Maha Cultivation was discussed in this meeting.

Consultant Mr. S. Manoharan, Dr. Athula Senarathne, Senior Agriculture Specialist joined the World Bank Team. Mr. I.K.G Muthubanda, Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture, Eastern Province, Mr. G. Senthuran, Provincial Deputy Director of Irrigation, Trincomalee and Dr. R.M. Ariyadasa, Deputy Project Director (Eastern Province), Subject Specialists and Officers of the CSIAP attended this event. Please click Images to see more photos of the meeting.

Story by K. Karthiga (Monitoring & Evaluation Officer), CSIAP, EP