The CSIAP's National Steering Committee Meeting commences at MoA

 The 09th National Steering Committee Meeting of the Climate Smart Irrigated Agriculture Project (CSIAP) commenced this morning (24th) at the Ministry of Agriculture and was chaired by Mrs. Lathisha P. Liyanage, Additional Secretary (Development). Provincial Chief Secretaries representing provinces where the CSIAP is being implemented, top officials of the World Bank, implementing agencies and officers of the Provincial Deputy Project Directors’ Office joined the meeting via video conferencing technology.

Eng. R. M.B. Rajakaruna, Project Director led the CSIAP’s team which included Deputy Project Directors, Subject Specialists and officers at this meeting. Dr. (Ms) E. R. S. P. Edirimanna, Additional Secretary (Agri Technology). Mrs. M. M. Renuka Rathnayaka, Director (Development) of the Ministry of Agriculture, Mr. A. H. M. L. Abeyrathne, Commissioner General, Mr. R. Vijayakumar, Commissioner (Development) of the Department of Agrarian Development and Mr. Nuwan Weerasooriya, Assistant Director, Climate Change Secretariat of the Ministry of Environment were also present in this meeting. Please click Images to see more photos of the event.

Photograhs by Gayani Dasanayake, PMU, CSIAP

Recruitment of the CSIAP’s Staff 2023

The Progress Review Meeting of the CSIAP commenced at the MoA

The Progress Review Meeting of the Climate Smart Irrigated Agriculture Project (CSIAP) chaired by Mr. Gunadasa Samarasinghe was held at the Ministry of Agriculture this morning (17th). The Provincial Progress Reports presented via video conferencing by six Provincial Deputy Project Directors of the CSIAP were reviewed by the Secretary, Mrs. Lathisha P. Liyanage, Additional Secretary (Development) and Mrs. M. M. Renuka Rathnayaka, Director (Development) of the Ministry. Eng. R.M.B. Rajakaruna, Project Director, CSIAP, led the team of Subject Specialists of the CSIAP at this meeting. Please click Images to see more photos of the meeting.

Manioc-based three-day residential prog. on Value addition for farmers and officers

A three-day residential training programme on Manioc-based Value addition was organized for officers and farmers in Northern Province at  Cathy Rich Food Processing Center in  Embilipitiya recently by the Deputy Project Director’s Office (NP) of the climate Smart Irrigated Agriculture Project.

Value-added foods are increasingly beneficial in addressing food security, nutrition and poverty. The term “value-added foods” includes crops or foods that have been enhanced through a variety of improvements, including processing, fortification, increased safety or nutrition, better packaging or extended storage. The benefits of value-added foods include providing better nutrition; greater income for producers; access to new markets; and new processes to improve packaging and storage to reduce waste and ensure greater food safety.

Representing the Northern province, 4 Agriculture Instructors, 3 Agriculture facilitators and 16 small entrepreneurs including 10 female entrepreneurs participated in this training. and the majority of entrepreneurs who attended were cassava chip makers and bakery manufacturers.

Following the bad economic recession in the country, most of the bakeries are collapsing in Kilinochchi and Mullaitivu districts due to price escalation and scarcity of wheat flour. Therefore, the main task of this training programme was not aiming at replacing wheat flour completely or partially with manioc flour.  but introducing other manic-based value-added products like sago, biscuits and cake. Value-added food production is cost-effective, can make easily and has high nutritive value compared to wheat-based foods. All participants had hands-on experience too.

 The key contents of the training are Post-harvest technology of Manioc, Identification of Manioc processing equipment, Identification & characteristics of raw materials, Packaging, Designing of a label with participants as a group activity, Solutions for your packaging (technical) and other relevant problems, Suitable packaging/material for your products, Contact details for packaging equipment and packaging material, Usage of packaging equipment with entrepreneurs, Preparation of Manioc flour, Manioc starch, Manioc Cake, Manioc sago and Manioc Biscuit.

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

The CSIAP launches the first-ever drone spraying service in the project area

The Climate Smart Irrigated Agriculture Project (CSIAP) launches its first-ever Drone spraying services for farmers and officers in Kilinochchi and Mullaitivu districts recently. This Drone services will help farmers gain better and uniform spraying across their crops and address the farm labour shortage. The advanced technology of drone spraying will save farmers' time and ensure their safety from higher exposure to liquid pesticides, fertilizers and herbicides.

This unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) could help agriculture operations by monitoring crop growth and increasing crop output too. This UAV is capable of spraying crops with fertilizers or pesticides. Unlike a traditional Knapsack sprayer, drones can spray crops more precisely. It can be used to spray an even amount of liquid in all necessary sections, so there’s no risk of overdosing crops. Drone spraying service will be introduced to the other areas where the CSIAP is being implemented.

 The demonstration of the drone spray service was conducted in the presence of farmers and officers by Eng. K. Arulvaratharjaah, Nilaveli Lagoon (Pvt) Ltd at Government Seed Production Farm, Paranthan, Kilinochchi recently. This high-efficiency drone is capable of operating twenty-five times faster than a traditional knapsack sprayer. Agrochemical was sprayed in 2 hectares of paddy field within 30 minutes efficiently in front of the participants by this drone. Before the demonstration, a group discussion was conducted regarding the drone technology, use of organic pesticides and fertilizers in drone sprayer, advantages, disadvantages and limitations, of drone sprayer delays in getting security approvals and economic analysis of drone application.  Around 122 personnel including 31 females participated in this event.

Mr. George Babu, Deputy Project Director (NP), Subject Specialists and officers of the CSIAP organized and coordinated the demonstration. Officials of Field Crops Research Development Centre (Kilinochchi), Animal Production & Health (Kilinochchi), Seed & Planting Material Development Centre (Kilinochchi), Provincial Department of Agriculture (Kilinochchi), Provincial Department of Agriculture (Mullaitivu),  Government Departments, NGOs, private sector, Representatives of private companies, Seed producers, leaders of Farmer Organizations, members of Producer Societies and farmers were present in this demonstration programme.

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

The CSIAP conducts the third GIS-based MIS Training for its staff in NWP and NCP

The Climate Smart Irrigated Agriculture Project (CSIAP) conducts the third two-day residential training programme on the GIS-based Management Information System (MIS) for its staff in North Western and North Central Provinces today (12th) at the Creston Park Hotel in Anuradhapura. Mr. S.M. Seelarathna, Deputy Project Director (Northern Central Province), CSIAP welcomed all the participants and pointed out the importance of using MIS for the CSIAP.  Eng. R.M.B. Rajakaruna, Project Director, CSIAP addressed participants and highlighted that  MIS, which stores and organizes data, enables CSIAP Staff to generate reports and analyze data to address CSIAP’s needs and present information while having top-level meetings including the World Bank.  

The MIS, which is a software system that focuses on the management of information technology to provide efficient and effective strategic decision-making, helps the CSIAP to coordinate, visualize, analyze information and make decisions through its activities. The above MIS is a combination of its multiple sub-components to provide the relevant information to take out useful information. An integrated system, which blends information from selected operational areas, is a necessary characteristic of MIS.

Celata Tech (Pvt) Ltd invented the GI-based MIS for the CSIAP.  Mr. Dinesh Denipitiya, Senior Business Manager (Operations), Chamath Ekanayake, Tech Lead, Mr. Pavithra Prabodya, Senior Software Engineer and Pramodya Amarajeewa, Software Engineer of Celata Tech (Pvt) Ltd explained the new system and provided the CSIAP staff with hands-on experience.  Mr. W.M.S. Wijesinghe, Deputy Project Director (North Western Province), Subject Specialists of the Project Management Unit of the CSIAP also participated. The Deputy Project Director (North Western Province) of the  CSIAP organized this training programme and Mr. Nalaka Attanayake, Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist of the CSIAP coordinated it.

The CSIAP continues another GIS-based MIS Training for its staff in NP and EP

The Climate Smart Irrigated Agriculture Project (CSIAP) continued the second two-day residential training programme on the GIS-based Management Information System (MIS) for its staff of in Northern and Eastern Provinces today (10th) at the auditorium of the Department of Agrarian Development Kilinochchi. Mr. George Babu, Deputy Project Director (Northern Province), CSIAP welcomed all the participants. The MIS is a computerized database that helps the CSIAP to make decisions, coordinate, visualize and analyze information through its activities. Celata Tech (Pvt) Ltd invented the GI-based MIS for the CSIAP.  Mr. Dinesh Denipitiya, Senior Business Manager (Operations), Chamath Ekanayake, Tech Lead, Mr. Pavithra Prabodya, Senior Software Engineer and Pramodya Amarajeewa, Software Engineerof Celata Tech (Pvt) Ltd explained the new system and provided the CSIAP staff with hands-on experience. Ms. Sharmila Shanmuganathan, Gender Development Officer of the CSIAP contributed by interpreting Sinhalese and English lectures into Tamil.   

The same programme will be continued for the CSIAP staff in North Western and North Central Provinces. Dr. R. M. Ariyadasa, Deputy Project Director (Eastern Province), Subject Specialists of the Project Management Unit of the CSIAP also participated. The Deputy Project Director (Northern Province) of the  CSIAP organized this training programme and Mr. Nalaka Attanayake, Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist of the CSIAP coordinated it.

The CSIAP begins the first working day of 2023

 The first working day of the New Year- 2023 was inaugurated in the Project Management Unit (PMU) of the Climate Smart Irrigated Agriculture Project (CSIAP) on Monday (02^nd) under the patronage of Eng. R.M.B. Rajakaruna, Project Director , CSIAP. Firstly, Eng. Rajakaruna lit the traditional oil lamp and subsequently, Institutional Development and Capacity Building Specialist Mr. D.V. Bandulasena, Financial Management Specialist Mr. W. G. N. Abeywickrama, Members of supporting staff Miss. Gayani Dassanayake and Mr. D.G.S. Liyanage also lit the traditional oil lamp.

Addressed the gathering,  the Project Director of the CSIAP at the outset expressed his best wishes for a happy New Year 2023 to the CSIAP Staff and their family members. He also expressed his gratitude to the staff of PMU and Provincial Deputy Directors’ Offices for carrying out their duties to the best of their ability to achieve the objectives of the project.  Eng. Rajakaruna further mentioned that the CSIAP is expecting to speed up its activities in 2023 in the project areas. Adding more, he highlighted remarkable success can be achieved by working as a team. Traditional food items were served to the staff and Subject Specialists and Officers attended this event. 

Photographs by Gayani Dassanayake, PMU-CSIAP