A first-ever Vegetable Shop in NWP to sell the surplus organic home garden harvest

The Deputy Project Director’s Office of the Climate Smart Irrigated Agriculture Project (CSIAP) in North Western Province (NWP) encourages farmers to run Vegetable Shops to sell their surplus organic home garden harvest to consumers to earn extra income.  The CSIAP promotes Organic Home Gardening which means gardening without using synthetic products like fertilizers and pesticides. It involves the use of only natural products to grow plants in home gardens. Organic gardening replenishes natural resources as it uses them. Around 16762 Climate Smart Home Gardens have already been started by the CSIAP Office in NWP and the provincial office has planned to invest Rs 1.6M to inaugurate 36 vegetable shops across the province to support farmers. Eggs (backyard poultry) and value-added products such as  Turmeric  powder and Chili powder will be sold by these shops too.

Vegetable shops are a fundamental part of the rural interface and this will give the opportunity to consumers to purchase fresh vegetables, specially produced directly from Home Gardens. Vegetable Shops allow consumers to have access to locally grown, fresh produce and enable farmers to develop personal relationships with their customers. The first vegetable shop belongs to Mrs. K.M. Indrani Kusumalatha in Vadurassa village located in the Ambanpola Agrarian Service Center area in Kurunegala district was declared open recently under the patronage of the Provincial Secretary of Agriculture Mr. D.M.K. Chandana Dissanayake and the Divisional Secretary in Ambanpola Mrs. H.M.C.J. Herath.

Director of the Provincial Department of Agriculture Mr. P. Sisira Kumara, Director of Provincial Irrigation Mr. W. Kamalsiri, around forty government officers representing provincial departments,  over 120 farmers, Deputy Project Director of CSIAP in NWP Mr. W.M.S Wijesinghe and his staff were present in this event.

Story and Photographs by Chamara Basnayake (Agriculture Facilitator), Rajanganaya ASC, NWP

The CSIAP establishes CMCs to enhance the living standards and the environment

Strengthening the institutional framework in the cascade is identified as one of the key requirements for managing the cascade system. Therefore, Cascade Management Committees (CMCs) are to be formed, consisting of the farmer Organizations and local level officials for resources (water and land) management at the cascade level. The overall objective of the CMC is to restore and improve the watershed system through integrated management and manage water and associated natural resources in a sustainable manner to enhance the living standards of rural communities.

The Deputy Project Director’s Office of the Climate Smart Irrigated Agriculture Project (CSIAP) in Southern took initiative to establish CMCs in the province and awareness of CMCs was held at the Divisional Secretariat’s Auditorium in Tissamaharama recently.  The CSIAP will establish 30 CMCs in North Western, 12 CMCs in North Central, 10 CMCs in Northern, 12 CMCs in Eastern, 07 in Southern and 09 CMS in Uva provinces respectively.

At this meeting presided over by the District Secretary in Hambantota Mr P.H Sumanasekara, former Head of the Water Management Division at the Department of Agrarian Development and retired Chief Engineer Prabath Vithana delivered a special lecture on the importance of the cascade system, social, and economic and environmental aspects of the cascade. Institutional Development and Capacity Building Specialist and acting Deputy Project Director of the Project Management Unit (PMU), CSIAP, Mr. D.V. Bandulasena explained the formation process of CMCs, its duties and responsibilities of it. Heads of Line Agencies agreed to nominate their representatives for each CMC too. and heads of line agencies and field officers including 120 participants attended this event.

Story by R.P.M. Dissanayake (Institutional Development & Capacity Building Specialist), SP, CSIAP