Investing in Nature-Based Solutions: CSIAP’s Path to Climate Resilience

Is CSIAP investing in Nature-Based Solutions to build sustainable climate resilience and enhance ecosystems?
Yes. The World Bank–financed Climate Smart Irrigated Agriculture Project (CSIAP), implemented by Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Lands, and Irrigation (2019–2025), actively applies Nature-Based Solutions (NbS) using a Village Tank Cascade System approach. This strategy strengthens climate resilience, restores ecosystems, and improves climate-smart agriculture in vulnerable hotspot areas across 11 districts in six provinces.

1.Understanding Nature-Based Solutions in CSIAP
Nature-Based Solutions are actions that protect, manage, and restore ecosystems while addressing societal challenges such as climate change, food security, and biodiversity loss. CSIAP’s adoption of NbS directly supports Sustainable Development Goal 13 (Climate Action) and aligns with Sri Lanka’s national climate commitments, including greenhouse gas reduction and sustainable development goals.

2.CSIAP’s Key Components Supporting NbS
CSIAP works through four integrated components:

• Agricultural Production and Marketing: Improves farm productivity, strengthens value chains, enhances market access, and builds the capacity of farmer organizations to ensure sustainable livelihoods and food security.
• Water Management through Cascade Systems: Rehabilitates and modernizes irrigation systems, promotes water-efficient technologies, and develops water harvesting and storage to ensure year-round water availability.
• Project Management: Establishes strong institutional, financial, procurement, environmental, and social safeguard systems to ensure coordinated and accountable implementation.
• Contingent Emergency Response: Enables rapid reallocation of resources to respond to climate shocks, floods, droughts, and other agricultural emergencies.
• Together, these components create a holistic, adaptive framework for climate-smart agriculture.

3.Major Nature-Based Interventions Under the CSIAP 
3.1 Climate-Smart Agriculture Practices
The CSIAP promotes sustainable, nature-positive farming practices, including:

•  Micro-irrigation (drip, sprinkler, micro-jet, rainhouse irrigation systems), crop diversification (green gram, cowpea, groundnut, black gram, paddy, chili, onion), inter-seasonal cultivation (green gram, cowpea, black gram), agronomic interventions (agro wells, solar water pumps, highland seeders, weeders, transplanters, poly tunnels, poly mulch, insect-proof nets, and mini tillers), climate-smart seed production, and climate-smart home garden development. A total of 44,155 farmers have adopted at least one improved Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA) practice, demonstrating widespread uptake across project areas.
• Regenerative agriculture, such as crop rotation, cover cropping, and minimum tillage, to improve soil health.
• Erosion control through vegetation cover and conservation bunds.
• Use of compost and biochar to enhance soil fertility and sequester carbon.

3. 2 Tree-Based and Forest Interventions
The CSIAP recognises forests as critical for climate resilience through 

• Community-led reforestation and preschool-based tree planting programmes.
• Agroforestry and climate-smart home gardens that improve biodiversity and farm productivity.
• Catchment protection measures, such as the establishment of tree belts (e.g., Kattakaduwa-type green belts), to conserve water resources and restore degraded landscapes.

 3.3 Green and Climate-Smart Infrastructure
The CSIAP promotes environmentally sensitive infrastructure development, including:

•  Climate-smart farmer training schools (such as Thirappane) with eco-friendly designs and green concepts, where over 2,946 lead farmers (including 1,221 women) were trained between 2023 and 2025. 
• Rehabilitation of village tank systems to restore natural water flows: 457 tanks completed in 2024 and 185 ongoing in 2025. Following baseline surveys, participatory rural appraisal, hydrological studies, engineering surveys, and hotspot area agriculture development plans, designs and estimates were prepared to rehabilitate the village tanks using the cascade-based approach.
• Design of infrastructure based on environmental and social safeguards to ensure long-term sustainability of cascade systems.

3.4 Integrated Biodiversity and Ecosystem Protection
The CSIAP integrates biodiversity conservation by:

• Establishing over 1,000 solar-powered movable electric fences to reduce human–wildlife conflict in multiple districts.
• Restoring catchments through tree planting, biodiversity-friendly land use, and bund construction. 
• Protecting wildlife corridors while improving crop security and farmer safety.

4. Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) Under the CSIAP
The CSIAP applies robust IWRM strategies, including:

• Integration of environmental safeguards into all physical works.
• Improvement of water quality through over 183 km of drainage canal rehabilitation and pollution control.
• Watershed management through village tank rehabilitation across 15 river basins.
• Restoration of over 1,500 agro-wells to promote sustainable groundwater use.
• Construction of saltwater intrusion control structures, including a 500-meter bund in Semmankuntru, Kilinochchi.
• Formation of 60 Cascade Management Committees and development of cascade-level water management plans to strengthen local governance.
• Capacity building, community mobilization, and participatory planning to empower local stakeholders.

 5.Sri Lanka’s Climate Commitments and CSIAP’s Contribution
Sri Lanka has committed to:

• Reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 14.5% by 2030.
• Generating 70% of electricity from renewable sources by 2030.
• Achieving carbon neutrality by 2050.

The CSIAP contributes to these national targets by:

• Enhancing carbon sequestration through tree planting and improved soil management.
• Reducing dependence on fossil fuel–intensive agricultural inputs.
• Strengthening climate-resilient rural livelihoods and green job opportunities.

 6. Outcomes and Case Study Highlights
The CSIAP’s NbS approach has delivered multiple co-benefits:

• 44, 155 people with enhanced resilience to climate risks (Number of people) CRI (The number of people adopted CSA practices can be reasonable assumed to have enhance resilience to climate risks.
• 6,976 people with enhanced resilience to climate risks – Youth (Number of people).
• 19,428 people with enhanced resilience to climate risks – Female (Number of people).
• 66,039 people with strengthened food and nutrition security (Number of people).
• 10,434 people with strengthened food and nutrition security – Youth (Number of people).
• 29,057 people with strengthened food and nutrition security – Female (Number of people).
• 4,120 Ha terrestrial and aquatic areas under enhanced conservation and management (Hectare (Ha)).
• Climate change mitigation through carbon sequestration.
• Economic growth via green job creation in agroforestry and land restoration.
• Biodiversity recovery through ecosystem-based planning and habitat restoration.

 7.Challenges and Moving Forward
Despite strong progress, CSIAP faces challenges, including:

• The need for stronger multi-stakeholder coordination.
• Limited monitoring and reporting mechanisms.
• Technical capacity gaps at grassroots levels.
• Funding constraints for long-term sustainability.

To address these, it is recommended to strengthen policy frameworks, promote public–private partnerships, empower communities through participatory approaches, and expand rational monitoring systems.

Conclusion
Nature-Based Solutions provide a cost-effective, scalable pathway for building climate resilience and restoring ecosystems. CSIAP demonstrates how integrated water management, climate-smart agriculture, and biodiversity conservation can work together to deliver sustainable development outcomes. As climate risks intensify, scaling up NbS-inspired initiatives will be critical for Sri Lanka and other climate-vulnerable countries.

By Sharmila Shanmuganathan, Social Safeguard and Gender Development Officer, PMU, CSIAP