The Climate Smart Farmer Training School (CSFTS) at Thirappane, Anuradhapura—recognized as the first purpose-built facility of its kind in South Asia—has successfully completed all 141 planned training programmes since its inception on 04 December 2022, marking a historic milestone in Sri Lanka’s journey toward climate-resilient and sustainable agriculture.
Established
under the Climate Smart Irrigated Agriculture Project (CSIAP), the CSFTS was
built on a three-acre site at Wagayakulama Village at a cost of Rs. 40 million.
From the outset, the School was conceived not merely as a conventional training
centre, but as a living learning laboratory—one that integrates
climate-smart technologies, sustainable land-use practices, and hands-on field
exposure within a real farming environment. This innovative approach has
enabled farmers to move beyond theory and directly experience practical
solutions to climate challenges affecting agriculture.
The speciality of the CSFTS lies in its inclusive and forward-looking approach to capacity building. While its primary mandate was to train CSIAP beneficiary farmer leaders at the Farmer Training School, the CSFTS went beyond this core responsibility by organising special training programmes for individuals who demonstrated a strong interest in learning and applying Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA) practices.
Through these dedicated programmes, the CSFTS opened its doors to a wider audience, enabling non-beneficiary farmers, practitioners, and other stakeholders to gain hands-on knowledge and practical skills in CSA. This approach not only expanded the reach and impact of the training school but also helped foster a broader community of climate-smart practitioners, supporting the wider adoption of sustainable and resilient agricultural practices beyond the immediate CSIAP project areas
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| Learning about using a micro Irrigation system |
Over a three-year period, a total of 3,003 CSIAP’s farmer leaders, including 1,259 women farmer leaders, successfully completed residential training programmes at the CSFTS. These trained leaders now serve as knowledge multipliers, transferring Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA) practices to more than 30,000 farmers across six provinces—North Western, North Central, Northern, Eastern, Uva, and Southern—where the CSIAP is being implemented.
The CSFTS also conducted a series of separate training programmes targeting a wider audience, including officers from across the country who were interested in gaining knowledge on CSA. Under this initiative, a total of 07 specialized training programmes were conducted over a period of three years, through which 166 individuals, including 55 female participants, were successfully trained, thereby further strengthening national capacity in CSA beyond the immediate project beneficiaries.
Through
this cascading training model, the impact of the CSFTS has extended far beyond
its physical boundaries, reaching diverse agro-ecological regions and
strengthening farming communities nationwide.
Completion
of Marking the conclusion of a National Training
Effort
The
historic training cycle concluded this month with the final programme, when 22
farmer leaders, including six women, representing the Parangiyawadiya and
Koonwewa Agrarian Service Centre Divisions, arrived at the CSFTS on the 22nd
and successfully completed their residential training. With the graduation of
this final cohort, the CSFTS formally concluded the full schedule of training
programmes envisioned at the inception of the project—bringing a national
capacity-building mission to a successful close.
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| Obtaining theoretical knowledge on CSA through classroom sessions |
Year-wise training achievements
An analysis of annual participation reflects the
sustained momentum and inclusivity of the programme. In 2023, 1,062 farmer
leaders, including 429 women, were trained through 46programmes. This was
followed in 2024 by 963 farmer leaders,
including 443 women, trained under another 45 programmes. In 2025, 978 farmer
leaders, including 412 women, completed training through 43 programmes. The
consistently high participation of women farmers underscores CSIAP’s strong
commitment to gender inclusion and equitable access to agricultural knowledge.
The Eastern Province implemented 34 trainings with the highest participation of 774 participants while the North Western Province conducted 34 trainings attracting 724 participants. The North Central Province accounted for 24 trainings with 519 participants. The Northern Province recorded 21 trainings with 474 participants. The Southern Province held 11 trainings with 271 participants, and 10 trainings in Uva Province engaged 241 participants
Infrastructure
Designed for Sustainability and Impact
Designed
as a three-day residential training facility accommodating a maximum of 25
participants per programme, the CSFTS delivered intensive, hands-on learning
experiences. Training activities were conducted in close collaboration with the
Extension Division of the Department of Agriculture (DOA), Peradeniya, which
also facilitated the engagement of experienced and competent resource persons.
This strong institutional partnership ensured technical depth, practical
relevance, and consistency across all training modules.
Through the CSFTS, CSIAP actively promoted a broad spectrum of Climate Smart Agriculture interventions, including climate-smart home garden development, crop diversification, improved agronomic practices, micro-irrigation technologies, climate-smart seed production, and inter-season cultivation to increase cropping intensity
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| Mr. R. P. Dissanayake |
Deputy Project Director Highlights Collective Effort
Since early January 2025, the Training School operated under the direct supervision of Mr. R. P. M. Dissanayake, Deputy Project Director of CSIAP – North Central Province. Reflecting on the completion of all scheduled programmes, he noted that the achievement represents a collective commitment to empowering farmers with practical knowledge aligned with climate-smart and sustainable agricultural practices. He emphasized the critical role these programmes play in improving productivity and strengthening resilience, particularly in climate-vulnerable areas such as the North Central Province.
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| Mr. Saman Bandulasena |
Commending the milestone, Mr. Saman Bandulasena, Project Director of CSIAP, described the completion of the training cycle as a major step forward in enhancing the adaptive capacity of Sri Lanka’s farming communities. He highlighted that the programmes were carefully designed to strengthen farmers’ understanding of climate-resilient agriculture, efficient water management, modern technologies, and sustainable farm management, and expressed confidence that the knowledge gained would translate into tangible improvements at the field level and more sustainable livelihoods.
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| Dr. Pathiraja explaining the architectural design of the CSFTS |
Architectural Excellence Through Professional Voluntarism
Beyond its training mandate, the CSFTS also stands out as a model of socially responsible and context-sensitive design. The architectural concept was developed by Dr. Milinda Pathiraja, Senior Lecturer in Architecture at the University of Moratuwa, son of the late renowned Sri Lankan filmmaker Dharmasena Pathiraja. Dr. Pathiraja and his team at the Robust Architecture Workshop provided their professional services free of charge, creating a facility that harmoniously blends functionality, sustainability, and the surrounding rural landscape.
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| Mr. S. Manoharan |
The conceptual foundation of the CSFTS was laid by Mr. S. Manoharan, founding Task Team Leader of the CSIAP, whose vision was instrumental in transforming the idea of a dedicated climate-smart farmer training hub into reality. After visiting and assessing several potential locations within the project area along with a team of experts from Ministry of Agriculture and Department of Agriculture (DOA), he identified Thirappane as the ideal site to establish the FTS to train farmers and field staff on CSA.. Construction officially commenced on 22 December 2021, when Mr. Faris H. Hadad-Zervos, World Bank Country Director, laid the foundation stone and unveiled the commemorative plaque together with Ms. Chiyo Kanda, Country Manager.
Since its establishment, the CSFTS has attracted the attention of senior World Bank leadership, reinforcing its status as a regional model for climate-smart capacity building. The facility was visited by Mr. Martin Raiser, Vice President for South Asia, on 26 February 2023; Ms. Anna Bjerde, Managing Director for Operations, on 29 October 2023; and Dr. Dina Umali-Deininger, Regional Director for South Asia Sustainable Development, on 08 February 2024. These high-level visits provided opportunities to observe first-hand how the Training School functions as a catalyst for promoting Climate Smart Agriculture at the grassroots level.
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| Unveiling of plaque marking a significant milestone |
Acknowledgement and Coordination
The
CSIAP extends its sincere gratitude to all stakeholders, including CSIAP’s staff
farmers and officials of government bodies, who supported the successful
conduct of all training courses at CSFTS. Special appreciation is extended to
the villagers of Wagayakulama for their invaluable support from the
construction phase of the Farmer Training School through its operational period.
The coordination of the training programmes was carried out with strong commitment and efficiency, ensuring their smooth and timely implementation. The first 100 training programmes were effectively coordinated by Mr. Sajith Ekanayake, the former Coordinator, whose leadership and organizational skills laid a solid foundation for the success of the initiative.
Subsequently, the coordination responsibility was
entrusted to Ms. Niluka Munasinghe, Management Assistant of the CSIAP Office in the North Central
Province who successfully managed and coordinated the
remaining 41 training
programmes, maintaining continuity and operational
effectiveness. Her dedicated efforts were instrumental in bringing the entire
training programme to a successful completion, marking a significant milestone
in the CSFTS capacity-building mission.
A Lasting Legacy for Sri Lanka’s
Farming Community
The final farmer leaders of the CSFTS with Ms. Munasinghe
With
the successful completion of all 141 training programmes, the CSFTS) at
Thirappane has emerged as one of the most valuable and enduring assets
established under the CSIAP. More than a physical training facility, the CSFTS
has evolved into a national hub for knowledge, innovation, and capacity
building in climate-smart agriculture. Upon completion of CSIAP, the
continuity and sustainability of CSFTS is ensured with the establishment of CSA
Center at the Ministry. The training programs will be continued by the DOA.
The
true legacy of the Training School lies in the thousands of farmer leaders it
has empowered across project areas. Equipped with practical skills, scientific
knowledge, and climate-resilient farming techniques, these trained leaders
continue to apply, adapt, and disseminate climate-smart practices within their
own communities. Through this multiplier effect, the benefits of the CSFTS
extend far beyond the classroom—contributing to improved productivity,
sustainable resource management, and inclusive rural development.
As
climate variability and extreme weather events increasingly threaten
agricultural systems, the role of such trained farmer leaders becomes even more
critical. By promoting climate-smart technologies, water-efficient practices,
and environmentally responsible farming methods, the CSFTS has directly
supported national efforts to strengthen food security 85% while
enhancing the resilience of farming communities. In this context, the Climate
Smart Farmer Training School at Thirappane stands not only as a key achievement
of the CSIAP, but also as a lasting institutional model for climate-resilient
agricultural development in Sri Lanka.
By
Samanth Mallawaarachchi, IEC & ICT Specialist, PMU, CSIAP
