Implementing CS Model Village Programme and distributing inputs in the EP

The Deputy Project Director Office in  the Eastern Province of the Climate Smart Irrigated Agriculture Project (CSIAP) has implemented the Climate Smart Model Village Programme in the Pankulam ASC, Trincomalee District. This program is designed to demonstrate the importance of adopting Climate Smart Agriculture Practices  (CSA) when cultivating and the economic feasibility and environmental sustainability of adopting CSA practices. 

Under this Model Village programme, Jet Spray Systems, Sprinkler Systems, GI Pipes, Mango Plants and other inputs valued at Rs. 600,000.00 were distributed to  beneficiaries in the Morawewa ASC area by Mr. W.R. Jajath Kumara,Pradesa Saba Chairma, Morawewa. The Climate Smart Model Village Programme will be continued in the rest of the project area in the dry zones where the CSIAP is being implemented.

This programme was organized by the CSIAP's Deputy Project Director of the Eastern Province (EP) Dr. R. M. Ariyadasa and his staff. Agriculture Instructors of Pankulam division and farmers from Mahadivulwewa stage 1 Division   participated in this event.

The National Project Steering Committee Meeting 2021 of the CSIAP commences

The 02^nd National Project Steering Committee Meeting (NPSC) in 2021 of the CSIAP was held today (23rd) at the Project Management Unit (PMU), Climate Smart Irrigated Agriculture Project (CSIAP) under the patronage of Senior Prof. Udith K. Jayasinghe, Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture.

The overall project oversight is the responsibility of the NPSC, established in the Ministry of Agriculture and chaired by its secretary. The NPSC consists of senior officials/representatives of the government and the World Bank.

 The secretary, senior officials at the ministry and PMU physically participated in the meeting at the PMU's conference hall while the World Bank Officials, Chief Secretaries of six provinces where the CSIAP is being implemented, Department of Agriculture, Provincial Department of Agriculture, Department of Agrarian Development, Department of National Planning attended, other implementing agencies and staff of the CSIAP provincial via WebEx video conferencing.

Reconstruction of Kattaru Anicut, Channel System and Access Road in EP begins

Hon. Kapila Nuwan Athukorala unveiled the name board of the project

The reconstruction of  the Kattaru Anicut, Channel system and Access Road in the dry zone of  the Trincomalee District, which is  in need of rehabilitation to ensure climate resilience of the farmers of this area, has begun. The Provincial Irrigation Department, Easter Province  is taking initiatives to reconstruct anicut, channel system and access road with Rs: 39,549,046 grant from the CSIAP funded by the World Bank.

 The CSIAP is  working on a strategy for restoring such anicuts, channel systems and access roads in the dry zones of 11 districts, where the CSIAP is being implemented, towards achieving Sustainable Development Goals. Trincomalee District Parliamentarian and Chairman of the District Coordinating Committee Hon. Kapila Nuwan Athukorala unveiled the name board of the proposed project ceremonially and laid a foundation stone. Other distinguished guests also laid stones with Dr. R.M. Ariyadasa, Provincial Deputy Project Director of  the CSIAP, Eastern Province . 

Hon. Athukorala and Dr. Ariyadasa are laying foundation stones

This programme was organized by Provincial Deputy Project Director Office of  the CSIAP, Eastern Province. Mr. Sinthaka Witharana, the Coordinator of the Eastern Province’s Governor , Mr.K.Kunanathan Divisional Secretary of Kuchchaveli , Mr.A.P.Mubarak Pradesa Saba Chairman of Kuchchaveli, Eng.G. Sujitharan ,Deputy Director Irrigation , Eng.Hariprasath, Provincial Irrigation Engineer, Provincial Irrigation Technical Officers, Other government officers, Members of Alsafa Farm Organization, farmers and the  CSIAP of the Eastern
Province staff attended this event.

The IEC campaign on Producing Organic Fertilizer commences in the North

The North Provincial Office of the  Climate Smart Irrigated Agriculture Project (CSIAP) launched its IEC campaign on Producing Organic Fertilizer in the hot spot areas of Mullaitivu and Kilinochchi. The staff of the Northern Provincial Offices take initiatives to make aware of those who are interested in producing organic fertilizer. This programme , which is basically implemented by the respective Provincial Departments of Agriculture and the Inter Provincial Departments of Agriculture, is aligned with the National Policy Frame Work ‘Vistas of Prosperity and Splendor’. The CSIAP is a World Bank funded project implemented under the Ministry of Agriculture.

Please click to watch IEC Campaign in Mullaitivu and Kilinochchi

The Organic Fertilizer Production Programme of the CSIAP is now underway

The Climate Smart Irrigated Agriculture Project (CSIAP) implemented under the Ministry of Agriculture has commenced a new program being aligned with the National Policy Frame Work ‘Vistas of Prosperity and Splendor’ to produce organic fertilizer in the hot spot areas of North Western, North, North Central, Eastern, Uva and Southern Provinces where the CSIAP is being implemented. This program is basically implemented by the respective Provincial Departments of Agriculture and the Inter Provincial Departments of Agriculture.

This program is planned to be launched in selected Grama Niladhari Divisions of 47 Agrarian Service Regions in Kurunegala, Puttalam, Mullaitivu, Kilinochchi, Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa, Trincomalee, Batticaloa, Ampara, Monaragala and Hambantota districts. The CSIAP will provide assistance to farmers by providing basic inputs needed for making solid compost and compost tea together with necessary training required for producing organic fertilizer.  

Under this, measures will be taken to disseminate technical knowledge and provide with essential items  required by farmers who produce organic fertilizer for their cultivation activities as well farmers and entrepreneurs who produce small or medium scale organic fertilizer. Registration for organic fertilizer production with the Department of Agrarian Development is currently underway through Agriculture Instructors and Agricultural Research and Production Assistants.

Under the program the CSIAP has planned to produce 55,000 metric tons of solid compost and 8.0 million liters of compost tea. In addition, the CSIAP will join hands with the Department of Agriculture and Provincial Departments of Agriculture in developing six laboratories  in Northern, Eastern, North Central, North Western, Uva and Southern Provinces to assess the quality of the compost.  

The CSIAP will spend Rs 483.5 million  with the financial assistance of the World Bank for this project.

Please listen Lakhanda Radio, Sinhala Service of SLBC, Tamil Service of SLBC and English Service of SLBC

Bio-fencing to mitigate human elephant conflict "The World Elephant Day"

Elephants are a cultural symbol in Sri Lanka, so the jumbos are of economic importance. They play a major role in environmental sustainability and are considered as ecosystem engineers.  Elephant Reintroduction Foundation and Canadian filmmakers Patricia Sims and Michael Clark initiated the World Elephant Day in 2011 since then the event is marked annually on August 12.The World Elephant Day has been launched to reiterate the threats to the elephant such as poaching, habitat loss, and conflict with humans, and mistreatment in captivity. World Elephant Day urges people to support organizations that are striving to stop illegal trade of the pachyderm and protect its habitats. The Day enhances to provide sanctuaries and alternative habitats to enable elephants to live freely. Elephants are playing an important role in safeguarding a sustainable biodiversity system. They create habitats for the other species in the ecosystem. When they drop waste while roaming in search of food, their dung carry seeds across a large area; feed numerous menial species, and refreshes environment when rain water absorbed by the underground through their stomping.

The most severe threat to elephants is global illegal trade. In recent years illegal trade has increased enormously so much so that more than 100 elephants loss their lives daily in some parts of the world. Asian elephants are killed for the skin as it is of commercial and medical value. Increasing human settlements have exploited the habitats of the elephant, and the situation has caused conflict between the man and the elephant. In addition, elephants have already been suffering the climate change impacts such as flood and drought.

The Climate Smart Irrigated Agriculture Project (CSIAP) of the Ministry of Agriculture mainly funded by the World Bank has pledged to improve climate resilience among farmer community thereby increasing the productivity of the irrigated agriculture. The project has planned to cover over 375,000 ha in some selected climatically vulnerable hotspot areas in 11 districts in Northern, Eastern, North Central, North Western, Southern and Uva provinces in Sri Lanka.

The human-elephant conflict is significant in all the CSIAP hotspot areas. Economic and population growth has imposed huge demands and pressure on wildlife resources and their habitats in these areas. The expansion of human settlements to the elephant habitats is a common scenario in all hotspot areas, in such a background the conflict between the man and the animal is inevitable. The decline in elephant habitats exploits natural food sources from the animals that compel elephants to roam into nearby villages in search of food. Consequent to this, the relationship between the man and the elephant is deteriorated thereby posing a threat to both the man and the elephant. As the main objective of the CSIAP is to improve the productivity of irrigated agriculture, it is a challenge before the Project to establish a coexistence mechanism between the human beings and the elephants because the cultivation in the hotspot area is often threatened by wild animals especially the elephants. To mitigate the conflict the project has planned a direct coexistence mechanism that would bring long-term solution to human-elephant conflict. Under this plan the CSIAP is focusing on management efforts on site-specific considerations as well as the formulation and application of strategic plans at the landscape level that directly address underlying anthropogenic drivers and their Spatio-temporal variation.

The CSIAP Agro ecological Landscape Resilience Plan (ALRP) has proposed to study the seriousness of human elephant conflict over the last 10 years. Particular emphasis has been given on the number and intensity that exist in its landscape today, and how it will increase and intensify with the agricultural expansion and productivity improvement. Mapping of the potential movements of the elephants has suggested mitigation measures. These maps would help identify the intensity of the conflict and the places prone to the threat,   existing elephant corridors, and current elephant movement patterns within the area. Further, the ALRP would study the people’s attitudes on human elephant conflict, traditional knowledge and practices on mitigation such conflicts and evaluate the current status of the existing electric fences and the locations, effectiveness, and gives a recommendation for their improvements.

In order to avoid intensifying of conflict between the man and the animal, innovative landscape level strategies and 479 km long extent “Community owned village/paddy fencing” will be set up in ten districts where wildlife and humans can co-exist in the same landscape. 7265 persons will be benefited by the bio fencing to be set up at a cost of Rs.39.3 million. The CSIAP has already identified 114 units of bio fencings in hotspot areas. The bio fencing program has several activities such as community awareness on maintenance of fencing, protection of elephants and people and long-term coexistence. The CSIAP promotes the man and elephant co-existence within hotspot areas while promoting environmental conservation in the tank-based cascades.

Written by Dr. Janaka Jayawardena, Environmental and Social Safeguard Specialist, CSIAP, on behalf of the World Elephant Day. 

CSIAP Provides AIs in Trincomalee with Rs: One Million Worth of Soil Testing Kits

The Climate Smart Irrigated Agriculture Project (CSIAP), funded by the World Bank, has provided 10 soil testing kits valued at Rs. one million to Agriculture Instructors (AIs) in Trincomalee District. The initiative aims to accurately assess soil fertility and provide scientific fertilizer recommendations to farmers within the CSIAP command area. The provision of soil testing kits will help AIs guide farmers in applying the right fertilizers, enhancing crop productivity and promoting climate-smart agricultural practices. 

The soil testing kits were handed over to Mr. M. Parameswaran, Deputy Director of Agriculture (Extension), Trincomalee District, by Dr. M. Ariyadasa, Deputy Project Director, CSIAP, Eastern Province last week. In addition to Trincomalee, the CSIAP has distributed 21 soil testing kits to AIs in Ampara and Batticaloa, bringing the total number of kits delivered in the Eastern Province to 31, valued at Rs. 3.1 million. The programme was attended by staff of the Deputy Project Director’s office, CSIAP, Eastern Province.