The CSIAP scales up home gardens across the North Western Province

Home Gardening Programmes at Madobe and Siyabalewa Grama Niladhari Divisions

The Climate Smart Irrigated Agriculture Project (CSIAP)’s Home Gardening Programme ensures to some extent the stability of household food security at the village level. The CSIAP’s study of home gardens in its project area revealed that home gardening families spend less on food than non-gardening families, while home gardening families who plant a larger number of varieties of fruits and vegetables spend even less spending on their food purchasing. Therefore, the Deputy Project Director’s Office of the CSIAP in North Western Province is promoting Emergency Home Gardening Programmes throughout the province.  Two more promotional programmes were conducted at Madadobe Welfare Association Building and Siyabalewa Society Building in the Galgamuwa ASC Division last week. Mrs. Champika Abeywradena, Gender Development Officer, CSIAP-NWP, explained the importance of commencing Home Gardening, how to implement it in the village and the support that could be provided by the CSIAP. 

Mr. N. P. S. R. Dharmathilaka, Grama Niladhari, Mr. H. M. A. B. Herath, Economic Development Officer in Madadobe with 85 farmers, Mrs. E. J. M. V. P. K. Jayasundara, Grama Niladhari, Siyabalewa with 50 farmers and the CSIAP Staff attended both programmes. Please click    Madadobe and Siyabalewa to see more photos of the both events.

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

Government Officers’ awareness programme on Home Gardening in Ehetuwewa

The Deputy Project Director’s Office of the Climate Smart Irrigated Agriculture Project (CSIAP) in North Western Province made officials of the Ehetuwewa Divisional Secretariate aware of the Emergency Home Gardening Programme to address potential food shortages at the Divisional Secretary Auditorium Hall, Ethuwewa recently.

On behalf of CSIAP-NWP,  Mrs. Champika Abeywradena, Gender Development Officer, explained the activities of the CSIAP, the importance of commencing Home Gardening, and officers’ assistance to implement it at village levels and the support that could be provided to the programme by the CSIAP. Mrs. W. M. U. Weerasinghe,  Divisional Secretary,  Mr. Y. M. J .Y. Bandara , Deputy Director (Planning), Mr. K. B. P. Bandara – Divisional Officer,  Department of Agrarian Development, Mr. W. A. Priyantha Weerasinghe , Grama NIladhari (Admin), Ehetuwewa and W. R.M. S Nawarathna Business Development Officer , CSIAP-NWP and round 50 Officers at the Ehetuwewa Divisional Secretariate were present in this programme. Please click Images to see more photos of the programme.

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

An Emergency Home Gardening Programme of the CSIAP in Bulnewa, Galgamuwa

Mrs. Abeywardena addressing farmers

The Deputy Project Director’s Office of the Climate Smart Irrigated Agriculture Project (CSIAP) in North Western Province conducted an Emergency Home Gardening Programme to address potential food shortages for Farmers in the Bulnewa Grama Niladari area of  the Galgamuwa ASC division at the Bulnewa Welfare Association Building this week.

Mrs. Champika Abeywradena, Gender Development Officer, CSIAP-NWP, explained the importance of commencing Home Gardening, how to implement it in the village and the support that could be provided by the CSIAP. Mrs. J. M Anoma Kumari, Economic Development Officer, Bulnewa Gramaniladhari Division,  around 87 farmers and the CSIAP Staff participated in this programme. Please click Images to see more photos of the event.

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

The World Bank supports digitalizing ASCs in the CSIAP areas

The CSIAP supports to mitigate the human-elephant conflict in the Anuradhapura

The World Bank suggests scaling up activities related to agricultural production

The World Bank suggested scaling up activities for agricultural production to enhance food security and increase farmers’ income to overcome the prevailing economic crises in Sri Lanka.

In order to accomplish the above task, the following areas were discussed at a very special meeting held at the Project Management Unit, Climate Smart Irrigated Agriculture Project (CSIAP) yesterday (25^th)
1. Aggressive scaling-up of homestead vegetable gardening
2. Rapid scaling up of organic compost production
3. Aggressive promotion/supply of materials for leguminous cover crops (Green manure; Sun hemp, Glyricedia etc.) and other soil enhancement techniques
4. Dialogue with our procurement team on involving Farm Organizations in canal maintenance.

Provincial Deputy Project Directors, CSIAP  of six provinces where the CSIAP is being implemented joined the meeting remotely. Mr. John C. Keyser, Senior Agriculture Economist and the Task Team Leader of the CSIAP, Dr. Athula Senaratne (Senior Agriculture Specialist), Mr. Seenithamby Manoharan (Consultant - Agriculture & Rural Development) of the World Bank, R.M.B. Rajakaruna Project Director, Specialists and Officers of the CSIAP were present physically in this discussion.  Please click Images to see more photos of the discussion.

“ It is important to speed up activities to reach CSIAP’s PDOs” says Secretary, MoA

Secretary Mr. Bandaranayake addressing the audience 

We need to act fast to reach Project Development Objectives (PDOs ) of the Climate Smart Irrigated Agriculture Project ( CSIAP) in a timely manner according to the schedule, said Mr. D.M.L Bandaranayake,  Secretary to the Ministry of  Agriculture on the final day of the 03 day special workshop conducted to develop the Comprehensive Action Plan (CAP) for the Project Component- 1 of CSIAP  held yesterday (07th) at Janki Hotel, Colombo.

When local projects in the country have been halted due to the current economic crisis, an opportunity has arisen for you to do something for the country with a foreign-funded project like the CSIAP, the Secretary expressed. You should think of moving forward by fulfilling your own duties and responsibilities. The focus should be on the physical development of the project. Therefore, we must all work together to develop the country through agriculture and uplift the living standards of the farming community, Mr. Bandaranayake further added.

The CSIAP's Project Director Eng. R.M.B. Rajakaruna, Provincial Deputy Project Directors, Subject Specialists and Subject Officers attended this workshop which was organized by the Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist of the Project Management Unit, CSIAP Mr. Bandula Sirimal. Please click Images to see more photos of the final day.