Agriculture Development in Sri Lanka
Agriculture Development in Sri Lanka
Introduction
Sri Lanka is
an agricultural country. Sri Lanka’s primary form of agriculture is rice
production which is cultivated during two major seasons: Yala and Maha. Apart
from rice production Tea is cultivated in central part of the country and is
vastly exported. Vegetables and fruits are also cultivated in the country. Approximately
32 percent of the population is engaged in this field. Agriculture and sectors
such as forestry and fisheries contributed to the Gross Domestic Product in 2014 by 18.2 percent.
Rice is the
main crop cultivated across approximately one third of the country’s
area.Around 2 million families are engaged in paddy
cultivation throughout the island.Sri Lanka currently produces 2.7 tonnes of
rice yearly which is able to cover up 95 percent of the total domestic
requirement.Rice is the main food source for most of the Sri Lankans.
The demand
for rice is predicted to increase by 1.1 percent each year and to face this the
production should be increased at a rate of 3 percent.This can be achieved by
using more land for cropping and increasing national average yield.
As an
attempt to revive from the losses caused by failure in coffee plantation Tea
was introduced to Sri Lanka as an experimental crop. It was introduced to the
country by James Taylor,the British planter in 1867 and he begun his first
plantation at Lool Kadura.It is one of the main exports of the country
accounting for 2 percent of the Gross Domestic Product which give roughly 700
million dollars per annum.Sri Lanka is the fourth major Tea producer in the
world with over one million people employed in the industry.The climate of the
highlands of the country is perfect for the production of high quality tea.
Kandy, Badulla , Nuwaraeliya are the main areas where tea is grown.
Apart from
rice and tea over 80 types of fruits and vegetables are grown throughout Sri Lanka.The
cool climate in the highlands is suitable for vegetables like carrot,cabbage
and the dry area in the low area is perfect for a variety of crops including
green chilli , pumpkin , melon , banana ,yams etc.
Sri Lanka is
currently capable of producing nearly 800,000 metric tonnes of agri products yearly
and exports most of the production .Almost all the fresh products are targeted
for Middle East and Maldives while most of the processed production is exported
to the Europe.
Traditional agriculture Vs modern
agriculture in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
has an agricultural history going back more than 2000 years.Paddy cultivation
was not just an economic activity but also it was bounded heavily with the
society, country and religion .It indicated the interconnections and harmony
between mankind and mother nature.
Ancient Sri Lankans
was self sufficient in Rice. Unlike today they were even able to export rice to
foreign lands which made Sri Lanka known as “The great barn of the East” during
the period of king “Parakramabahu”.
Paddy
field
A kumbura is
a piece of the large paddy field belonged to a farmer. The field was divided
into pieces called “Liyadi” by ridges
called “Niyara”.The opening which made water flow from one liyadda to another
was called “Wathkada”.
These
Niyaras were carefully crafted by our ancestors to manipulate the water flow;
making sure every part of the field is equally supplied with water. A folklore
says that our ancestors decided the way to create a Niyara
by letting a pregnant cow walk through the place that was selected to
grow paddy.They somehow knew that the cow took a path which suggested the flow
of the water.And areas called “Kanati” were also created to regulate the water
flow.”Kanati” s were just like “Liyadi” s but were considerably smaller and
situated at the corners of the field.
In past
Pests did
not caused much trouble for paddy during past unlike today. One major reason
for this was that traditional paddy varieties had long stems that blew in the
wind which made it hard for insects to stay on them .The hybrid types in modern
days are short stemmed and much rigid that makes them more vulnerable for the
pests. And traditional paddy tended to have big droopy leaves underneath which
made it hard for weeds to grow in between.
They
put “Daluk kiri ” to the water inlet of
the field which drove some types of insects.If the paddy plants turned yellow
they knew that they have to bury some bamboo leaves at the inlet. These bamboo
leaves produced a substance which was capable of killing the types of worms who
caused the trouble.They also used dried “Makra” leaves and stacked them in the
corners of the Kumbura and planted Kadura branches that were used to support
coconut lamps.These lamps attracted and got rid of “Goyam messa” who tended to
raid the crop at night.Our ancestors planted the rice seeds at a given
auspicious time which also considered as contributed to reduce pest
infestations.
Another
interesting method they used was make long ropes impregnated with “Kohollae”;a
sticky juice taken from the jak tree and drag them across the fields.The most
of the insects got stranded in the ropes.Sometimes they tended to use “Dummala
” instead of “Kohollae ” which produced the same result.
Also the
fish in the paddy field (like “Loola”,”Kawaiya”) significantly contributed to
control pests.
The
previously mentioned “Kanati” s were also called “Kurulupaluwa” as they were
dedicated to the birds.The farmers allowed birds to enjoy the paddy in
“Kurulupaluwa” which decreased birds raiding the rest of the field.Attracting
birds using this method also helped the farmer as birds dealed with most of the
pests that cause damage to paddy such as worms, insects and maggots .Another
method they used to attract birds who preying insects was to spread
crushed pieces of coconut seed around the field.This
particularly attracted the “Demalichcha” who made no harm for the paddy. So
they didn’t need to use specific methods to deal with those
creatures.”Kurulupaluwa” was one of the most eco- friendly methods practiced by
our ancestors to deal with trouble caused by nature to their crops.
They also
ensured that birds won’t damage their main part of the field by using a
“Pambaya” or a scarecrow which chased the birds away.A special device called
“Diya holmana ” or “Holman kurulla” was also used to flee the birds away.This
device was capable of producing a sharp ,repeating noice which can drive the
birds away.”Diya” holmana was set to one of the “Wathkada” s and the water flow
made the hollow bamboo in the device hit against a rock that made the sound.
The device was crafted to return to it’s initial position soon after it hits
the rock.
“Diya Holmana”
To stop
rodents like hedgehog , rats enter the field our ancestors buried four pieces
of root taken from the “Mee” tree.These roots must have emitted a substance
that repulsed these creatures away.
Pest control
Today
Nowadays
those traditional methods are hardly used.But in some areas techniques like
light traps, scarecrow still exist.In modern days farmers are heavily depending
on chemical pesticides.These chemicals heavily contain toxics such as ammonia ,
arsenic , benzene , Cadmium,chlorine , dioxins , ethylene oxides ,formaldehyde and methanol
that is harmful not only for humans but also for all other living beings.These
toxics get mixed to water resources and they enter the food chains causing
various acute or long standing illnesses and disorders.The most common one in
the country is the chronic Kidney disease in Rajarata area.Researchers suspect
one of the main causes is Arsenic that has entered the food chains through the
usage of pesticides. About 3 million are potentially affected and more than 5000
people die annually because of this.Other major types of disorders are
different types of cancers, birth defects,asthma,autism and learning
disabilities and reproductive disfunction.
Suggestions
The use of
pesticides should be stopped .It is impossible to stop using pesticides
abruptly. For that the government should take necessary actions to
minimize the usage of pesticides over
the coming years. Steps such as raising the tax for importing
pesticides,properly regulating the process of making pesticides ,holding
programmes to promote the traditional pest control methods can be taken.
Fertilizers
In past
Our
ancestors used different methods to fertile the field.One method was to plant a
“Mee” ;a leguminous tree in the middle of the field that contains Nitrogen
fixing-bacteria in it’s roots.It’s shedding leaves were also a rich source of
Nitrogen.The Mee fruit attracted bats at night whose droppings were also a
great fertilizer.Our ancestors were also shrewd enough to sow the paddy before
“Akwassa”(The first rains) as those rains contained lot of Nitrogen.They also
encouraged the growth of leguminous weeds on the fields between harvests such
as “Thora”,”Hiriya” and “Nidikumba”.They even leaved the leftover of paddy (“We
call it “Ipanella” in Sinhala.)in the field after harvest that was also a great
fertilizer.
They
maintained a small area of wilderness on both sides of the field which was
called the “Pillewa” where those leguminous weeds grow.The dung and urine of
buffaloes used for ploughing also
enriched the field with fertility.And also behind every village there was a
thicket of jungle.Streams that supplied water to the fields brought all the
essence in jungle soil to the fields.These organic fertilizers were capable of
improving the structure of the soli and enhance it’s ability to hold water and
nutrients.
Fertilizers
Today
These days farmers
are heavily depending on artificial fertilizers. Unlike those traditional paddy
types like “Ma wee” , ”El wee” the hybrid paddy types in modern croplands
require artificial fertilizers to grow. Though nutrients are available to the
crops directly and improvement can
be observed within days, usage of these
artificial products over and over will infertile the land. It’s chemicals are
capable of killing bacteria and other friendly beings in soil who fertile the
land. These fertilizers do nothing to sustain the quality of the soil which
cause long term damage to the soil. Some of the fertilizers even tend to
contain Arsenic, Cadmium which are unhealthy for people and other beings. There
is also a risk of over-fertilization.
Suggestions
The usage of
artificial fertilizers should not be banned but be limited.Priority should be
given to organic fertilizers and farmers should be educated about the importance
of traditional methods of fertilizing the land. To promote organic fertilizers
among farmers they should also get to know how to prepare them and the long
term drawbacks of artificial fertilizers.
Water
Management
Then
Ancient Sri Lanka
had a great hydraulic civilization that even fascinated foreign engineers.The
villages and paddy fields were all situated near “Wewa” or the tank .Practice
of construction of “Wewa” has been in practice for more than 2000 years. The
villages and paddy fields were all situated near “Wewa” or the tank.Many
reservoirs varying in size were constructed in cascading arrangement. Cascades
of village tanks system was a main feature of ancient water management system
in Sri Lanka. Our ancestors always assured that no drop of water is wasted.
The “Vew bemma” or tank bund was made of soil
that was pressed and pounded. In “Wewa” sluice gates were constructed to
release water into fields.A sluice gate had two parts: Goda Sorowwa and
Mada Sorowwa.The Mada Sorowwa is located
at the bottom of the tank and it was used to expel mud gathering there.Goda
sorowwa was used to release water to fields.According to the technology used
sluice gates can be categorized into two types.The sluices in large scale tanks
had a device called “Bisokotuwa” which followed a complex water regulating
system that released the right amount of water when needed.Small scale tanks
which were called “amuna” used a “log
sluice gate” that consisted of cylindrical logs that arraged on top of each
other.These tanks could be emptied completely taking off those logs.
In large
scale tanks a granite stone liner called “Ralapanawa” was constructed on the
tank bund to prevent it from being eroded by water.A “Pitawana” was constructed
to discharge excess water.These excess water travelled through a stream called
“Wan ela”.This excessive water was navigated to another tank and assured that
it will not cause any harm to paddy fields.The “Diyakata Pahana” was used to measure
water level of the tank. Then they decided whether they have to open the
sluices or not.
A kumbura is
a piece of the large paddy field belonged to a farmer. The field was divided
into pieces called “Liyadi” by ridges
called “Niyara”.The opening which made water flow from one liyadda to another
was called “Wathkada”.
These
Niyaras were carefully crafted by our ancestors to manipulate the water flow;
making sure every part of the field is equally supplied with water. A folklore
says that our ancestors decided the way to create a Niyara
by letting a pregnant cow walk through the place that was selected to
grow paddy.They somehow knew that the cow took a path which suggested the flow
of the water.And areas called “Kanati” were also created to regulate the water
flow.”Kanati” s were just like Liyadi s but were considerably smaller and
situated at the corners of the field.
Water
Management Today
Even today those ancient irrigation systems are used to
distribute water under projects like “Mahaweli” project. Apart from them new
projects like “Gal oya”,”Victoria”, ”Randenigala” , ”Rantame” , ”Bowathenna”
has been completed while several other projects like “Moragahakanda ” and “Uma
Oya” are still in progress. From them “Senanayaka samudraya” was the largest
reservoir which was completed in 1953 after 4 years of construction. And
“Victoria reservoir” is the only tank containing an automated sluice gate that
gets open when the water level is higher. Modern engineers have successfully
combined both ancient and modern irrigation systems together to provide water for
fields.
Suggestions
The
engineers should further combine ancient systems with modern ones to improve
the efficiency of the water distribution system. And they should draw attention
to implement more ancient techniques in modern day reservoirs such as using the
principle of “Bisokotuwa” to reduce the pressure caused against the bund of the
reservoir. They should also be more concerned about environmental constraints
before starting a project just like their ancestors did in past as projects
like “Uma Oya” caused some kind of a damage to the nature and the residents
around. And they should be meticulous as well like designing the overflow
channels in a way that excessive water does not flood any croplands or
settlements.
Tools used
in agriculture
In past
Our
ancestors used various types of apparatus for distinct purposes in agriculture.
A “Nagula” was used to plough the land before paddy was planted. It loosened
the soil and destroyed weeds and boosted bacterial activity in the soil.
According to the pattern and formation of the land mainly 3 types of ploughs
were used namely “Sinhala Nagula”,”Yakada Nagula” and “Kakulan Nagula”.The
plough was dragged along the ground using two buffalos.The plough was attached
to the two buffalos by using a chord called
“Amuthu bana” and a wooden bar called “Viya gaha”.They used a stick
called “Kevita” to guide the working bovines.
When the
paddy is ripen our ancestors used a sickle to cut paddy which was stacked
together and later taken to the threshing floor or “Kamatha”.Since harvesting
was considerably a large task all the villagers gathered for this purpose.
“Kamatha”
was the area where farmers temporarily stored their harvested paddy where they
can separate paddy from hay. The place was well cleaned and prepared before
storing paddy using mammoty and a besom called “Bolatta.”Then they applied a
layer of mixture made of anthill clay and cow dung to the floor to ensure the
“Kamatha ” is free of dust and debris when separating paddy from hay.
The process
of separating paddy seeds from hay was called “Kola madeema”.For this they made
five or six oxens walk on the harvested paddy , around a pole called “Vee
Gaha”.The separated paddy was then collected to a large mat called “Magala”.A
farmer was always there with a mat woven using paddy stems to avoid the oxens
defecate on the paddy .
Our
ancestors used simple tools like “Ukunu Detta” to remove hay and “Katumana
attha” to heap separated paddy seeds together.Then those seeds were measured
using “Laha”,”Karthuwa” and “Kuruniya”.
In present
a combined harvester
In modern
days these traditional methods are mostly used in rural areas. Farmers tend to
use tractors wherever it is possible instead of oxen when ploughing and
threshing. They only use buffalos when they can’t afford to take a tractor
inside their fields .Sickles are hardly used for harvesting as more efficient machines like
combined harvester are introduced to the farmers. These machines significantly
reduced the time spent on these tasks. Another advantage of these machines was
that paddy seeds could be directly collected from the machine and threshing at
the “Kamatha” is not needed. Furthermore the chance to impurities get mixed
with the seeds was greatly reduced.Even removing the husk from the seeds is now
a simple task that can be easily done at a mill.
Suggestions
The tools
used in agriculture has been revolutionized but still in some rural areas these
traditional time consuming methods are being used. Necessary steps should be
taken to introduce these new techniques to those areas s it will increase the
productivity of the industry. But these old techniques must be conserved as
well because they depict the culture of our country.
In past
Chena
cultivation can be taken as the oldest form of cultivation in Sri Lanka .In
this traditional practice, our ancestors ensured that the environment was
unharmed during the procedure.Different techniques were used to cultivate the
chena depending on the climate,nature of soil and environmental factors etc. A
whole village gathered to cultivate a single chena.If each individual were
allowed to cultivate a chena for himself the forest would soon disappear.So
this way our ancestors protected the forest.
There were
basically 4 types of Chenas:”Navadili Hena”,”Ath Daduwa hena”,”Mukalan hena”
and “Hen kanaththa”.A “Navadili hena ” was created by clearing an untouched
forest area cultivating it immediately.As this area was not used for
cultivation before the land was very fertile.However they avoided making too
many chenas like these because it reduced the foest cover.After few seasons the
land is abandoned.
After few
months forest re growed back in that land.In these few months our farmers knew
that the soil would regain some of the
nutrients that was originally there before any cultivation.Then again that semi
wilderness was cleared and the land was used again for cultivation.This land is
now called a “Ath Daduwa hena”.A “Mukalana hena” was created by clearing a
forest with medium sized trees.After a land become infertile due to repeated
cultivation they were called “Hen kanaththa”.
When
choosing a land for a chena they always avoided rocky areas and preferred areas
with water supplies like streams.And they always
set the land on fire before cultivation.For this they chose the last days of
the dry season.Then they made a fence around the place using the remaining
twigs and branches and started cultivating.
In present
The
techniques used in chena cultivation hasn’t changed much with the time.But with
more people trying to make a chena of thier own has caused a considerable
amount of deforestation. These deforestations created problems like elephants
and other animals raiding villages etc.
Suggestions
In modern
days lot of deforestation is happening due to growth of the population. (Due to
establishment of settlements,making of new croplands etc.)It will be wise to
limit the chena cultivation for some extent to control deforestation. Farmers
can be encouraged to use the same plot of land for few more seasons by
introducing techniques like agronomy transfer system etc.Or then can be
directed towards other types of agriculture.
Conclusion
Sri Lanka
had a great past with an agricultural economy.They were really advanced in
technology during those period comparing to other countries.As the time
advanced some of the fields in agriculture were developed whereas some didn’t.
For example tools used in the field has been developed rapidly whereas
techniques like “Bisokotuwa” and traditional pest control methods were
forgotten a bit.And most of the natural values in the field were forgotten.
Lot of steps
can be taken to further improve the agriculture field. One of the major steps
that can be executed is re-introducing the traditional paddy types to the
farmers such as
“Murungakayam”,”Wellaillangaliya”,”Hondarawela”,”Suwadel”,”Pachcha Perumal”,”Heenati”,”Kokkali” and “Ma wee”.”Heenati” is good for lactating mothers.”Kanni
Murunga” was a great energizer and “Suwadel” was famous for it’s extraordinary fragrance.Our
farmers can easily find a market for these type of rice as Sri Lanka is the
only place where the world can find these type of rice.So we will be able to
export them easily and gain foreign wealth.Necessary steps can be taken to
promote these type of paddy among the farmers by the government.
Some types
of these traditional paddy didn’t need much water so they can be introduced to
the dry zones with scarcity of water.Some types did well in poor soil
conditions.And most of them were more resistant to the insects than the hybrid
types in modern days which is another added advantage.And most importantly they
were healthier unlike modern genetically modified ones which are even a cause
for Diabetes.
Another
suggestion is that exposing farmers to new technologies like green houses,
agronomy switch crop, Mushroom cultivation etc .But also traditional values
should not be forgotten.Both ancient and modern techniques should be combined
to make agriculture in Sri Lanka gets improve to the next level.
References
Spraying pesticides with traditional methods will not be as safe as spraying with drones
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