Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka Government’s ambitious decision to ban synthetic agrochemicals, including chemical fertilizers (and pesticides), in April 2021 made it the first nation in the world to embark on a full-scale transition to – as the Government called it—organic farming, and address concerns about human health and the environment. Previous policies had envisioned a gradual shift, but the sudden ban caught agriculture off guard. Declining foreign exchange reserves to import chemical fertilizers and coinciding peak fertilizer prices appeared to support the timing of the move. However, the ensuing rush for organic fertilizers failed to meet the national demand, resulting in severe losses in rice and export-oriented plantation crops. Facing decreasing yields and food insecurity, the government lifted the ban in November 2021. The events raised critical questions about the necessity and feasibility of such a drastic transition and alternative ways. To explore the general feasibility of transitioning toward organic fertilizers, this study considered the actual and potential availability of biomass to “replace” chemical fertilizers at the national scale as was envisioned by the Government. The analysis focused on the four main national crops and showed that in none of the selected scenarios, Sri Lanka’s actual and potentially available organic fertilizer could supply rice- and plantation-based agrosystems with sufficient nitrogen, not to mention other crops or nutrients. The Government will in every scenario, including one that assumes a stepwise transition, remain compelled to spend significantly on importing organic fertilizer to maintain the required crop yields, which would cost the Government more foreign currency than purchasing chemical fertilizer. Even more costly is purchasing rice to close the national production gap, as Sri Lanka eventually did at the end of its nationwide experiment, which resulted in major food security concerns.

Climate change-induced extreme weather events have significantly impacted smallholder farmers in low and middle-income countries, jeopardizing their livelihoods and food security. With more frequent and intense erratic rainfall patterns, droughts, and storms, farmers face heightened risks of crop failure, livestock loss, and property damage. These events also disrupt agricultural cycles and threaten already scarce water resources. The cumulative effects of climate-related disasters perpetuate cycles of poverty and ultimately affect global food security. Transformative climate adaptation solutions coupled with equitable policies are critical to bolster the resilience of these vulnerable communities and safeguard global food security. The Climate-Smart Governance (CSG) Dashboard supports countries in coordinated mid- to long-term adaptation planning. It supplies accurate data and analytics on climate vulnerabilities, governance capacities, and potential climate-smart interventions to strengthen national adaptation planning (NAP) at the national and local scales and achieve the progress of the Sustainable Development Goals. Organizations can utilize this up-to-date data to develop effective, well-coordinated adaptation policies; monitor and evaluate progress towards meeting adaptation goals; collaborate for effective use of resources; and share information on best practices and investment opportunities. The CSG Dashboard was developed as part of the CGIAR initiative on Climate Resilience (ClimBeR). ClimBeR aims to transform the climate adaptation capacity of food and agricultural systems in low- and middle-income countries by tackling vulnerability to climate change at its roots and supporting countries as they adapt and improve resilience, and build equitable and sustainable futures. This workshop marks the launch of the CSG Dashboard in Sri Lanka and brings together the decision-makers of key policy-making and development organizations in the country. Commencing in 2023, Sri Lanka’s National Planning Department and its Climate Change Secretariat collaborated with the CGIAR ClimBeR team to develop the Climate Smart Governance dashboard for Sri Lanka. The CDG Dashboard addresses the lack of timely, context-specific, actionable information necessary for local communities and planners to make informed decisions on climate adaptation interventions. The CSG Dashboard was developed by the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) in partnership with Sri Lankaapos;s National Planning Department and the Climate Change Secretariat of the Ministry of Environment. The platform is the first of its kind and serves as a facilitation planning tool for national adaptation planning, to bolster Sri Lankaapos;s resilience to climate change impacts and aims to foster better, climate-smart, and integrated decision-making processes. It has also been launched in Zambia and Senegal and is accessible to governments and communities worldwide.

The most populated (urban) area in Sri Lanka is its Western Province with Colombo, Sri Lanka’s commercial capital. This “Megapolis” depends for its food supply significantly on different geographical areas of Sri Lanka. These foodsheds differ by commodity. Peri-urban agriculture plays a minor role and until very recently, urban farming did not get (institutional) attention, although the role of both, urban and peri-urban agriculture is mentioned in the national agricultural policy. The policy also calls for the identification and strengthening of city region food system (CRFS) to better link rural and urban communities, also in view of climate shocks and other disasters. The need for this became clear during the Covid-19 epidemic and subsequent economic crisis of the country when the Colombo Municipal Council started actively to support urban food production.