Establishment of small-holder growers for root & tuber crops and Home garden Diversification for improved nutrition & livelihood in the Aranayaka area
Sri Lanka owns over 93 varieties of yam and tuber crops, despite the abundance its use has been diminishing over the past decades. However, successful efforts have been put in by various organizations to revive the use of these highly nutritious crops. The Community Development Centre (CDC) has been successful in revitalizing cultivation, creating awareness, production of value-added products and to increase livelihood of farmers while achieving food security through popularization of local yam and tuber crops. Colacasia spp. and Alocasia spp. are been used to produce a range of value added products which would better appeal the preferences of the present generation.
The Community Development Centre in collaboration with the Biodiversity for Food & Nutrition Project has initiated a project on “Establishment of small-holder growers for root & tuber crops and Home garden Diversification for improved nutrition & livelihood in the Aranayaka area”, aiming at establishment of sustainable supply chain of local agro-biodiversity.
A total of 70 farmers/households in the Aranayaka village located interior of the Kegalle district, covering the low country wet and intermediate zones in Sri Lanka, are actively involved in the project.
Aranayaka is a village where yam and tuber crops have been an important component of their diet in the past with preserved farming practices and traditional knowledge in regard to local yam and tuber crops. Despite the generational lapses trends and preferences, the village still possesses the traditions and the use of yam and tuber crops has been further increased through interventions by the Community Development Centre in collaboration with the Biodiversity for Food & Nutrition Project.
Selection of Farmers/ Beneficiaries and Creating Awareness
The project aims to uplift the cultivation of local root & tuber crops along with traditional vegetables and leafy vegetables in this regard planting material including seeds of traditional varieties have been disseminated amongst the selected farmers. Training on land management and preparation has been completed with expert consultants. Organic cultivation methods are employed in all cultivation plots and all farmers were given trainings on various aspects of organic cultivation along with organic pest control methods. The selected farmers were also trained on the guidelines and implementation of the Participatory Guarantee System (PGS) ensuring pesticide and inorganic fertilizer free local agro-biodiversity products. Addressing the problems faced by farmers from wild animals the BFN project co-funded for protection fencing considering the economic difficulties faced by the farmers.
Training of the community leaders for proper implementation of the project
Furthermore, Community based organizations (CBOs) have been established in the selected five villages to ensure sustainability of the project, also aiming at maintaining seed banks for cultivation in the future and dissemination of information.
Establishment of a sustainable marketing channel with an upgrading strategy for value chain and market development with establishment of premium prices ensuring quality assurance; labeling is underway with expert consultation from the Agribusiness Centre, University of Peradeniya.
Training on land management and preparation with expert consultants
Distribution of protection fencing and training on sustainable usage
Distribution of Planting Material
At present farmers/households are maintaining the root and tuber crops and gaining bumper harvest through the cultivation and sale of local vegetables and leafy vegetables. A note worthy fact is that the selected farmers were trained on the guidelines and implementation of the Participatory Guarantee System (PGS) ensuring pesticide and inorganic fertilizer free local agro-biodiversity products; which will be instrumental in establishment of a sustainable supply chain of local agro-biodiversity.
Trade Fairs & other marketing avenues for organic products establishing “New marketing options for target species with high nutritional value created through establishment of small-holder growers”. Fairs for sale of organic products in public places including Kegalle and Mawanella Hospital premises was successfully conducted with other small-scale marketing avenues.
Trade Fairs & other marketing avenues for organic products establishing “New marketing options for target species with high nutritional value created through establishment of small-holder growers”. Fairs for sale of organic products in public places including Kegalle and Mawanella Hospital premises was successfully conducted with other small-scale marketing avenues.
