Challenges of Implementing Climate Smart Agriculture in Sri Lanka

Despite Sri Lanka's efforts to employ various Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA) strategies to ensure sustainable production, several challenges hinder the effective implementation of these practices. These challenges include,

Lack of Knowledge and Awareness: Farmers need to be educated about the benefits of CSA practices and trained in their implementation for sustainable food production. For instance, although Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is a CSA practice in Sri Lanka, its actual application is less effective due to farmers' lack of awareness. Approximately 35% of farmers have some awareness of IPM, but more than 50% do not have a proper understanding, leading to the continued use of chemical inputs and the production of inorganic food. This not only impacts consumer health but also raises concerns about achieving sustainable agricultural practices using CSA (Dissanayaka, 2021).

Policy Boundaries: Adequate policies and incentives are necessary to promote CSA practices, ensuring food security and livelihood. The Sri Lankan government's contribution to the introduction of a flexible policy structure is crucial for the adaptation of CSA practices and sustainable food production. However, the government has outlawed several practices, such as the use of genetically modified seeds and plants tailored to the local environment, due to their detrimental effects on health since 2001 (UNEP, 2007). This prohibition limits the potential to obtain sustainable food production as climatically adapted materials have a greater capacity to produce more food under various climatic conditions.

Financial Constraints: For farmers with limited resources, initial investments in infrastructure and training may be a hurdle. The current economic bankruptcy in Sri Lanka exacerbates the difficulty of adopting CSA practices. The government has allocated 8.7% of GDP to agriculture, whereas other industries and service sectors receive more than 30% of the GDP (Trading Economics, 2023). This disparity indicates a decline in agricultural efforts and a reduction in initiatives for sustainable food production. 

Behavioral Change: Persuading farmers to adopt new practices requires challenging their deeply embedded traditional farming techniques. Farmers' adherence to old ideologies detracts from the adoption of CSA techniques. A significant example is the nationwide protests against the government's 2021 policy banning chemical fertilizer imports and introducing organic fertilizers (Nwafor and Shittu, 2018). This policy led to a decline in organic food production and sustainable agricultural practices, as many farmers were discouraged about the capacity of organic agricultural practices to produce sufficient food.

Lack of Maintenance: Proper maintenance of CSA practices is essential for sustainable food production. However, a lack of maintenance is evident in some practices, particularly in water management systems. Sri Lanka's irrigation systems are crucial for supplying water to cultivated lands, yet their maintenance by the Department of Irrigation raises concerns. For instance, extreme precipitation conditions have destroyed reservoir banks and channel systems, leading to reduced food output and hindering sustainable agricultural production (Hobbs et al., 2007).

In conclusion, the challenges facing CSA techniques in Sri Lanka are multifaceted, imposing significant limitations on the ability to produce food sustainably. Addressing these challenges is crucial to ensuring food security and preventing hunger as the essential elements of climate-smart practices are discussed.

Reference:

Dissanayaka, N. (2021) “Unlocking Untapped Potential in Sri Lanka’s Agricultural Exports”. Talkingeconomics. Available at: https://www.ips.lk/talkingeconomics/2021/04/05/bridging-the-gap-unlocking-untapped-potential-in-sri-lankas-agricultural-exports/#:~:text=In%202019%2C%20export%20earnings%20from,15.9%25%20of%20total%20export%20earnings (Accessed: 25 August 2023).

Hobbs, P., Sayre, K.D. and Gupta, R.K. (2007) “The role of conservation agriculture in sustainable agriculture,” Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B, 363(1491), pp. 543–555.

Nwafor Eze, J. and Shittu, A.M. (2018) “Adaption of climate smart agricultural practices and farmers willingness to accept incentivies in Nigeria,” Researchgate, 4(1), pp. 198–205.

Trading Economics. (2023) “A Sri Lankan Perspective on the Inevitable Rise of Genetically Modified Foods”, talkingeconomics. Available at: https://www.ips.lk/talkingeconomics/2013/02/04/frankenfoods-a-sri-lankan-perspective-on-the-inevitable-rise-of-genetically-modified-foods/#:~:text=Sri%20Lanka%20banned%20the%20imports,the%20world%20to%20do%20so (Accessed: 12 August 2023).

UNEP (2007) “Sri Lanka National Agricultural Policy”, UNEP, Available at: https://leap.unep.org (Accessed: 23 August 2023).