The GAP programme has currently certified over 115 farmers and trained 95 extension officers in Farmer Field Schools, leading to the establishment of a further 28 schools. ©FAO
In a small plot of land in the village of Tanamalvila in southeastern Sri Lanka’s Monaragala district, Nirosha Dilmini has been harvesting eggplants since the crack of dawn. Never had she had such a lucrative year as 2023 in terms of produce and profits ever since she started putting her efforts into farming here six years ago.
“The quarter acre of our land yielded produce equivalent to that of one acre,” she says with pride as she takes a break, fanning herself under the shade of a tree and getting ready to pick the rest of the crop.
She attributes this transformation to the Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) programme implemented by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) with funding from the United Nations Sri Lanka Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Fund.
Nirosha is one of 645 Sri Lankan farmers across three districts who were trained under the programme and provided with equipment and technical packages to modernize their farming practices and increase their yields and profits.
The GAP programme started as a response to the pressing food security challenges amidst Sri Lanka’s economic crisis, supporting vegetable farmers to commercialize their products.
Nirosha and her fellow farmers each received an agriculture kit containing essential items such as a drip irrigation system, plastic mulch and insect-proof netting. The kit aims to reduce the cost of cultivation and help make more efficient use of crucial resources such as fertilizers, weed killers, pesticides and water.
The farmers were also trained in GAP principles including environmental sustainability, food safety and quality, economic viability and social acceptability through a Farmer Field School (FFS) facilitated by FAO. This immersive training not only equipped them with the necessary knowledge for national GAP certification but also enabled them to implement modern agricultural techniques, such as drip irrigation systems, insect netting and plastic mulching, effectively.
Nirosha elaborates, “Previously, it took an entire day to fertilize our land. Now, a single 20-litre fertilizer bucket covers over 500 crops, saving us time, effort and money. The mulch also curtails weed growth, further lightening our workload.”
Also, she says that while the time between the two annual monsoon cultivation seasons, from the end of May to August, used to see her struggling to make ends meet, the modern techniques she learned have allowed her to cultivate the land throughout 2023, turning a profit even during the off-season.
“We can now cover vast areas with minimal water, maximizing productivity even in challenging weather conditions.”
For the past 11 months of post-GAP training, Nirosha’s primary crop has been eggplants with a few patches of okra and green beans. As the annual cycle nears its end, she prepares to harvest the last of her eggplants and embark on a new venture with watermelon cultivation.
“I plan to clear the ground and start an interim watermelon crop with the existing equipment,” she concludes optimistically. “With continued support from FAO, the livelihoods of farmers like us can exponentially improve.”
Under the GAP programme, so far 95 extension officers have been trained in Farmer Field Schools, leading to the establishment of 28 such schools. GAP has also significantly increased the incomes of farmers. At the end of the project indicates, 32 per cent of the farmers had increased their income by a minimum of approximately USD 65 (LKR 20 000) per 0.25 acre farmland per month. The programme has currently certified over 115 farmers as well.
Apart from the new learnings and equipment provided, another very important gain was the connections established with leading supermarket chains, where the farmers could sell their bumper crops in bulk and make larger profits. Additionally, innovative extension approaches using social media platforms along with exposure visits to existing GAP farms, facilitate avenues for knowledge sharing and skill development among farmers.
Through FAO’s support and the dedication of extension officers and fellow farmers, Nirosha has not only seen personal success but also has hope for agricultural sustainability and prosperity in Sri Lanka.
Source: The FAO News and Media Office, Rome.
– global bihari bureau
