Smallholder Agribusiness and Resilience Project

A brief description of the service offered by the project

Name of the project - Smallholder Agribusiness and Resilience Project

Implementing agency - Ministry of Agriculture, Lank

Estimated Total Budget cost – USD 82 Mn

Project Time period - From 2021 to 2027

Introduction

Smallholder Agribusiness and Resilience Project (SARP), a six year project jointly financed approximately USD 82 million by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the Government of Sri Lanka and other stakeholders aims to build resilience and market participation of 40,000 rural households (180,000 persons) in mostly affected 03 river basins and 06 districts of Sri Lanka by climate change. Six districts are Puttalum Kurunegala, Matale, Anuradhapura, Vauniya and Mannar. Three river basins are Malwathu oya, Mee oya, and Deduru oya river basins.

Above three River Basins covering following divsions

Total DSD 24

Total GND 100

Total ASC 34

Main components of the project are capacity building for climate resilience and inclusive value chains, combined with investments for climate resilience and inclusive value chains including development of last mile infrastructure.

Justification

The dry zone covers 70 percent of Sri Lanka’s land area and is the country’s agricultural heartland and the main area where the staple rice crop is grown.

Climate projections indicate an increasing rainfall trend in the wet zone and a decreasing rainfall in the dry zone. The implications are that the risks associated with water-related hazards are likely to increase. Climate change is expected to continue to impact the agricultural sector and in particular smallholder farmers in the dry zone.

The dry zone is a hard rock region with naturally-occurring shallow groundwater which limits the opportunities for irrigation and relies on rain-fed agriculture. The Tank Cascade System mitigates the negative consequences of chronic and recurrent droughts, seasonal flooding and land degradation. Currently, the livelihood of a large population in the dry zone depends on small tank-based irrigated farming. These farmers are much more vulnerable to the impacts of climate change than farmers cultivating under larger irrigation systems. The rehabilitation of tank-based irrigated agricultural systems is key to improving the resilience of these areas and the agrarian communities that depend on them.

Project objectives

The goal of SARP is to contribute to Sri Lanka’s smallholder poverty reduction and food security in the dry zone region. The development objective is to build resilience and market participation of 40,000 rural smallholder households in the project area (180,000 persons) with women and youth constituting 50 percent (90,000) and 20% (36,000)

Main Component of the Project

• Capacity Building for Climate Resilience and value chain

1. oStrengthening adaptive capacity of service providers and farmers to climate change
2. oStrengthening capacity for inclusive value chain development

• Sensitive investments for climate resilience and inclusive value chains including last mile infrastructure

1. oInvestments for climate resilient production and infrastructure
2. oInvestment for inclusive value chain development.

• Project Management and Coordination

Project Main Areas

The SARP project is currently focused on several ongoing initiatives, including the rehabilitation of tanks. Under this project, 173 tanks are slated for rehabilitation across six selected districts. Additionally, the project aims to engage 600 farmers in cultivating black gram in the Vavuniya district.

The project also includes stocking 72 tanks with fingerlings and prawn larvae, of which 20 tanks have already been completed. In the Puttalam and Kurunegala districts, black gram cultivation has successfully taken place on 391.5 acres, yielding a total harvest of 46,000 kg during the 2024 Yala season.

Furthermore, a gherkin cultivation project has been initiated, introducing a drip irrigation system for 16 farmers in the Kurunegala district. There are also plans to implement a groundnut project, benefiting 1,500 farmers over 750 acres in the Anuradhapura, Vavuniya, Kurunegala, Mannar, and Puttalam districts. Backyard poultry farming is another initiative within this project.

Key components of the project include natural resource management, disaster risk management, nutrition initiatives, and the Farmer Field School program. A major objective is to engage women and youth in agriculture. Additionally, the project emphasizes agro-enterprise development, post-harvest management, and value addition and Tank rehabilitation Works

Contact Details

General

Phone – 011-2770986/ 011-2770996

Emal – info@sarp.lk

Website – www.sarp.lk

Address – 2/2/1, Kandawatta Road, Palawatta, Battaramulla

Project Director

Name – Mr.Gayan Mallawatissa

Phone -011-2770986/ 011-2770996

Emal - info@sarp.lk

Website - www.sarp.lk

Address - 2/2/1, Kandawatta Road, Palawatta, Battaramulla

Hub office 01

Phone – 077-3994789

Emal -sarphub1@gmail.com

Website - www.sarp.lk

Address – Maha Ela Road, Nikaweratiya

Hub office 02

Phone – 07-73095767

Emal – sarphub2@gmail.com

Website - www.sarp.lk

Address – 554, Katuwela Road, madawachchiya

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