Climate Change Adaptation Programme for Department of Export Agriculture Staff
SLWP on request of DEA conducted CCA programs for DEA staff (extension and research officers) in Kandy and in Ella to build capacity to support the spice growers. This program is a continuing activity being requested due to the success of the earlier programs. Collaborators and Resource Persons for this program came from the Yatinuwara Divisional Secretariat, Department of Export Agriculture, SLWP, Dept. of Meteorology and Lions Club Pilimatalawe. The objective of this activity is Climate Knowledge Dissemination and Capacity building for women farmers in Denuwara who will be encouraged to revert to spice cultivation and produce value added products from their fields and home gardens. 60 participants took part in the program which was held at the Seetha Banquet hall in Pilimatalawe on 14th December 2017.
Consultation on Drought Monitoring System –SASDMS
A consultation on application of the South Asia Drought Monitoring System (SADMS) developed by IWMI under a GWPO/WMO supported initiative was held on 26th September at IWMI Headquarters.
The consultation organized jointly by IWMI and SLWP was aimed at familiarizing the SADMS tool as a decision support mechanism for drought monitoring in Sri Lanka among meteorological, irrigation, agriculture, water supply and disaster management policy makers and for obtaining their views on the usefulness of this platform for drought monitoring including forecasting.
Ministry and agency representatives including from donors such as JICA, USAID and UNDP attended the event .Sector agencies have expressed interest in take up of SADMS for drought monitoring and SLWP will be following up on issues related to operationalizing SADMS in the future.
Climate Change Adaptation (CCA) Programme for officers of Irrigation, Agrarian Development and Agriculture Departments in Ampara District
Follow up to the FO leader programme, a programme for Technical Staff/Field Officers of the Irrigation Department, Irrigation Management Division of The Ministry of Irrigation, Divisional officers of Department of Agraian Development and Agriculture extension Officers of the Department Of Agriculture serving in Ampara was held on 19th September at the District Secretariat Ampara. This Programme was also organized in collaboration with Department of Irrigation. Local heads including Asst Commisioner Agrarian Development Ampara and Deputy Director of Agriculture Ampara participated in the Programme. Resource persons included those in the above programme. Additionally the presentation by Director of Irrigation and Deputy Project Director CRIP Eng Janaki Meegastenne who was abroad was presented made by Eng Ms Shiromi Weeraratne from the CRIP Office in Irrigation Department
Climate Change Adaptation (CCA) Programme for Farmer Organization (FO) Leaders in Ampara District
A programme for farmer organization leaders in Ampara was arranged as a part of the SLWP CCA Programme under WACREP in collaboration with the Irrigation Department (ID) and Irrigation Management Division (IMD) of the Ministry of Irrigation and Water Resources Management with support from Cap-Net Lanka on 18th September at District Secretariat Ampara. This was the 2nd programme in Sri Lanka supported by Cap-Net during 2017. 72 Farmer Leaders representing over 40 Farmer Organizations in the Ga Oya Left Bank and River Division participated. 57 from the Gal Oya Left Bank and 15 from the River Division. In addition 14 field staff of ID/IMD dealing with FO attended the awareness session. Resource Persons included the Eng Nihal Siriwradene Director of Irrigation Ampara, Mr Ananda Jayasinghe Consultant Irrigation Agronomist- Former Director IMS and Mr AN Sirisena Consultant FAO,Former Director Of Agriculture and Senior Research Officer RRDI Batahalagoda.
Workshop on Impact of climate change on cultivation and production of Export Agricultural Crops
The above workshop was successfully held at Mount Heavan Hotel, Ella on 15th September with approximately around 120 participants. Objectives of this workshop was as follows.
- To disseminate the knowledge on climate change, how it is happening, what are the basic changes we can observe and how can feel with a scenario.
- To explain how above changes affect on Export Agricultural crops (EACs), what are currents impacts on EACs and what type of adaptation can we apply for reduction of these impacts.
- To aware the EAC stakeholders on different water management practices and soil moisture conservation techniques as adaptations to mitigate above consequences on EACs due to climate change.
The workshop was coordinated by Dr. H.M.P.A. Subasinghe (Agro-meteorologist /Deputy Director (Research)/ Head of the Agronomy Division, Central Research Station, Department of Export agriculture, Matale) collaboratively with Ms. Kusum Athukorala (Senior Advisor, Sri Lanka Water Partnership), Mr. J.Lindara (Director Development, DEA) Mrs. Mrs. Y.M.K. Kulasekara (Asisitant Director Development, Badulla District, District Office, DEA) and District Office, DEA, Badulla.
CCA Programme for Junior Mangers of the CCB
A follow up to the Regional Mangers CCA programme held in Kandy on June 15th this programme for 55 Junior Mangers was held at the CCB Training Centre , Bandirippuwa Estate Lunuwila on 29th August . This is the 3rd such programme for non-irrigated agriculture .Resource Persons included Dr Shiromi Jayawardene Deputy Director from the Dept. Of Meterology , Dr Sanathani Fernado Addl Director Coconut Research institute , Mr DDM Dissanayake Deputy Director Agriculture NWP and Mr WM Ratnayake, SGM CCB. The Programme included field vast to a model private coconut plantation that was adopting best practices to cope with droughts etc.
Officer Training in CCA for Irrigation sector
A CCA programme for Officers of the Irrigation Department working in the Central Province was held on 6th June 2017 at the Education Traiing Centre Gurudeniya Kandy. 48 Officers of the Irrigation Department consisting of Engineers, Technical officers and Development Officers serving in Kandy, Matale and Nuwara Eliya Districts participated. This is part of a continuing programme for officers and farmer representatives in the Irrigation sector held in collaboration with the Irrigation Department.Resource Persons included Director Training and Research of Meteorology Department and Director Natural Resources management Centre of the Agriculture Department. Two presentations one by the Asst Director Agriculture Extension Peradeniya on New Technology options and Director irrigation and Dep Project Director CRIP on Impacts of CC on Irrigation were also made.
CCA Programme for staff in non- irrigated sector
A programme on CCA and Technology options to cope with climate change was held at the Audio Visual Centre of the Department Of Agriculture Gannoruwa on 15th June 2017 for Regional Managers of the Coconut Development Board This is the second such programme held for staff in the non- irrigated agriculture( plantation) sector the first being for Dept of Export Agriculture held in 2016 .New Research findings to cope with CC were explained by Addl Director Research of the Coconut Research Institute Lunuwila while the Director NRMC Dept Of Agriculture made presentation on technological/ land use options to cope with CC. Director Dept Of Meteorology explained the climate change issues that were impacting on agriculture and livelihoods while the AGM training of the CCB explained the institutional and technical improvements that are to undertaken to cope with the changes in climate . 48 Regional Managers and senior staff participated in this programme including several officers from the North and East.
WACREP– Programme for Farmer Leaders and Agency Staff of Medium Schemes (Deduru Oya) on Improved Institutional and Programme Management to Cope with Climate Change.
A special programme for the developed area under the new Deduru Oya reservoir was organized by SLWP in collaboration with the Irrigation Department Climate Resilience Improvement Project( CRIP), Director of Irrigation Kurunegala and Department of Agriculture. The programme for FO leaders of Deduru oya and line agency staff was also supported by Capnet Lanka. The programme was held at the Wariyapola Irrigation Engineers office conference room on 30th March. Resource persons were from FCRDI Mahaillupallama, Provincial Agriculture Dept. NWP and Director of Irrigation Kurunegala. ID Head office was represented by an engineer from CRIP Colombo.62 participants (14 women) including 14 staff from local line agencies such as ID,DAD and AD participated. Dr S Pathmarajah from the University of Peradeniya who is also the CapNet Coordinator in Sri Lanka also participated in this workshop.