Sri Lanka: Classes Alone Failed, Small Groups Worked
Jegatheesary Gunasingam, World Vision Sri Lanka (World Vision Lanka on the slide) · Sri Lanka
A World Vision Sri Lanka staff member reports on a 2013–2015 project, funded by World Vision Korea and KOICA, that brought natural farming (which she calls 'neo-organic') to 600 farm families in Vaharai, a war-affected coastal division. After a year of training only a handful of farmers had taken it up; small groups, close follow-up and training the government agriculture instructors turned it around. The final evaluation shows wide use of homemade fertilizers and pesticides, more home gardens and water access, and weekly chemical-free vegetable markets, but no yields, costs or incomes.
What they found
Can a development project get farmers in a postwar Sri Lankan division to take up natural farming, and what changes when they do?
Vaharai divisional secretariat area, Sri Lanka (slide: 23,616 people in 7,051 families, about half of households poor, 550 km², coastal lowlands, rainy season Nov–Feb). Funded by World Vision Korea and KOICA, run by World Vision Lanka, 2013 to 2015, targeting 600 farm families. Core practices taught: low or zero tillage, mulching, IMO and the other homemade solutions, and no chemicals. 300 farmers selected in year one; later 10-member groups with key farmers, and training for government agriculture instructors, university research students and local economic development officers. Outcomes come from a final evaluation (she says independent, by a university) comparing baseline, beneficiaries and non-beneficiaries. Sample sizes, survey method, crops, yields, costs and incomes: not stated.
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After one year of training, only a few farmers had adopted; both transcripts heard 'only two'
300 farmers were selected in the first year. Farmers called the method a long, time-consuming process. Training alone did not work; 10-member groups, close monitoring and key farmers did.
▶ 9:35 As spoken
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Households using organic (homemade) fertilizer: 67.37% at baseline, 99.0% among beneficiaries
Project Outcomes table; non-beneficiaries 54.6%.
▶ 13:36 From the slides
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Organic pesticide use: 62.13% to 96.1%
Non-beneficiaries 32.8%. Organic weedicide 77.82% to 81.6% (non-beneficiaries 32.8%). Not using inorganic weeding: 24% to 81.6%.
▶ 14:12 From the slides
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Households farming as a business with any post-harvest or value-chain system: 1.18% to 53.4%
Project Outcomes table; the non-beneficiary figure was hidden by the speaker.
▶ 13:36 From the slides
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Poor and vulnerable households: 65% at baseline, 50% among beneficiaries
Non-beneficiaries stayed at 65%.
▶ 13:36 From the slides
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Food measures rose, but non-beneficiaries rose as much
Adequate food frequency 73.9% to 91.9% (non-beneficiaries 92%); sufficient diet diversity 42.26% to 66% (60%); year-round access to enough organic food 20.06% to 80% (81.5%). Share of farmers eating 'regularly' 73% at baseline to 92% at evaluation (pie charts).
▶ 13:36 From the slides
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Why farmers took it up: economic reasons 45%, health 37%, environment 18%
Community value pie chart; sociological and other 0%.
▶ 14:30 Said and shown on the slides
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Beneficiaries grew mostly for both eating and sale (64.7% vs 33.6%) and sold mostly fresh (84.8% vs 34.9%)
Production table, beneficiary vs non-beneficiary: consumption only 26.9 vs 36.6%, business only 1.9 vs 2.5%, both 64.7 vs 33.6%; sold raw/fresh 84.8 vs 34.9%, processed 1 vs 0.4%.
▶ 14:47 From the slides
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438 families set up home gardens with natural farming practice; 680 households trained
Bar chart, baseline 0 for each; 438 practicing skills learned for livestock farming. Year-round water for cultivation 20.5 to 70; increased water harvest 0 to 72.2 (units not shown, likely %).
▶ 16:15 From the slides
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A weekend chemical-free vegetable market in town, supplied by the project's farmers
Set up with partner NGOs; also a weekly stall at the divisional secretariat on its Wednesday public day. She says almost all the vegetables come from the 600 farmers.
▶ 15:31 As spoken
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Slide: spending for neo-organic farming 'much less' than conventional, and crop production higher where the methods were adopted
Lessons slide; no figures were given for either.
▶ 17:45 From the slides
- A project report, not a trial: no yields, costs, incomes or soil data were shown.
- Survey method, sample sizes and who the non-beneficiaries were are not stated; no statistics.
- On food frequency, diet diversity and year-round food access, non-beneficiaries scored about the same as beneficiaries, so those gains cannot be credited to the project.
- The project mixed natural farming with home gardens, water tanks, wells, livestock, nutrition and business training; the outcomes cannot be laid on the farming method alone.
- 'Organic fertilizer/pesticide' in the table is not broken down; which homemade solutions farmers used, and how, is not stated.
- 680 households trained is more than the 600 targeted families; not explained.
- The land-distribution slide gives units of 'square meter', which cannot be right for a 550 km² area; probably hectares.
- Training sessions alone did not get farmers to change. Small groups of about ten, frequent visits and a few quick-adopting key farmers did.
- Bring the local government agriculture instructors in early; farmers listen to them, and here they had never heard of natural farming.
- Farmers here took up the practices mainly for economic and health reasons.
- A local chemical-free market gave growers a reason to keep going.
- Basic record-keeping helped farmers see their input costs and income.
Next to Master Cho's teaching
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Agrees
Zero tillage and mulching Cho's soil rule is no mechanical tillage: arrange conditions so microbes, worms and small animals till the soil, and mulch with rice straw. The project taught the same, and still saw some farmers plowing.
Cho, IMO and Vital Power of Crops and Livestock, p. 30–32
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Agrees
Lower spending than conventional farming Cho names lower cost, from homemade materials, as one of natural farming's greatest strengths. The talk asserts this but gives no numbers.
Cho, Janong Natural Farming (2003), p. 61
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Differs
Calling it 'neo-organic' rather than natural farming Cho draws a sharp line: natural farming is a complete system with its own inputs, Nutritive Cycle theory and practice, while organic farming is a vague concept. The renaming blurs that line.
Cho, Janong Natural Farming (2003), p. 53
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Agrees
Natural farming as a tool against poverty Cho presents natural farming as an effective tool for poor countries and cites Vietnam as a case of community development. This project used it the same way.
Cho, Janong Natural Farming (2003), p. 39–46
“As we all are listening from this morning, we all know about the benefits and everything. But when we enter into the field, there are many challenges.”
▶ 6:54
“Then we found giving these trainings only will not work.”
▶ 9:54
In this talk
- 0:00World Vision Sri Lanka in Vaharai
- 0:45Project profile
- 2:17Vaharai area profile
- 2:48Objectives: the neo-organic concepts
- 5:13What the project did
- 6:54Year one: few farmers adopted
- 9:54Small groups and key farmers
- 10:30Training the agriculture instructors
- 12:58Research and evaluation
- 13:30Outcomes table
- 14:00Adoption and reasons
- 14:47Chemical-free markets
- 16:15Home gardens, water, photos
- 16:53Business training
- 17:45Lessons and next steps
Transcript
Transcribed and checked by hand against the recording. Click any time to play from there.
0:00 Hello everyone, good afternoon. I am Jegatheesary, coming from World Vision Sri Lanka. As Chang-pyo explained, we have implemented natural farming project in Sri Lanka in a divisional secretariat area called Vaharai. Can you hear me? Yes. Okay, then after the post-war situation in Sri Lanka, Vaharai is one of the area after
0:52 the war many people resettled in that area. During that time, World Vision Korea and KOICA supported natural farming project came in. At the time, we were not sure, we were uncertain how we will able to make the community to adapt to this new concept. Because people were suppressed for many years and all, to change their mindset for a long-term benefit with this kind of a concept. Then we actually struggled in a way, and anyway, with these targets we have started in 2013, that is the World Vision Korea and KOICA-funded project.
1:43 Project duration was 2013 to 2015. We were thought of making awareness, supporting around 600 farmers in particular division as a [unclear] project. Then our main focus was natural method of agriculture farming. Along with that, livestock rearing and water resource management also. Our targeted activities we planned. Then if you look into this project implemented area profile, this is the data you can see from the slide. This is the area profile.
2:31 Then this is the land distribution pattern of this area where we implemented our natural farming project. You can see the numbers and figures here. And with the objective of, because from morning we listened from many of the good researchers, that is the comparison between conventional farming and natural farming, all the benefits between conventional and natural farming and many research how to use many concoctions IMO, the FAA, many concoctions and all.
3:21 This is actually I wanted to share with you all the impact of using these concoctions and all the IMO, all the concepts as Chang-pyo explained. I also wanted to name this as neo-organic concept rather than natural farming. Because we from the beginning we wanted to make the community, farmers, to adapt with all the four concepts. That is low or zero tilling, mulching, and all the IMO and the other concoction usages, and zero chemical usages. Then with all the focuses, with all these concepts we work to ensure the food security through home gardens, school gardens and water resource management.
4:16 And promote neo-organic agriculture practices by reducing chemical usage. And as you know this area, that is after the war situation, most of the children were under malnourished situation. Then one of our other main target also was improve the nutritional status of malnourished children also. Then moreover we were very concerned on improving their income through this natural way.
4:54 There are many ways but the land availability was very high in that area. Then our main focus was improving the livelihood or income generation through practicing this natural way. These were the main objectives when we started the program. Then we have done all these activities throughout these three years. That is, as you all know, in general, this kind of a thing for almost all the projects we are doing. That is, as we planned, we tried to establish collective farms, that is, community based farms,
5:39 which is totally practicing in organic methodology, and support the development of school gardens. We wanted to make the children from the beginning to adapt to this concept. Then the schools, to teach through teachers and principals, we wanted to develop the school gardens also also and to maintain or upgrade them water hydrology in that areas we wanted to have this kind of activities also you know with the water tanks and all along with all this we supported to rear livestock also through this natural way and there is a, raise awareness and application of
6:25 natural farming methodology not only in the project area but also through the district then we wanted to expand this as a movement then this awareness was our main key target then we supported for development of dug wells and agro-wells, promote natural resource management, strengthen post-harvest management, improve nutritional knowledge and practices of households. Here I I wanted to share you some of the practical difficulties. As we all are listening from this morning, we all know about the benefits and everything. But when we enter into the field, there are many challenges.
7:13 Then as Chang-pyo mentioned, Chang-pyo went to Sri Lanka in 2013. In his first visit, he gave us training. Three of World Vision staff and some farmers from the area, all of a sudden we identified and we went for that training. Then for one week Chang-pyo gave us this training, that is actually an intensive training for all of us. Even though we studied agriculture studies and science and all in the universities, but totally that was a new concept for us, because in our local universities we didn't hear about natural farming.
7:59 They were always teaching about organic farming and all. For the whole area this was actually a new project. Then during that one week intensive study, some of us got this knowledge from Chang-pyo and we started to make this as a campaign in the project area. Because for the first year we selected 300 farmers. Then we have been selected some key farmers and we started to give the training in the field. But after one year we got to know only few number of farmers started to adapt.
8:43 Because we went frequently to them to ask what is happening, what are the difficulties and what are the challenges. They started to talk about this is a long process and time consuming and this and that and all because these people have different mentality and mindset. as they didn't expose to anything for more than three decades or not. Then we were again planning and planning and planning because we used to have this kind of reflection. We have some tools that is what were our
9:29 actions, what are the reflections and what could be the planning for the next time, what are Then we have [unclear] tools. Then after one year we found only two people adapted to this. Then again our implementation team sat together and found many ways communicating to our agriculture specialists through mails and all. Then we found giving these trainings only will not work. Then we divided them into smaller smaller groups, 10 member groups and we again do the very close monitoring with the people. Some people are very smart, they will do everything.
10:16 Then we identified the key people. Then those people who adapted quickly, we gathered the people who are very lazy and they will make the others do this kind of a thing. Then all of a sudden we came to know the agriculture instructors who are very mandatorily responsible to look after these farmers are not aware of this natural methodology.
10:43 Then we requested Chang-pyo to do this kind of training to that government department field-level monitoring people. Then Chang-pyo accepted and he made us another visit next year. Then we very perfectly arranged, because we influenced district-level agriculture department people. This is kind of new technology and not be explained. Then I can share the senior agriculture instructors also came to us and for that actually we didn't aware of this. We also wanted to learn this.
11:22 And Chang-pyo came to Sri Lanka next time. In his two sessions, these agriculture instructors and the university's research students as well. Because in the university they are always teaching, in our local universities, only the organic farming. And the agriculture instructors while they are supporting for organic farming, they are supporting for some usage of chemical fertilizers also because as it is farming with the subsidy weight also.
11:58 Then they are supporting that also. Then as this campaign has been started with the agriculture instructors and the university research students and in the DS office level that is the local government office, there are economic development officers who are monitoring the day to day activity. So, therefore, we gave the training. After that, from the second year, we could be able to realize the awareness is moving in a way. Now, after [unclear], quite a few people came to our area and they stayed for more than 10 days to evaluate the project.
12:42 and they were very satisfied, and now they gave us a second phase also to expand this project in some other area also. That is how we succeed in this project with so many challenges and difficulties in this area. Now research students came forward and did many researches in the present area on soil nutritional improvement and the perceptional survey among the farmers, willingness to adapt to this concept and all.
13:17 Three researches have been carried out by the research students, that have been published in the international research conference and the annual research sessions in the universities as well. And according to our evaluations with the independent evaluations from the university, this is the comparison between the baseline before the project and after the project. Many things have been explained during Chang-pyo's presentation, I think.
13:52 This kind of evaluation findings I think no need to explain again. And this is also kind of a level of adaptation towards neo-organic methodology. This is after three years we found this kind of achievement. You can compare between baseline and achievement, that is uses of natural fertilizers, uses of natural pesticides, uses of natural weedicide, not using inorganic weeding methodology. These are the achievements.
14:30 And community value also through their perception and survey we found why this community is willing to adopt natural farming methodology. These five reasons were found and the percentages as shown. And this kind of a production for consumption and marketing and the other big achievement we had is in the towns area more intellectual people and educated people are willing to purchase chemical free vegetables but availability is not there.
15:12 Through our project, many organizations came to us, partnering with [unclear] and some other local NGOs came to us and partnered to set up a city chemical-free vegetable market. During the weekends, we have been running that. Almost all the vegetables are coming from this area, that is through these 600 farmers. Then the city people are happy because cancer reported cases are very high in particular district in our area.
15:50 Then this is actually good space for them to get these chemical-free vegetables. In the project area also, at divisional secretariat, that is the local government body, they are also having weekly Wednesday, that is the public day. In their premises they are having a non-chemical vegetable store over there. Almost all the vegetables are supplied through this system. These are our big achievements and difficulties as I said earlier.
16:25 This is also shown in the tables and bar chart. You can understand how this project has been done. And some of the photos you can see. This is the market I told you about in the town. And that is the training session. And this is also training session. For the farmers we are supporting to get the business development training as well. Because while we are teaching, they are not realizing what is the input to their farming cultivation, what is the income, they could not make calculations.
17:12 Then for the farmers, we are giving the other business development training as well. Now they are having all their records and all. Then they can easily calculate what is their input cost and what are their day to day income and all. and the difference this kind of uh improve the knowledge also uh they are now then we are working with this kind of uh stakeholder that is the main reason for success as well then in future we have to improve in several ways as well, because as I mentioned here, environmental importance of neo-
18:00 organic farming also should be taken as a movement, not only that particular district and the divisions we have to take this as a movement that also our future plan with all the lessons and all and and the other things uh these are the the points here mentioned other uh success, that is food security, adult and children even in female-headed households also improved. These figures already mentioned in the results presented by Chang-pyo Lee. Then the next case we have planning is, it will be needed to emphasize the community value more than the private value.
18:54 These kind of things also as a punch we have to share or communicate among the community. Still people are not stopping negative methods such as ploughing, and some people along with some of the methodology try to plough. Very less percentage of the people. So with them also we have to work very closely in future, and scaling up production through neo-organic methodology in a business point of view, as high demand in the district and nationwide.
19:31 Now a certain number of people are doing in a business scale. In our second phase, now our total group, because from this year we have expanded in other division also, every year we will cater [100 or 200] farmers. Mostly we are considering the scaling up of farmers who can grow in a business level. These are the lessons and success and challenges we found while we are using all the natural farming methodology and all the concepts. Thank you.