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Making Communities Climate Resilient

Climate Change Adaptation

By UNDP Sri Lanka

July 29^th, 2020

Making wholesome sustainable

Walking through the paddy fields of Jabarakanda, deep in the Walapane area of the Nuwara Eliya District, one is met with peace and serenity. Fields of paddy and little pockets of crops such as corn greet your eyes everywhere you look. The sun shines bright and the little streams are plentiful.

It is here that Dhammika Jayasekara and her team grow non-chemical produce such as madu koku, hathawariya, brinjals, wattakka dalu, kuura thampala, saarana, bandakka, polos, inguru, and kurakkan piti.

Previously, Dhammika used agrochemicals for farming and transported the produce to be sold in Dambulla – over 100kms away from Walapane. Dhammika recalls that it was challenging to sell the produce and it would often get damaged while being transported. This meant the income they earned fluctuated from good days to occasions they would come home empty handed.

Recently, Dhammika was introduced to non-chemical methods of farming through the 'Climate Change Adaptation' Project which strengthens livelihoods of communities affected by climate change. The project which operates in both Polonnaruwa and Walapane - two locations that are prone to adverse effects of changing weather patterns - introduces climate smart and non-chemical agricultural practices to mitigate the effects of climate change, as well as alternate sources of income for those who find it difficult to make their livelihoods sustainable.

Having switched to non-chemical methods of farming and by selling their produce closer to home, they no longer have these issues. The produce is sold at the local farmer’s market in Nildandahinna and there is most often a profit of about Rs. 2,000 per week.

The model of the unit is that they all share knowledge with each other and help each other in the field. Once the produce is harvested, one person, usually the team leader, represents the unit at the farmer’s market in Nildandahinna which takes place every Friday and sells the produce of the entire unit. Dhammika says that their income has even reached Rs 28,000 a month as opposed to before. This has helped the community immensely, as the increase in income has improved their quality of life.

Dhammika says that there is a marked difference in the way their community operates: even from her family, Dhammmika has a great deal of support. Her husband has stopped all work using agrochemicals and now helps her with her non-chemical farming. He helps her with cultivation and helps take the produce down to the farmer’s market in Nildandahinna every week. Her children are also eager to help out after school. Dhammika’s children appreciate the work she does and talks about its importance at their school.

“Earlier, we did not benefit financially from the palaa or hathawariya growing naturally in this area. Now we can sell these for good prices,” she says. “We now have a diverse range of goods to sell at the market and this has increased our income significantly”.

As a result of the farmer’s market, this project has created a sense of unity among the neighbors and those in the team. At the farmer’s market, they help each other setup. Even though the stalls carry similar items, there is no animosity between the stall holders. No one is trying to outdo the other. Instead, they help each other benefit from the project.

The produce in hand is extremely popular with many people including government officials to private sector employees, who call these “village vegetables” and they are eager to get their share before they are sold out. "They come early in the morning to buy these vegetables, as they go to work", says Dhammika.

Having seen the benefits of this project, Dhammika says that even those in other Divisions in Walapane have expressed interest in joining this project. At the weekly market, the popularity of the non-chemical produce have been steadily growing and is sought-after by many.

Similarly, in Polonnaruwa, many women supported by the project are at the forefront of supplying non-chemical fruits and vegetables to farmers markets in the area. The demand from those outside the farmer communities to embrace non-chemical methods of farming, has been quite a delight for those involved in the Climate Change Adaptation Project. After all, it is this full circle, we aspired to create all along.

Climate Lattes

The project also supports plantations in the Walapane area.

45-year old Pradeep Hettiarachchi’s eyes shine as he looks out over his team working on the coffee plantation that he is spearheading. Small children run around as their parents pluck weeds and check on the tree’s growth. There is an air of friendship and happiness that is palpable as you walk into the plantation land. The women working on the field are talking and laughing with each other as they go about their work.

As Chairman of the Coffee Plantation Society, Pradeep has great aspirations for the plantation, the group of women working with him and for Walapane. Set in the Dry Zone of Nuwara Eliya, Walapane is a mountainous region with a small population of farmers and daily wage laborers. The coffee plantation has become their bread and butter in the past year.

This community has seen its fair share of issues. With the effects of climate change, the community has periodically experienced floods and droughts. Being in the Dry Zone, the crops that they can cultivate are also limited. Many of the villagers were engaged in daily labor such as looking after children and working in the garment industry; having to travel many miles to get to work. This meant spending a substantial amount on transport. The villagers faced the very real threats of poverty and hardship on a daily basis. If they missed work for a day, they made no income to feed their families.

Even those who were engaged in agriculture faced many issues. They faced crop losses due to a variety of issues that ranged from insects, drought, rain, and floods. Their livelihoods never guaranteed a steady income.

The search for a solution to these problems, alighted them to the idea of starting a coffee plantation. However, they realized that this endeavour couldn't be just about setting up a plantation, but also needed to factor the challenges thrown their way by climate change. It is this search that led them to a hybrid coffee plant called ‘Lak Perakum’. The uniqueness of the plant is that it has to be planted at an altitude of over 2,400 feet above sea level, and is created to survive the effects of climate change.

“This land was previously an elders’ home and had been vacant for more than 30 years”, says Pradeep. Through the ‘Climate Change Adaptation Project’, with support from the District and Regional Secretaries, and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Pradeep was able to transform the land for coffee cultivation. The villagers then banded together into a ‘Coffee Plantation Society’, which began with 55 people. Currently, 14 families are involved in the society.

At first, they started a ‘nursery’ using 75kg of coffee donated by the project. Today, there are about 100,000 coffee plants of which about 75,000 can be sold immediately and another 15,000 available for selling once they reach maturity.

For this project to truly succeed, Pradeep had to create an ‘access to market’ where the output of these plantations were sold with leads to sustainable income generation for the farmers.

Harshana Hemasiri, who overlooks the project in Walapane explains that this effort led to the emergence of two streams of income.

“Firstly, we have an agreement with the Department of Export Agriculture on a buy-back arrangement of 70% of the plants from the nursery, and 30% to be sold by the society. Secondly, through the establishment of a coffee processing facility, they were able to market the products through a homegrown brand called 'Walapane Coffee'”.

As a result of his coffee plantation, Pradeep has seen the lives of his employees improve significantly. He sees this as his main contribution to the village. He takes pride in the change he is heading where the new generation is slowly becoming more involved in farming and agriculture.

At a time where only a small number of people are engaged in agriculture and when the younger generations do not show an interest in following their parent’s footsteps, Pradeep identifies success as getting more people - both young and old - involved in agricultural activities.

The coffee plantation is part of a new wave of climate smart agriculture and will help the farmers earn profits that are higher than their normal earnings. The plantation can be carried out without harming the environment and helps the farmers make a living despite the challenges faced as a result of climate change. At the end of the 1st year, the Society expects a profit of Rs. 1.1 million from the 75,000 plants that have already reached maturity.

Pradeep is proud of the contribution the farmers are making to their community. The plantation has given employment to many women who were not previously employed, and it has also helped increase interest in cultivation with the younger generation. The children now come out into the open and play with others of their own age as they join their parents at work.

Hopeful for the future, Pradeep has plans to develop Walapane as a major coffee growing area with the aim of helping the Walapane Coffee brand gain a foothold in the Sri Lankan produced Coffee space.

Climate Threads

Another area of focus for the project is supporting women entrepreneurs.

“At first I had a small garment factory with only five employees. During this time I joined a training programme that provided me with the knowledge and skills to run my garment factory. The programme was conducted at a training centre in Thunhitiyawa and another in Walapane with over a hundred students participating. A leadership-training followed with 25 of us participating. Of the 25 who took part in the training, 14 are currently working in my factory.” This is the journey of Janitha Dissanayaka, a 35-year old woman managing a team of 14 in a garment factory in Walapane, Nuwara Eliya.

The training was an initiative under the Climate Change Adaptation Project that strengthens livelihoods of communities affected by climate change by introducing them to alternative sources of income. While Janitha is the manager of the factory, she is also an experienced designer. Among her team, Janitha is the only one with any prior experience working at a garment factory. For the rest of them, this has been a new journey.

Janitha’s factory has helped uplift the lives of its employees by giving them a stable occupation with a steady income. The people who work at this factory were previously engaged in agriculture and were severely affected by the effects of climate change. Drought conditions have severely damaged crops and negatively impacted their income.

The people who work at Janitha’s factory are all from the same community and the atmosphere in the factory is both genial and focused. They work fast to reach their goals, keeping an eye on the noticeboard at the back of the room that shows how many items they have finished, how much money the factory has earned, and how much more they need to earn to meet their daily goals. These women and men are driven and focused on personally succeeding at their work while ensuring that the factory thrives through their hard work.

Janitha all smiles about her garment factory and the work she does.

“I had the opportunity of receiving training from the Sri Lanka Institute of Development Administration on the mechanical aspects of machines. This was a 15-day training programme and I am really happy to have learnt something I never knew before”, says Janitha.

“With all the training I have received, I now share what I know with my colleagues in the factory. It has immensely helped them improve their skills. They are happy to be here and happy to work in the factory”, adds Janitha.

Seeing the happy but focused faces in the factory, one cannot disagree with this statement.

Janitha says that she has faced many challenges in her life, and heading a garment factory too is a challenge. “I started this with some reluctance, but I knew it was something I wanted to do and I intend on winning this challenge too. I want to expand our work further and I know this will be an even bigger challenge. With my wonderful team, we have been able to achieve many milestones, some I would not have been able to achieve on my own."

"While I have taught them many skills, I have also learnt a lot from them. This has taken me to greater heights”.

Working in a garment factory usually means having to be far from home with added expenses for accommodation and transport. Everyone that works here lives close-by and this allows them to return to their families every day after work.

Janitha appreciates the support provided through the Climate Change Adaptation project and says that the success of this venture wouldn’t have been possible without it.

With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in Sri Lanka, Janitha and her team also stepped up to do their part. Working together with partners who supported them in sourcing the right material for the manufacturing of PPE kits and face masks, their garment factory was able to give back to the community at this time of need.

Janitha is quick to point out that the fabric which was initially provided was paid for by UNDP which went a long way in helping her start her journey. From guidance with a strategy for managing the factory to learning about the craft, she says that the support has been instrumental. Janitha’s goal is to create more opportunities for women who are still unemployed. They attempt to do something new, from handloom to patchwork to everything else they undertake and are looking at the possibility in the future of involving the womenfolk at homes in the village through subcontracting these small pieces of work.

Even though she is the Chairperson of this society, they all consider it as their own. She plans on getting the other women together and taking this venture much further.

The ‘Climate Change Adaptation’ project is implemented by the former Ministry of Mahaweli Development and Environment and the World Food Programme in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme with financial assistance from the Adaptation Fund.

90% of those supported by the project are women*

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