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by Mohan Samarakoon

Organic farming has only recently started to be practised in Sri Lanka - but is taking off in a big way. Some very committed agriculturists are moving into this area but there needs to be a far greater awareness of organic farming methods and the resulting crops amongst the general public.

This has already happened in Europe where consumers are demanding more and more organic vegetables, fruit and meat. Supermarkets which used to have a small shelf of organic produce now have large sections of organic items. It's a large and growing market which we in Sri Lanka should tap into.

In the past, all farming was organic. It was only with the advent of organo-phosphate fertilisers after the second world war that farmers began to use them to increase their crops. People were delighted with the increased yields but it was only in the last few years that it was realised that there was a price to pay. Chemical fertilisers pollute the soil and sometimes impair the health of those exposed to them. Chemical pesticides can sometimes kill more than the insects they are intended to wipe out. As we eat the produce, we ingest quantities of the chemicals. In moderation, perhaps, they are not bad, but the tendency has been to over use them, resulting in our bodies having to bear a far higher burden of toxicity than they should. Also old ways of keeping the soil fertile and respecting the land which grows our food are beginning to be lost.

Organic and bio-dynamic farming attempt to provide the answers. People practicising these methods of farming use natural methods to improve soil fertility and keep pests down. The resulting harvest may be less in quantity but it is perhaps greater in quality and can command a higher price amongst consumers worldwide. People are increasingly concerned about what they put into their bodies, and want it not to harm them in any way. Indeed in the West, food is seen by a growing number of people as medicine - without the correct balance of minerals and other trace elements, our bodies cannot function well, and can become sick. The quality of the food we eat thus becomes vitally important.

A good example of an organic farming project in Sri Lanka is Paradise Farm, near Thaligama in the Kelani Velley. It's a totally organic concept and involved community development. Funded by an NGO, Worldview International it also features a small eco-tourist development, a guest house with two rooms and a swimming pool. People can rent the guest house by the night and enjoy the peace of nature and the best of fresh, locally produced organic food. An added bonus is the crystal clear water, straight from the mountainside.

As soon as you go through the gates of Paradise Farm, you enter another world. It's quiet and beautifully ordered. You can feel the serenity and the absence of machinery. It's exquisitely situated in a valley and everything is designed to be as environmentally friendly as possible. At an elevation of only 300 feet, most crops can be grown, thanks to the determination of the manager, Quintus - and his gracious wife, Lala. Quintus explained that they were going back to using traditional methods to control pests, using neem (margosa) to keep down insects for example.

All the fruits possible are grown: bananas, passion fruit, rambutans, pineapple, mangosteens and durian. Some of the fruits are dried and packaged, making a healthy portable snack. Spices such as pepper, cinnamon and cardamom are cultivated. Tea is processed into green tea. By skipping the fermentation part of the process, and drying at lower temperatures than ordinary tea, a light green tea is produced. It's much more healthy than black tea, and has been shown to dissolve fat in the digestion system. This is an export crop for which there is an increasing market overseas. Orchids are grown on a commercial scale and exported. Curd is made from the Mura Buffaloes and sold in an outlet by the roadside. Bees are kept and the honey locally marketed.

The NGO also attempts to improve the standard of living for the local people. It creates self-employment projects, providing training and materials. A micro-credit system has been set up giving small loans for start-up purposes. There is a computer centre in the local school so that children can grow up computer literate and tap into the life-expanding possibilities of the Internet.

The project has only been going for three years and certification is under way. Organic farming has to be tightly controlled otherwise consumer confidence in the produce will evaporate. Any soil, which has been cultivated with non-organic fertilizers, need a few years to recover. Anyone undertaking an organic project must gradually ease in the new farming methods and needs a period of grace before they can begin to make a profit.

We need more examples of Paradise Farm in Sri Lanka, although it is a not-for-profit project, other projects could be set up with eventual profits in mind. The Agriculture Department should perhaps take the lead in this, encouraging farmers to move towards organic production and providing grants and support in the transition period. We should set up training and hold seminars an organic farming. Most importantly public awareness should be raised about the importance of organic produce. When consumers become aware, as they have in the West, they often want to buy organic. For the time being however we must think of the export market. Our aim should be to make the Sri Lankan Organic Brand one of the finest in the World. We can do this if we are focused, committed and disciplined in our approach.

Mohan Samarakoon

No. 7A, Rajapihilla Terrace, Kandy.

Tp. 08-236770 

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