Features
Present situation of home gardens in Sri Lanka
by Lionel Weerakoon
A home garden is a piece of land around the dwelling with clear boundaries and it has a functional relationship with its occupants related to economic, biophysical and social aspects. A home garden often consists of a mixture of annual and perennial crops, sometimes including small livestock. On account of the vertical structure with different canopy depths of various plant species, the home gardens are most often referred to as a ‘multi –species, multi-storied cropping system’.
Numerous terms have been used by various authors to describe this system. These include, for example, mixed garden horticulture, mixed garden or home garden, Javanese home garden, compound farm, kitchen garden, household home garden and home garden agro forestry system among these. The structure and management of a home garden varies from place to place, depending upon ecological, socio-economic and cultural factors.
The development and maintenance of a home garden is a collective effort of family members. The cultivation of varied species of plants around the house is usually unplanned. One of the main reasons for growing trees around the house is to provide shade and create a favourable micro-climate for the household, especially during hot weather.
The location where a crop is to be planted in a home garden is based on the characteristics of the plant and its value. Vegetables are usually grown in open areas or, for convenience, at the back and sides of the yard close to the house. Kohila with a high water requirement are planted close to the well. The crops that need shade such as inguru, kaha, kiriala etc are grown under the trees, having a broad canopy.
Tall trees such as teak and mahogany are often planted along the property fence, while fruits or food crops tree are planted within the boundaries. Trees or shrubs grown in the home garden could be grouped into several groups based on their functional value. These categories are 1. Ornamental, 2. Vegetables, including leafy vegetables 3. Medicinal, 4. Spices. 5. Fruits 6. Starchy food crops, such as tuber crops, innala, kiriala, raja ala, kidaram etc. 7. Fodder 8. Timber 9 Firewood. 10. Shade/soil conservation.
The most intensive home garden systems in Sri Lanka are found in Kandy and Matale Districts known as ‘Kandyan forest garden’ and are well known the world over. They are dominated by six species; jackfruit, coconut, mango, arecanut, bread fruit and spices. Very similar forms of home gardens are found in other parts of the wet zone, both in the hill country and lowland areas.
In the low country, home gardens contain various fruit trees, including rambuttan and mangosteen. Depending on the availability of moisture, the crops grown in home gardens in the dry zone are different. Coconut, mango, jack, papaya, orange and guava are amongst the most common species found. Indigenous species including halmilla, sandalwood, teak, tamarind, and margosa form substantial private planting in farmlands.
Estimates claim 26% of all firewood, and 39% of timber needs are produced in home gardens. Home gardens in the Kandyan area form some 4.1 % of the natural tree cover, compared with over 24.9% forest cover in 1980s. Although the population is increasing in Sri Lanka, the total area under trees in Sri Lanka is actually expanding. This is because of the great interest in home gardens. The results of the land use studies for the Forestry Sector Master Plan showed that the area under home gardens has been increasing by about 3% annually since 1980 and 1992.
Sri Lanka’s increasing wood, food and fruit demand could be met or at least strongly supplemented by enhancing the utilization of existing home garden systems and intensifying land use in order to expand the various forms of home gardens. Adoption of better soil management techniques, such as compost use, mulching, soil and water conservation, thereby mitigating moisture stress experienced during dry periods and minimizing soil erosion. Use of wastes, such as green leaves, or decaying leaf, cow dung or cow urine and liquid organic fertilizer are some of the notable practices that can be utilized to improve soil fertility for sustainable crop production in home gardens.
Soil Care and Water Conservation in Home Gardening
Soil care, water conservation and pest control are the most important activities in Home Gardening. This article deals with the first two. Soil loss due to soil erosion leads to depletion of organic matter, reduction of soil microbial population and moisture loss in surface soil.
Home gardens located in the uplands are particularly prone to soil erosion. The home gardens in flat lands have different problems such as water logging. The following are some guidelines of technologies that are used by the home gardeners in different agro-climatic regions in Sri Lanka.
Engineering methods, establishment of bunds
This is used in the dry zone home gardens, where there is low rainfall. Usually at every 20-30 meter intervals bunds and drains are established. The width of a drain and bund would be between 60-80 cm and 50-70 cm respectively. Contour or graded bunds and drains are constructed systematically in order to facilitate collection of runoff water into the drain and retain organic matter within the land so that only the excess water will drain out of the land.
The earth bund will act as a barrier so that it reduces the overland flow rate of water. In case of flat lands, it would be sufficient to have only the drains to let water out of the land. Otherwise it can lead the crops to get damaged due to water logging during the rainy season. The downstream drains should be finally connected to a common drain and let water drains out from a comer of the land. If there are any natural water ways running across the home garden, physical barriers should not be established to block the flow.
The most suitable practice to bunds and drains is growing grasses or bushes with a spreading root system on either side of the bund, especially on the side facing the direction of water flow. Savandara, (Vetiver), Citronella or bushes like Pavatta are most suitable, due to their soil binding effect_ Such grasses or bushes are to be cut time to time and applied to the land as green manure or mulch.
Stone-terracing is practiced in home gardens cultivated ‘with annual or perennial crops for soil conservation. As this is a traditional practice. people are familiar with it. Stone terraces 25-30 cm wide and 50-75 cm high may be constructed across the land by carefully placing the stones of different sizes collected from the home gardens. The distance between two terraces does not usually exceed more than 5m although it may vary depending on the gradient of land.
Stone terracing lock and spill
This method is practiced for soil conservation on sloping lands exceeding 40% gradient before cultivation of annual or perennial crops. The size of the drain should be 60-70 cm wide and 30-40 cm deep. At every 4-5m, soil bunds 30-40 cm wide and about 25cm high should be left across the drain. Organic materials and sand particles in water flowing across the land will settle down at the bottom of the drain as a result of reducing its flow velocity. This settled material in the drain, could be collected and returned to the land. Lock and spill and bund barriers could be constructed by the use of stones available in the home garden.
Biological method, hedgerow cultivation
In the dry zone, hedgerow cultivation is known as Avenue or Alley cropping and in the upcountry and mid country wet zone as SALT (Sloping Agricultural Land Technology) system. Both these methods, in addition to preventing soil erosion, will provide green manure for the home garden as well as fuel wood for domestic use. For this reason, both these practices can be popularized among the home gardeners. Sometimes, the leaves could supply fresh herbage requirement of livestock.
Avenue or alley cropping
This hedgerow method is suitable for flat or slightly sloping home gardens in the dry zone receiving low rainfall. Legume species such as Gliricidia septum should be planted at 50cm distance along the contour or across the slope of the land. Along the hedgerow Gliricidia should be established 4m apart. The space between Gliricidia along the hedge may be grown with Vetiver or Citronella as a measure to minimize soil erosion. In the 4 m wide alleys formed by Gliricidia hedgerows, seasonal crops, tuber legume crop grown between Gliricidia hedge-rows crops, or sometimes fruit crops could be cultivated.
Before planting these crops one to one and a half years-old Gliricidia hedgerow should be cut back or lopped to a convenient height. The toppings and tender branches could be spread in the alley between hedgerows and once the leaves are shed, tender shoot and leaves could be incorporated into the soil as green manure or left on the surface as a mulch.In alley cropping, Gliricidia is commonly used as the hedgerow as it is a perennial, fast growing legumes shrub species, capable of fixing atmospheric nitrogen and tolerant to repeated pruning. Furthermore it has a deep and a spreading root system which can absorb moisture and nutrients from deeper layers of the soil. Leaf and tender shoots should be left after pruning trees are incorporated into the soil as a green manure, which is adequate to sustain growth and yield of seasonal crops.
Generally, pruning of Gliricidia should be done about 1.0-1.5 m above ground but pruning height may be adjusted according to the needs of farmer. Trees could be pruned three times/year during the Maha season (September-December) and twice during the Yala season (April-May). After pruning foliage could be incorporated in to the soil and wood biomass as a source of fuel wood, especially for cooking. This is becoming scarce resource in rural areas. Crops grown in the alleys include: vegetables, tuber crops, pulses, cereals, papaya, banana, and other fruit crops.
SALT method
This method is recommended for home gardens in sloping lands up to 60% gradient in the mid country wet-zone and hill country where double hedgerows with 20-25 cm between two rows are established along the contour, keeping a distance of four to five meters between double hedgerows.
Up to an elevation of 1,000m, Gliricidia is generally used as a hedgerow species but above this, Tithonia and Erythrina can also be planted as hedgerows. To minimize soil erosion, the space between two rows of the double hedge could be filled with stones and any other solid material. Rest of the operations are similar to those of avenue cropping except that trees are cut back about half meter above ground to increase the quantity of leaf biomass.
by Dr Gotabhya Ranasinghe
Senior Consultant Cardiologist
National Hospital Sri Lanka
When we sought a meeting with Hon Dr. Ramesh Pathirana, Minister of Health, he graciously cleared his busy schedule to accommodate us. Renowned for his attentive listening and deep understanding, Minister Pathirana is dedicated to advancing the health sector. His openness and transparency exemplify the qualities of an exemplary politician and minister.
Dr. Palitha Mahipala, the current Health Secretary, demonstrates both commendable enthusiasm and unwavering support. This combination of attributes makes him a highly compatible colleague for the esteemed Minister of Health.
Our discussion centered on a project that has been in the works for the past 30 years, one that no other minister had managed to advance.
Minister Pathirana, however, recognized the project’s significance and its potential to revolutionize care for heart patients.
The project involves the construction of a state-of-the-art facility at the premises of the National Hospital Colombo. The project’s location within the premises of the National Hospital underscores its importance and relevance to the healthcare infrastructure of the nation.
This facility will include a cardiology building and a tertiary care center, equipped with the latest technology to handle and treat all types of heart-related conditions and surgeries.
Securing funding was a major milestone for this initiative. Minister Pathirana successfully obtained approval for a $40 billion loan from the Asian Development Bank. With the funding in place, the foundation stone is scheduled to be laid in September this year, and construction will begin in January 2025.
This project guarantees a consistent and uninterrupted supply of stents and related medications for heart patients. As a result, patients will have timely access to essential medical supplies during their treatment and recovery. By securing these critical resources, the project aims to enhance patient outcomes, minimize treatment delays, and maintain the highest standards of cardiac care.
Upon its fruition, this monumental building will serve as a beacon of hope and healing, symbolizing the unwavering dedication to improving patient outcomes and fostering a healthier society.We anticipate a future marked by significant progress and positive outcomes in Sri Lanka’s cardiovascular treatment landscape within the foreseeable timeframe.
by Fr. Emmanuel Fernando, OMI
Jesuit Fr. Aloysius Pieris (affectionately called Fr. Aloy) celebrated his 90th birthday on April 9, 2024 and I, as the editor of our Oblate Journal, THE MISSIONARY OBLATE had gone to press by that time. Immediately I decided to publish an article, appreciating the untiring selfless services he continues to offer for inter-Faith dialogue, the renewal of the Catholic Church, his concern for the poor and the suffering Sri Lankan masses and to me, the present writer.
It was in 1988, when I was appointed Director of the Oblate Scholastics at Ampitiya by the then Oblate Provincial Fr. Anselm Silva, that I came to know Fr. Aloy more closely. Knowing well his expertise in matters spiritual, theological, Indological and pastoral, and with the collaborative spirit of my companion-formators, our Oblate Scholastics were sent to Tulana, the Research and Encounter Centre, Kelaniya, of which he is the Founder-Director, for ‘exposure-programmes’ on matters spiritual, biblical, theological and pastoral. Some of these dimensions according to my view and that of my companion-formators, were not available at the National Seminary, Ampitiya.
Ever since that time, our Oblate formators/ accompaniers at the Oblate Scholasticate, Ampitiya , have continued to send our Oblate Scholastics to Tulana Centre for deepening their insights and convictions regarding matters needed to serve the people in today’s context. Fr. Aloy also had tried very enthusiastically with the Oblate team headed by Frs. Oswald Firth and Clement Waidyasekara to begin a Theologate, directed by the Religious Congregations in Sri Lanka, for the contextual formation/ accompaniment of their members. It should very well be a desired goal of the Leaders / Provincials of the Religious Congregations.
Besides being a formator/accompanier at the Oblate Scholasticate, I was entrusted also with the task of editing and publishing our Oblate journal, ‘The Missionary Oblate’. To maintain the quality of the journal I continue to depend on Fr. Aloy for his thought-provoking and stimulating articles on Biblical Spirituality, Biblical Theology and Ecclesiology. I am very grateful to him for his generous assistance. Of late, his writings on renewal of the Church, initiated by Pope St. John XX111 and continued by Pope Francis through the Synodal path, published in our Oblate journal, enable our readers to focus their attention also on the needed renewal in the Catholic Church in Sri Lanka. Fr. Aloy appreciated very much the Synodal path adopted by the Jesuit Pope Francis for the renewal of the Church, rooted very much on prayerful discernment. In my Religious and presbyteral life, Fr.Aloy continues to be my spiritual animator / guide and ongoing formator / acccompanier.
Fr. Aloysius Pieris, BA Hons (Lond), LPh (SHC, India), STL (PFT, Naples), PhD (SLU/VC), ThD (Tilburg), D.Ltt (KU), has been one of the eminent Asian theologians well recognized internationally and one who has lectured and held visiting chairs in many universities both in the West and in the East. Many members of Religious Congregations from Asian countries have benefited from his lectures and guidance in the East Asian Pastoral Institute (EAPI) in Manila, Philippines. He had been a Theologian consulted by the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences for many years. During his professorship at the Gregorian University in Rome, he was called to be a member of a special group of advisers on other religions consulted by Pope Paul VI.
Fr. Aloy is the author of more than 30 books and well over 500 Research Papers. Some of his books and articles have been translated and published in several countries. Among those books, one can find the following: 1) The Genesis of an Asian Theology of Liberation (An Autobiographical Excursus on the Art of Theologising in Asia, 2) An Asian Theology of Liberation, 3) Providential Timeliness of Vatican 11 (a long-overdue halt to a scandalous millennium, 4) Give Vatican 11 a chance, 5) Leadership in the Church, 6) Relishing our faith in working for justice (Themes for study and discussion), 7) A Message meant mainly, not exclusively for Jesuits (Background information necessary for helping Francis renew the Church), 8) Lent in Lanka (Reflections and Resolutions, 9) Love meets wisdom (A Christian Experience of Buddhism, 10) Fire and Water 11) God’s Reign for God’s poor, 12) Our Unhiddden Agenda (How we Jesuits work, pray and form our men). He is also the Editor of two journals, Vagdevi, Journal of Religious Reflection and Dialogue, New Series.
Fr. Aloy has a BA in Pali and Sanskrit from the University of London and a Ph.D in Buddhist Philosophy from the University of Sri Lankan, Vidyodaya Campus. On Nov. 23, 2019, he was awarded the prestigious honorary Doctorate of Literature (D.Litt) by the Chancellor of the University of Kelaniya, the Most Venerable Welamitiyawe Dharmakirthi Sri Kusala Dhamma Thera.
Fr. Aloy continues to be a promoter of Gospel values and virtues. Justice as a constitutive dimension of love and social concern for the downtrodden masses are very much noted in his life and work. He had very much appreciated the commitment of the late Fr. Joseph (Joe) Fernando, the National Director of the Social and Economic Centre (SEDEC) for the poor.
In Sri Lanka, a few religious Congregations – the Good Shepherd Sisters, the Christian Brothers, the Marist Brothers and the Oblates – have invited him to animate their members especially during their Provincial Congresses, Chapters and International Conferences. The mainline Christian Churches also have sought his advice and followed his seminars. I, for one, regret very much, that the Sri Lankan authorities of the Catholic Church –today’s Hierarchy—- have not sought Fr.
Aloy’s expertise for the renewal of the Catholic Church in Sri Lanka and thus have not benefited from the immense store of wisdom and insight that he can offer to our local Church while the Sri Lankan bishops who governed the Catholic church in the immediate aftermath of the Second Vatican Council (Edmund Fernando OMI, Anthony de Saram, Leo Nanayakkara OSB, Frank Marcus Fernando, Paul Perera,) visited him and consulted him on many matters. Among the Tamil Bishops, Bishop Rayappu Joseph was keeping close contact with him and Bishop J. Deogupillai hosted him and his team visiting him after the horrible Black July massacre of Tamils.
Sri Lanka-Singapore Free Trade Agreement
By Gomi Senadhira
senadhiragomi@gmail.com
“You might tell fairy tales, but the progress of a country cannot be achieved through such narratives. A country cannot be developed by making false promises. The country moved backward because of the electoral promises made by political parties throughout time. We have witnessed that the ultimate result of this is the country becoming bankrupt. Unfortunately, many segments of the population have not come to realize this yet.” – President Ranil Wickremesinghe, 2024 Budget speech
Any Sri Lankan would agree with the above words of President Wickremesinghe on the false promises our politicians and officials make and the fairy tales they narrate which bankrupted this country. So, to understand this, let’s look at one such fairy tale with lots of false promises; Ranil Wickremesinghe’s greatest achievement in the area of international trade and investment promotion during the Yahapalana period, Sri Lanka-Singapore Free Trade Agreement (SLSFTA).
It is appropriate and timely to do it now as Finance Minister Wickremesinghe has just presented to parliament a bill on the National Policy on Economic Transformation which includes the establishment of an Office for International Trade and the Sri Lanka Institute of Economics and International Trade.
Was SLSFTA a “Cleverly negotiated Free Trade Agreement” as stated by the (former) Minister of Development Strategies and International Trade Malik Samarawickrama during the Parliamentary Debate on the SLSFTA in July 2018, or a colossal blunder covered up with lies, false promises, and fairy tales? After SLSFTA was signed there were a number of fairy tales published on this agreement by the Ministry of Development Strategies and International, Institute of Policy Studies, and others.
However, for this article, I would like to limit my comments to the speech by Minister Samarawickrama during the Parliamentary Debate, and the two most important areas in the agreement which were covered up with lies, fairy tales, and false promises, namely: revenue loss for Sri Lanka and Investment from Singapore. On the other important area, “Waste products dumping” I do not want to comment here as I have written extensively on the issue.
1. The revenue loss
During the Parliamentary Debate in July 2018, Minister Samarawickrama stated “…. let me reiterate that this FTA with Singapore has been very cleverly negotiated by us…. The liberalisation programme under this FTA has been carefully designed to have the least impact on domestic industry and revenue collection. We have included all revenue sensitive items in the negative list of items which will not be subject to removal of tariff. Therefore, 97.8% revenue from Customs duty is protected. Our tariff liberalisation will take place over a period of 12-15 years! In fact, the revenue earned through tariffs on goods imported from Singapore last year was Rs. 35 billion.
The revenue loss for over the next 15 years due to the FTA is only Rs. 733 million– which when annualised, on average, is just Rs. 51 million. That is just 0.14% per year! So anyone who claims the Singapore FTA causes revenue loss to the Government cannot do basic arithmetic! Mr. Speaker, in conclusion, I call on my fellow members of this House – don’t mislead the public with baseless criticism that is not grounded in facts. Don’t look at petty politics and use these issues for your own political survival.”
I was surprised to read the minister’s speech because an article published in January 2018 in “The Straits Times“, based on information released by the Singaporean Negotiators stated, “…. With the FTA, tariff savings for Singapore exports are estimated to hit $10 million annually“.
As the annual tariff savings (that is the revenue loss for Sri Lanka) calculated by the Singaporean Negotiators, Singaporean $ 10 million (Sri Lankan rupees 1,200 million in 2018) was way above the rupees’ 733 million revenue loss for 15 years estimated by the Sri Lankan negotiators, it was clear to any observer that one of the parties to the agreement had not done the basic arithmetic!
Six years later, according to a report published by “The Morning” newspaper, speaking at the Committee on Public Finance (COPF) on 7th May 2024, Mr Samarawickrama’s chief trade negotiator K.J. Weerasinghehad had admitted “…. that forecasted revenue loss for the Government of Sri Lanka through the Singapore FTA is Rs. 450 million in 2023 and Rs. 1.3 billion in 2024.”
If these numbers are correct, as tariff liberalisation under the SLSFTA has just started, we will pass Rs 2 billion very soon. Then, the question is how Sri Lanka’s trade negotiators made such a colossal blunder. Didn’t they do their basic arithmetic? If they didn’t know how to do basic arithmetic they should have at least done their basic readings. For example, the headline of the article published in The Straits Times in January 2018 was “Singapore, Sri Lanka sign FTA, annual savings of $10m expected”.
Anyway, as Sri Lanka’s chief negotiator reiterated at the COPF meeting that “…. since 99% of the tariffs in Singapore have zero rates of duty, Sri Lanka has agreed on 80% tariff liberalisation over a period of 15 years while expecting Singapore investments to address the imbalance in trade,” let’s turn towards investment.
Investment from Singapore
In July 2018, speaking during the Parliamentary Debate on the FTA this is what Minister Malik Samarawickrama stated on investment from Singapore, “Already, thanks to this FTA, in just the past two-and-a-half months since the agreement came into effect we have received a proposal from Singapore for investment amounting to $ 14.8 billion in an oil refinery for export of petroleum products. In addition, we have proposals for a steel manufacturing plant for exports ($ 1 billion investment), flour milling plant ($ 50 million), sugar refinery ($ 200 million). This adds up to more than $ 16.05 billion in the pipeline on these projects alone.
And all of these projects will create thousands of more jobs for our people. In principle approval has already been granted by the BOI and the investors are awaiting the release of land the environmental approvals to commence the project.
I request the Opposition and those with vested interests to change their narrow-minded thinking and join us to develop our country. We must always look at what is best for the whole community, not just the few who may oppose. We owe it to our people to courageously take decisions that will change their lives for the better.”
According to the media report I quoted earlier, speaking at the Committee on Public Finance (COPF) Chief Negotiator Weerasinghe has admitted that Sri Lanka was not happy with overall Singapore investments that have come in the past few years in return for the trade liberalisation under the Singapore-Sri Lanka Free Trade Agreement. He has added that between 2021 and 2023 the total investment from Singapore had been around $162 million!
What happened to those projects worth $16 billion negotiated, thanks to the SLSFTA, in just the two-and-a-half months after the agreement came into effect and approved by the BOI? I do not know about the steel manufacturing plant for exports ($ 1 billion investment), flour milling plant ($ 50 million) and sugar refinery ($ 200 million).
However, story of the multibillion-dollar investment in the Petroleum Refinery unfolded in a manner that would qualify it as the best fairy tale with false promises presented by our politicians and the officials, prior to 2019 elections.
Though many Sri Lankans got to know, through the media which repeatedly highlighted a plethora of issues surrounding the project and the questionable credentials of the Singaporean investor, the construction work on the Mirrijiwela Oil Refinery along with the cement factory began on the24th of March 2019 with a bang and Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and his ministers along with the foreign and local dignitaries laid the foundation stones.
That was few months before the 2019 Presidential elections. Inaugurating the construction work Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said the projects will create thousands of job opportunities in the area and surrounding districts.
The oil refinery, which was to be built over 200 acres of land, with the capacity to refine 200,000 barrels of crude oil per day, was to generate US$7 billion of exports and create 1,500 direct and 3,000 indirect jobs. The construction of the refinery was to be completed in 44 months. Four years later, in August 2023 the Cabinet of Ministers approved the proposal presented by President Ranil Wickremesinghe to cancel the agreement with the investors of the refinery as the project has not been implemented! Can they explain to the country how much money was wasted to produce that fairy tale?
It is obvious that the President, ministers, and officials had made huge blunders and had deliberately misled the public and the parliament on the revenue loss and potential investment from SLSFTA with fairy tales and false promises.
As the president himself said, a country cannot be developed by making false promises or with fairy tales and these false promises and fairy tales had bankrupted the country. “Unfortunately, many segments of the population have not come to realize this yet”.
(The writer, a specialist and an activist on trade and development issues . )
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