Project 1- RDA Alumni Association Demo Farm Project
                   Sri Lanka - Korea Rural Development Administration Alumni Association, Sri Lanka

1. Project Title - Development of Rice Based Farming System Model in the Dry Zone of Sri Lanka

2. Objectives

• Establish model farms with “crop – animal – fish” integration using appropriate technologies.
• Establish strong linkage between research and extension and thereby provide better services to farmers
• Act as a demonstration site for low cost small scale household farm machinery.
• Establishment of modern training facilities together with Information & Communication facilities to educate end users.
• Disseminate proven technologies to farmers, government and non governmental extension workers, college leavers and private entrepreneurs.
• Sale of farm produce and one stop low cost delivery point for agricultural supplies to farmers.
• Organize seasonal crop and livestock clinics for clients
• Generate funds for the sustainability of SriLanKoRDAA
• Promotion of Sri LanKoRDAA among the farming community

3. Duration : 3 years (2006 - 2008)

4. Budget (USD)

RDA and/or UNDP-RDA Project (00037831) shall release a total amount of Thirty Thousand US Dollars (US$10,000 for 2006, US$10,000 for 2007, and US$10,000 for 2008), while RDA Alumni, Sri Lanka will provide US $ 10,000 in cash, US $ 8000 or equitant as salaries, land rent, other machineries, buildings, transport vehicles and other facilities for the cooperative project as agreed upon. It is understood that the contribution is subject to the prevailing exchange rate between the Korean Won and the US Dollar.

5. Monitoring and Evaluation

Each Demo Farm Project will submit to RDA, a financial statement and progress report annually (1 January – 31 December) for accounting and auditing purposes.

6. Management

Any major issues arising from or may have some implications on this agreement, cancellation, amendments, and/or modification in the implementation, methods, and re-programming or realignment of budget will be decided upon through consultation.

Description of RAA Demo Farm Project

1. Project Background

Sri Lanka has an area of 6.4 million hectares. The agricultural area comprises 2.3 million hectares out of which 80 % is located in the dry and intermediate zones of Sri Lanka. Over 65% of the population is engaged in agriculture. Rice is the dominant crop both in terms of land use and occupational and dietary importance. Sri Lanka has 730,000 ha of irrigated (42%), rain fed lowland (52%) and flood prone (6%) rice growing areas. 0.8 million farm families are engaged in the rice farming sector in Sri Lanka.

Present farm family income is low because of the low crop and farm productivity. Further the primary products are marketed without value addition at the household level with very low profit margin to growers.

Rice is the staple food of the Sri Lankan people, but rice farming is becoming less profitable with stagnating rice prices and increased production costs. However, the majority of farmers are likely to continue rice cultivation for several reasons: rice is a traditional crop and grown for home consumption, large areas get inundated during monsoons and cannot be used for most other crops, rice can be stored easily, and off-farm employment is scarce in most areas.

Family members are occupied mainly in small-scale rice production and the individual holding sizes are of no more than 1-2 ha. Income from 1 ha rice land has been estimated at between USD 500. to USD 800,depending on the area, season, and type of culture and the prevailing prices. The cost of production is also ranging from 400 to 600 USD. If the cost for family labour is included, rice farming is often not profitable. (unless at high productivity levels of over 4 mt./ha., where costs & returns approximately break even) .

Authorities are concerned about this situation of rice farming with low profits and are looking for new opportunities to increase farm income. Rice can be made profitable by increasing productivity. If available technologies are correctly used, the present productivity level can be considerably increased or doubled. Integration with animal husbandry, cultivating homesteads with value added crops such as mushroom etc., production of seeds and planting material would help to keep farms at higher income level. Marketing quality finished products instead of primary products would further increase the profit margin.

Aquaculture development, to produce fish for food and also ornamental purposes, as proposed in this project is a backyard enterprise offering good scope for women’s involvement in the farm .

The project will pay particular attention to the inclusion of gender issues.

This model farm established would also act as a sales outlet for farm produce and also the produce from other model farms. Seed produced from out grower seed production program in respect of important cereals could be sold at a nominal price.
This site will be equipped with Information and communication technology facilities for easy access to information for both officers as well as for farmers. This center will be gradually converted to a training center which will be managed by the DOA.

This farm will be operated jointly by research, extension and training divisions of the Department of Agriculture. They will jointly provide services to farmers thereby strengthening the .research-extension linkage.

These sites will also be equipped with low cost household machinery for small scale cereal and pulse grain processing. Further appropriate machinery for most types of farming operations from both local and Korean origin will be introduced, demonstrated and promoted to increase the productivity.

2. Implementation Structure

Project Director - Mr. N P. C de Silva, (SriLanKoRDAA Alumnus) Deputy Director (Extension), Polonnaruwa
Focal person - Mr. Shantha Emitiyagoda, (SriLanKoRDAA Secretary), Senior Deputy Director (Extension), Peradeniya.
Budget officer - Dr. WMW Weerakoon (SriLanKoRDAA Treasurer) Agronomist, Rice Research & Development Institute, Batalagoda

Supporting committee members
Mr. S N Jayawardane (SriLanKORDAA Alumnus), Agronomist, RRDI, Batalagoda
Mr. O P Kithsiri (SriLanKORDAA Alumnus), Deputy Director, Provincial extension, Kurunegala
Mr. P B Dayaratne (SriLanKORDAA Alumnus),
Mr. P H G S Rathnavibushana (SriLanKoRDAA Alumnus)
Mr. S Herath, Assistant Director (Extension), Polonnaruwa
Existing government (Department of Agriculture) technical staff members will be made responsible for implementing the project activities.

3. Special consideration

Each alumnus must have accumulated a considerable amount of experimental data (including soil analysis, weather data, regular rearing status data, etc). We will jointly review and analyze the data and eventually, prepare a manuscript for submission to international and/or national journals for publication.