Project No 2 - RDA Alumni Association Demo Farm Project
                         Sri Lanka - Korea Rural Development Administration Alumni Association

1. Project Title - Establishment of a Demonstration farm on Vegetable Crops at Seetha Eliya Govt. Farm in the up country areas of Sri Lanka

2. Objectives

• Establishment of a model farm “crop – animal” integration to demonstrate higher productivity of high quality vegetables while preserving the environment.
• Establish strong linkages between research and extension and thereby provide better services to farmers
• Act as a demonstration site for low cost small scale household farm machinery for small scale vegetable processing and packaging..
• Establish quality standards, improved technologies and improved post harvest practices.
• Promotion of organic agricultural crop production and consumption.
• 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 $ 12,000 in cash, US $ 8000 or equivalent as salaries, land rent, other machinery, 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 a progress report annually (1 January – 31 December) for accounting and auditing purposes.

6. Management

Any major issues arising from or may have some implications with this agreement, cancellation, amendments, and/or modification in the implementation, methods, and reprogramming 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 20% is located in the up country wet zone of Sri Lanka. Over 64% of the population is engaged in agriculture. Most of the Up country agricultural lands are devoted to plantation crops like tea which are managed by large companies. This system is mostly sustainable, but most of the annually cropped lands are devoted to vegetable production, and are managed by small farmers. Over- use of agrochemicals, non-adoption of soil conservation measures and non-adoption of post harvest practices cause severe damage to the environment as well as to the consumers of the produce.

Present farm family income is low because of the higher cost, low crop and farm productivity. Further, the primary products are marketed without any value addition at the household level with very low profit margin to growers. Per capita consumption of vegetable is far below the level of recommended for Sri Lanka, based on the nutritional requirement.
This model farm would also act as a sales outlet for farm produce and for the produce from other model farms. Seed produced by the Govt. seed farms and through out growers’ seed production programmes in respect of important cereal and vegetable crops could be sold at a nominal price, at this model farm.
This farm will be operated jointly by Seed & Planting material and Research & Extension Divisions of the Department of Agriculture. They will jointly provide services to farmers, thereby strengthening the .research-extension-services linkages.
Cultivation of cut flowers will also be practiced, with the objective of introducing floriculture as an industry to the neighboring farmers. Production of Button Mushroom will be introduced, to perform as a nucleus farm to other farmers.
Quality standards will be maintained and appropriate post harvest practices will be implemented for higher quality produce.
Further appropriate machinery for most types of farming operations from both local and Korea origin will be introduced and promoted to increase the productivity.
This demo farm will be located in a one-hectare block of land at the Government Farm, of Seethaeliya, Nuwareliya, in the Central Province

2. Implementation Structure

Project Director - Mr. H P Thilakaratne (SriLanKoRDAA Alumnus) Assistant Director (Seed & Planting Material ), Peradeniya
Project Manager - Mr. G G Somasiri (SriLanKoRDAA Alumnus) Farm Manager Govt Seed farm Seetha Eliya
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 H M G Samarasinghe (SriLanKORDAA Alumnus), Director, Extension & Training , Department of Agriculture, Peradniya
Mr. Mr K E Karunathilaka (SriLanKORDAA Liaison officer), Director Ag. Development ,Ministry of Agricultural Development, Colombo.
Dr. Ms. M Nugaliyadda (Non Alumnus) Research Officer in Charge, Agricultural Research Station, Seetha Eliya,
Mrs. V K C Nawalage (SriLanKoRDAA Alumnus), Agronomist, Natural Resources Management Centre, Department of Agriculture , Peradeniya

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.