Agroforestry pilot projects in tea and coconut plantations in Sri Lanka
While the tea and coconut plantations in Sri Lanka are over 125 years old, the soil has eroded due to high elevation. Rebuilding the soil by introducing new species for the cultivation of tea and coconut is a pilot project the Government of Netherlands is initiating in Sri Lanka.
Last week the project was launched at the Water’s Edge in Colombo. Maskeliya Gartmore Plantations was chosen from the tea sector, while Kurunegala Plantations was chosen from the coconut sector.
On the sidelines of the project l a u n ch, Maske l i ya Gartmore Plantations, Director, Ruwanga Kumararatne told the Business Times, “We want to have diversification which will be commercially viable to the plantation, stakeholders, owners and the workers. We have the land and the people, what we don’t have is the species, the seed material which we need to have as a quick return to start proper cultivation.”
He added: “At the current state our plantations are 126 years old. Our soils are eroded as we are at a very high elevation of about 6500 feet above sea level. We need to rebuild the soil as some of our tea lands are not very productive. We have identified 30 hectares of unproductive tea lands and would make it productive by means of introducing new species, crops, and programmes. We are also looking at mar
The Sri Lanka plantation sector is one of the largest employers contributing significantly to the national economy.
keting our tea, looking for fresh markets. Netherlands ( is providing the expertise as it) exports more than US$ 100 billion worth of agricultural products to different markets including value added exports.”
He also mentioned that this being the first pilot project in Sri Lanka it will take 3.5 years. Ground work will begin in June this year. “We are making certain investments while also some funding is coming from the Netherlands Government,” he noted.
The model agroforestry pilot project in tea and coconut plantations is designed by the Government of Netherlands through its Netherlands Enterprise Agency with the support of the Embassy of the Kingdom of Netherlands in Colombo to increase the productivity of degraded lands. The initiative was designed to involve multiple technical institutions for knowledge generation and transfer.
The Sri Lanka plantation sector is one of the largest employers contributing significantly to the national economy. The tea and coconut plantations struggle with socioeconomic and environmental issues with multiple long- term implications with unsustainable practices and potential impacts on hundreds of thousands of Sri Lankans. Depleted soils with poor fertility, degraded lands with poor water holding capacity, loss of biodiversity through monocultures and heavy use of pesticides and pollution are amongst the most severe problems affecting soil and ecosystem health. Climate change adds to this deteriorating situation by way of high intense rains causing soil erosion or variability in rainfall impacting water availability. Agroforestry provides an entry point to improve the productivity and resilience of plantations.
Agroforestry is an ancient but very useful agricultural system. The Kandyan forest garden system ensures the resiliency of the agriculture system while leading to sustainable land management. The use of agroforestry as a proven business model is limited mainly due to lack of knowledge and institutional support. This project will introduce agroforestry as an alternative production method and a business model to improve productivity in tea and coconut plantations. It will stimulate diversification of production while improving quality and business resilience.