ECONOMYNEXT – A collective of United Nations food agencies have highlighted an urgent need for Sri Lanka to transform its agrifood systems due to the island nation being a highly water stressed country that also ranks high on the Global Climate Risk Index.
The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the World Food Programme (WFP) at an event held in Colombo to mark the World Food Day called for urgent action towards sustainable and climate-resilient agriculture in Sri Lanka.
In a 2021 report by FAO and UN Water, Sri Lanka was classified as ‘highly water stressed’ with a 90.8-percent indicator, reflecting the significant pressure from human activities on its freshwater resources and their sustainability, a statement from the FAO said.
Total freshwater withdrawal in Sri Lanka, the organisation said, is estimated at 12.95 billion cubic metres annually with about 82 percent of the total withdrawal used for paddy irrigation alone and a little over five percent used to irrigate other crops. Sri Lanka also ranks consistently high on the Global Climate Risk Index, particularly in terms of climate risks associated with impact on water resources.
Considering this the UN food agencies (FAO, IFAD, and WFP) highlighted the urgent need for Sri Lanka to “transform its agrifood systems”.
The event, held on Tuesday October 17, also highlighted the “modern approaches supported by the agencies with potential for national scale-up towards sustainable and climate-resilient agriculture,” the statement said.
Minister of Agriculture Mahinda Amaraweera speaking at the event reaffirmed Sri Lanka’s “unwavering dedication to achieving food security for all”. According to the FAO statement, Amaraweera had emphasised the importance of agriculture and food security as national priorities and stressed the government’s commitment to bolstering the agricultural sector to withstand future climate-induced challenges.
UN Resident Coordinator Marc-André Franche who also spoke at the event said: “In the face of increasing water stress and climate vulnerabilities, sustainable and climate-resilient practices are not just an option; they are a necessity. The United Nations continues to work together with Sri Lanka to fortify its water and food systems and is committed to ensuring a future where everyone has access to sufficient and nutritious food, and where no one goes hungry.”
FAO Representative for Sri Lanka and the Maldives Vimlendra Sharan said: “FAO is committed to working with the government to ensure that Sri Lanka’s agriculture and fisheries sectors are climate-resilient to ensure food security in Sri Lanka for generations to come. We are working with farmers and fishers across the island to reduce waste, pollution, and climate vulnerabilities,” he said.
Sherina Tabassum, IFAD’s Country Director for Sri Lanka and the Maldives noted that climate change has made availability of water for agriculture precarious. Small-scale farmers sometimes do not have enough water, and other times too much, she said.
“That makes irrigation systems increasingly important, so small-scale farmers can continue to produce food with uninterrupted water supply. IFAD works with the government and farming communities to enable farmers to access innovative technologies such as solar-powered tanks as well as to rehabilitate traditional methods like tank cascade systems, so that farmers can cultivate around the year, helping them move from low-productivity subsistence farming to irrigated agriculture that feeds the country,” she said.
“Food security has been in the spotlight in the recent past, but too often we forget that there is no food security without water security,” said Gerard Rebello, Deputy Country Director and Officer in Charge at WFP, Sri Lanka.
“WFP, together with our partners, is supporting the government to make food systems more sustainable and resilient to extreme weather conditions, with emphasis on improving the livelihoods of smallholder farmers, so that food travels uninterrupted from farm to table all year long,” he said.
FAO, IFAD and WFP together with the United Nations system in Sri Lanka are on the ground actively promoting sustainable and climate-resilient approaches towards food security in Sri Lanka, the statement said. (Colombo/Oct19/2023)