On the feasibility of an agricultural revolution: Sri Lanka’s move to go 100% organic
In April 2021, the Sri Lankan Government banned imports of agrochemicals, including chemical fertilizers, to make Sri Lanka the first fully organic and chemical fertilizer-free country globally. The ban was justified by human and environmental health concerns, such as many cases of kidney failure in...
| Autores principales: | , , , , |
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| Formato: | Conference Paper |
| Lenguaje: | Inglés |
| Publicado: |
2023
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| Materias: | |
| Acceso en línea: | https://hdl.handle.net/10568/132506 |
| _version_ | 1855521067893784576 |
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| author | Drechsel, Pay Madhuwanthi, Piumi Nisansala, Duleesha Ramamoorthi, Dushiya Bandara, Thilini |
| author_browse | Bandara, Thilini Drechsel, Pay Madhuwanthi, Piumi Nisansala, Duleesha Ramamoorthi, Dushiya |
| author_facet | Drechsel, Pay Madhuwanthi, Piumi Nisansala, Duleesha Ramamoorthi, Dushiya Bandara, Thilini |
| author_sort | Drechsel, Pay |
| collection | Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace) |
| description | In April 2021, the Sri Lankan Government banned imports of agrochemicals, including chemical fertilizers, to make Sri Lanka the first fully organic and chemical fertilizer-free country globally. The ban was justified by human and environmental health concerns, such as many cases of kidney failure in the central parts of Sri Lanka. While previous policies had envisioned a stepwise transition, the sudden ban jolted the agriculture sector. However, it was aligned with the emerging national economic crisis with drastically declining foreign exchange reserves that restricted the import of commodities, including fertilizer for distribution at subsidized prices. The ban was also opportune because fertilizer prices peaked on international markets in 2022. Without any transitional time, the thrust for organic fertilizers failed to satisfy demand or obtain the required crop nutrients resulting in severe agricultural losses. After the first data on decreasing yields were revealed, the government lifted the chemical fertilizer ban on December 1, 2021, but it was too late as the cropping season had arrived. Without financial reserves to import fertilizer, the donor community was urged to assist. This paper addresses: (1) justification of the ban, (2) the feasibility of transitioning to organic fertilizers based on the available biomass to replace chemical fertilizers; and (3) the related cost implications. The scenarios focus on irrigated paddy rice and the plantation sector that underpin the national economy. Undervalued nutrient sources are also considered as well as the constraints to and implications of such a transition beyond Sri Lanka’s frontiers. |
| format | Conference Paper |
| id | CGSpace132506 |
| institution | CGIAR Consortium |
| language | Inglés |
| publishDate | 2023 |
| publishDateRange | 2023 |
| publishDateSort | 2023 |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | CGSpace1325062025-02-24T06:54:18Z On the feasibility of an agricultural revolution: Sri Lanka’s move to go 100% organic Drechsel, Pay Madhuwanthi, Piumi Nisansala, Duleesha Ramamoorthi, Dushiya Bandara, Thilini organic fertilizers agrochemicals inorganic fertilizers agricultural sector rice tea public health fertilizer legislation In April 2021, the Sri Lankan Government banned imports of agrochemicals, including chemical fertilizers, to make Sri Lanka the first fully organic and chemical fertilizer-free country globally. The ban was justified by human and environmental health concerns, such as many cases of kidney failure in the central parts of Sri Lanka. While previous policies had envisioned a stepwise transition, the sudden ban jolted the agriculture sector. However, it was aligned with the emerging national economic crisis with drastically declining foreign exchange reserves that restricted the import of commodities, including fertilizer for distribution at subsidized prices. The ban was also opportune because fertilizer prices peaked on international markets in 2022. Without any transitional time, the thrust for organic fertilizers failed to satisfy demand or obtain the required crop nutrients resulting in severe agricultural losses. After the first data on decreasing yields were revealed, the government lifted the chemical fertilizer ban on December 1, 2021, but it was too late as the cropping season had arrived. Without financial reserves to import fertilizer, the donor community was urged to assist. This paper addresses: (1) justification of the ban, (2) the feasibility of transitioning to organic fertilizers based on the available biomass to replace chemical fertilizers; and (3) the related cost implications. The scenarios focus on irrigated paddy rice and the plantation sector that underpin the national economy. Undervalued nutrient sources are also considered as well as the constraints to and implications of such a transition beyond Sri Lanka’s frontiers. 2023-09-20 2023-10-29T15:45:22Z 2023-10-29T15:45:22Z Conference Paper https://hdl.handle.net/10568/132506 en Open Access Drechsel, Pay; Madhuwanthi, Piumi; Nisansala, Duleesha; Ramamoorthi, Dushiya; Bandara, Thilini. 2023. On the feasibility of an agricultural revolution: Sri Lanka’s move to go 100% organic. Paper presented at the Annual International Conference on Research in Tropical and Subtropical Agriculture, Natural Resource Management and Rural Development (Tropentag) on Competing Pathways for Equitable Food Systems Transformation: Trade-Offs and Synergies, Berlin, Germany, 20-22 September 2023. 4p. |
| spellingShingle | organic fertilizers agrochemicals inorganic fertilizers agricultural sector rice tea public health fertilizer legislation Drechsel, Pay Madhuwanthi, Piumi Nisansala, Duleesha Ramamoorthi, Dushiya Bandara, Thilini On the feasibility of an agricultural revolution: Sri Lanka’s move to go 100% organic |
| title | On the feasibility of an agricultural revolution: Sri Lanka’s move to go 100% organic |
| title_full | On the feasibility of an agricultural revolution: Sri Lanka’s move to go 100% organic |
| title_fullStr | On the feasibility of an agricultural revolution: Sri Lanka’s move to go 100% organic |
| title_full_unstemmed | On the feasibility of an agricultural revolution: Sri Lanka’s move to go 100% organic |
| title_short | On the feasibility of an agricultural revolution: Sri Lanka’s move to go 100% organic |
| title_sort | on the feasibility of an agricultural revolution sri lanka s move to go 100 organic |
| topic | organic fertilizers agrochemicals inorganic fertilizers agricultural sector rice tea public health fertilizer legislation |
| url | https://hdl.handle.net/10568/132506 |
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