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Traditional Sri Lankan agriculture is ecological and organic;
home gardens are part and parcel of the family culture, and
agriculture is indivisible with the village. With the skyrocketing
price of synthetic fertilizer, natural systems are compelling
the farmer to give up chemical inputs, and home garden and
fruit farming systems are becoming helpful to our communities.
We are a village-based fruit farming model set up in the
village of Midigama in the southern region of Sri Lanka, with
a variety of tropical fruit crops growing under coconut trees.
A composting unit is integral to our three-canopy farming
system. We practice ecological methods to combat soil erosion,
conserve moisture, control pests and diseases, and feed the
soil and our crops, and our model is beginning to be emulated
by other farmers in our region.
Our business is called Ceylinco Midigama Fruit Farms, Ltd.,
a name which brings pride to our village. A farm gate processing
unit making wet and dry products is the market mechanism we
have adopted to sustain the project. This model generates
a demand for fruits and growing of fruits, which benefiting
the village community. Solid waste from the processing unit
is recycled/digested and added back to the soil as compost,
thereby upgrading the soil. The diversity of multi-fruit crops
increases productivity in smallholdings, and with the resurgence
of the ecosystem, the natural enemies of pests—such
as birds and reptiles—do the work of pest control without
insecticides or chemicals.
This summarizes the Eco Fruit Farming System as a model for
traditional villages in the southern region of Sri Lanka.
Comments are most welcome.
Sincerely,
Michael Vass
Gunawardena
midifarm@sltnet.lk
Sri Lanka
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