Proceedings and Presentations

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Browsing Proceedings and Presentations by Author "Senaratne, Athula"

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    Climate Change, Local Institutions and Adaptation Experience: The Village Tank Farming Community in Dry Zone Sri Lanka
    (International Water Management Institute (IWMI), 2010) Senaratne, Athula; Wickramasinghe, Kanchana
    Farmers are in a continuous process of, individually and as community groups, adjusting to the observed variability in climate parameters. Climate shocks are considered by farmers in their decision-making as factors affecting risk and uncertainty, and farmers make their choices so as to minimize such risks. The overall outcome of these individual and community efforts is known as ‘climate adaptation’, which itself is a continuous process. Farmers are traditionally supported by local institutions in this process, which are also currently in a state of transformation. This study examines the climate adaptation responses of the village tank farming community in the dry zone of Sri Lanka in the context of transforming socioeconomic conditions and with the objective of identifying policy implications for adaptation to global climate change. The study was conducted in six Divisional Secretariat areas in the Anuradhapura District of the North Central Province. Both, primary and secondary data was collected in the study. The major sources of primary data included a series of focus group discussions and key informant interviews conducted with village tank farmers and local of ficers. The findings reveal that there are two major forms of voluntary adaptation responses by farmers against climate shocks: 1) aligning of farming activities with the recognized seasonal pattern of rainfall; and 2) management of rain water harvested in commonly owned village tanks. Farmers’ adaptation responses have been facilitated by local institutions that helped to adopt joint adaptation responses. However, recent socioeconomic dynamics introduced by rapid population increase, spread of commercial opportunities and change in agricultural technology have drastically altered conditions in the village tanks in favor of developing a commercial farming system. As a result, local institutions that traditionally facilitated the climatic adaptation responses are also in a state of transition. Therefore, farmers face problems in adapting to the impending risks and uncertainties of global climate change. The paper emphasizes the need for appropriate policy measures to facilitate the adaptive capacity of farmers.
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    Disaggregated Projections on Supply, Demand, and Trade for Developing Asia: Preliminary Results from the Asiafish Model
    (International Institute of Fisheries Economics and Trade (IIFET), 2004-07) Dey, Madan M.; Rodriguez, U-Primo; Briones, Roehlano M.; Li, Chen Oai; Haque, Muhammad Sirajul; Li, Luping; Kumar, Praduman; Koeshendrajana, Sonny; Yew, Tai Shzee; Senaratne, Athula; Nissapa, Ayut; Khiem, Nguyen Tri; Ahmed, Mahfuz
    The AsiaFish model is a quantitative tool for making disaggregated projections and impact analysis for fish supply, demand, and trade. It has recently been applied to nine major fish producers in Asia (Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Vietnam). The resulting analysis is useful for the evaluating strategies and identifying priority technologies for the propoor and sustainable development of the fish sectorin these countries. The paper summarizes the method for applying the AsiaFish model, presents the results of model projections for these countries, and draws preliminary conclusions from a cross-country comparison.
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    Socio-economic Impacts of Forest Conservation on Peripheral Communities: Case of Knuckles National Wilderness Heritage of Sri Lanka
    (12th Biennial Conference of the International Association for the Study of Commons, Cheltenham England, July 14-18, 2008, 2008) Wickramasinghe, Kanchana; Steel, Paul; Senaratne, Athula
    Forest conservation generates significant economic benefits to the society. However, the conservation strategies should pay necessary attention to the resultant socio­ economic aspects. Otherwise; conservation efforts affect the welfare of peripheral communities due to restrictions on their livelihoods. The present paper intends to assess the socio-economic impacts of declaration of Knuckles Conservation Zone (KCZ) on the livelihoods of surrounding communities, using data and information collected through a household survey, focus group discussion, interviews and observations. The Knuckles National Wilderness Heritage (NWH) is an important natural forest in Sri Lanka, due to its richness in biodiversity, uniqueness in habitat diversity and being a vital catchment to the main rivers. The forest has greatly been threatened by the promotion of cyltivation of cardamom, which receives high prices in the international market and shifting cultivation that has resulted in a sizeable decrease in the forest cover. With the declaration of KCZ, shifting cultivation and cardamom cultivation were banned and access to forest products was restricted. Consequently, although conservation activities generated considerable environmental improvements, they caused direct negative impacts on the peripheral communities. The quantity and frequency of forest products harvested has declined due to limited access to the forest, causing income losses and affecting food security. The dependency on non timber forest products (NTFPs) as a source of income is much low according to this study finding, but the forest had played a major role as a subsistence source of food, wood, fuel wood etc earlier. The annual income loss due to banning of shifting cultivation and reduced harvesting of NTFPs is estimated around US$ 150 per household. Promotion of ecotourism activities, which are already in place, and creation of proper marketing channels for agricultural products is recognized as alternative ways to increase income, thus to improve the well-being of households. Villagers could also be allowed to harvest selected NTFPs, provided that sustainability of the forest is not affected. Therefore a mechanism should be created that communities are compensated through alternative income sources rather than depending on monetary compensations from the government thereby setting a useful example for the future conservation strategies of the country and elsewhere.