6,000 paddy farmers in Sri Lanka to be trained on sustainable cultivation with FAO and EU support

The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) together with the Department of Agriculture and the Mahaweli Authority of Sri Lanka with funding from the European Union (EU) recently launched a Farmer Field Schools Program to train 6,000 smallholder paddy farmers across four key rice-growing districts on sustainable approaches to paddy cultivation. The 6,000 farmers from Ampara, Badulla, Hambantota and Polonnaruwa districts will be trained by Agriculture Extension Officers on applying the Integrated Plant Nutrient Management (IPNM) approach in their paddy cultivation to promote the efficient use of fertilisers, water and other inputs. By adopting IPNM and more efficient use of chemical fertilisers, smallholder paddy farmers can reduce costs and improve productivity, leading to better profitability and resilience to future shocks. Many paddy farmers in Sri Lanka rely on traditional cultivation methods, often exceeding the recommended amounts of fertilisers ...