Fostering agribusiness resilience: Equipping Sri Lankan maize farmers to tackle agricultural risks
By ASM Roshan, Agribusiness Development Centre, Department of Agriculture, Sri Lanka, and WMUK Rathnayake, Natural Resources Management Centre (NRMC), Department of Agriculture, Sri Lanka
Maize, ranked second only to rice, plays a critical role in Sri Lanka’s agricultural landscape. In addition to its significance in terms of cultivated area, foreign exchange, and agro-industrial applications, maize has become indispensable as a primary input for the growing livestock feed industry, particularly the poultry sector. Furthermore, maize-based food items such as Thriposha and Samaposha have seen a rise in local consumption, underscoring the crop’s increasing demand. However, only 60% of the country’s maize requirement is met through local production, presenting a vast opportunity for maize to contribute to food, feed, and nutritional security, while improving the incomes of cultivators. Encouraging local investors to enter maize farming is, therefore, a strategic priority.
To support this vision, the Agribusiness Development Centre (DoAgBIZ) of the Department of Agriculture, Sri Lanka, has initiated agripreneurship development programs targeting medium and large-scale investors. These programs aim to transform farming businesses into commercially oriented ventures by enhancing productivity, efficiency, and quality through the introduction of advanced technology, entrepreneurial skills, and improved management practices.
However, despite maize’s potential, many local investors are hesitant to enter agriculture due to the heightened risks posed by climate change. Unpredictable weather patterns, rising temperatures, and erratic rainfall have created barriers to investor confidence. Although current extension programs cater to medium and large-scale commercial farming, they fall short of addressing climatic risks adequately, largely due to the lack of reliable, accessible, and user-friendly climate data.
This is where ACASA offers a transformative solution. By leveraging the platform’s science-driven climatic risk data, DoAgBIZ can overcome these challenges and significantly enhance its support for maize farming. ACASA provides the data required to develop high-quality materials, project proposals, and cropping plans for commercial farms. This enhanced quality can bolster investor confidence, increasing the acceptance rate of farming business proposals.
Through collaboration with ACASA, DoAgBIZ envisions profitable and sustainable commercial maize farming ventures that incorporate climate-resilient practices. This collaboration aims not only to mitigate farming risks but also to increase return on investment (RoI) for investors, contribute to the agro-food and poultry industries, and enhance the availability of raw materials.
DoAgBIZ has already begun identifying potential investors and is developing comprehensive awareness sessions to educate both its internal project proposal development teams and prospective investors on ACASA’s technical aspects. These sessions will ensure that all stakeholders are equipped to utilize ACASA’s data effectively in developing farm business proposals aligned with Sri Lanka’s district adaptation plans. Moreover, the tool will play a key role in identifying suitable geographies for implementation and creating sensitization materials tailored to investor needs.
This strategic partnership between DoAgBIZ and ACASA is a step forward in empowering Sri Lankan maize growers to tackle agricultural risks posed by climate change. By combining DoAgBIZ’s agripreneurship development expertise with ACASA’s robust data capabilities, this collaboration seeks to create resilient farming systems that benefit not only farmers and investors but also the broader agricultural sector. Together, they are paving the way for sustainable growth, ensuring that maize farming thrives amidst challenges and meets the growing demands of Sri Lanka’s economy.