FAO together with the Ministry of Agriculture and the Mahaweli Authority of Sri Lanka (MASL) implements the project “RiceUp” with funding from the European Union (EU). Its main objective is to respond to the economic and food security crisis in Sri Lanka by protecting smallholder farmer livelihoods through safe and efficient use of fertilizer and quality seeds for better productivity in paddy farming.

Food security in Sri Lanka is improving across all provinces, according to the Crop and Food Security Assessment Mission (CFSAM) report jointly carried out in February/March 2023 by the FAO and the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP). The report estimates 3.9 million people or 17 percent of the population is in moderate acute food insecurity which is nearly a 40 percent decrease from June/July last year. Nearly 10,000 people are severely acute food-insecure, down from 66,000 people last year.  However, decisions on fertilizer use and availability resulted in two consecutive seasons of poor harvests in 2021-2022 leading to a nearly 40 percent drop in paddy production, posing a serious threat to food security in Sri Lanka.

To tackle the vulnerability of the food security system in the country under the above circumstances RiceUP is born. 289 Agriculture Extension Officers (AEOs) participated in this training program across four key rice-growing districts of Sri Lanka: Ampara, Badulla, Hambantota and Polonnaruwa. The aim is to build capacity in the Integrated Plant Nutrient Management (IPNM) and upon completion, the AEOs will become Farmer Field Schools (FFS) facilitators, spreading their new expertise in good sustainable rice farming practices to more farmers in their communities. Approximately 6,000 farmers are expected to be beneficiaries by the end of the FFS training programs.

The Training of Facilitators (ToF) was conducted at the Rice Research and Development Institute, Batalagoda. The main points addressed were sustainable soil management, improving production rates, promoting the use of organic fertilizers, and reducing dependence on chemical fertilizers. The Training Manual, outlining technical IPNM content and structured learning exercises has been developed collaboratively with international and national consultants of FAO, the Department of Agriculture, MASL, and the University of Peradeniya. This manual will be instrumental in guiding the implementation of both the ToF and the FFS.

IPNM is a sustainable land management practice that ensures soil quality, prevents degradation, and maximizes crop productivity while safeguarding the environment. FFS has operated in Sri Lanka since 1994, with successful results in fostering the adoption of sustainable agricultural practices that allow farmers to increase their productivity while being engaged in environmental stewardship.