SRI LANKA: FOOD SECURITY & SOCIAL PROTECTION
Donation protected
A Drive for Farmers: Addressing Emergency Social Protection and Food Security Needs in Sri Lanka
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Sri Lanka is experiencing its worst economic crisis in generations, and is fast running out of food. Experts have warned that unless food production begins again following the recent major shocks to the agriculture system, the country faces a catastrophic famine.
Small-scale farmers, who are the backbone of Sri Lanka’s food production system, have begun to abandon their farmlands, unable to afford the seeds, raw materials, and equipment required to begin a new season. Although the Sri Lankan government’s calamitous overnight ban on chemical fertiliser has largely been reversed, fertiliser remains prohibitively expensive for many smallholders.
Small-scale fishers, meanwhile, have been unable to go out to sea as a result of the desperate shortages of kerosene and diesel. With many rural producers having burned through their savings, or taken on debt, they have also lost confidence in pursuing food production for livelihood.
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Within this frame, we are raising a pool of funds to:
· Provide in-kind social protection support for vulnerable farming and fishing households (seeds, fertiliser, etc).
· Support the continuity of established, high-potential livelihoods and industries, including enhancement of commercial viability and value-addition where possible
· Increase food security, with the potential to enhance yields and resilience, and including climate-smart practices where possible
In brief, every ~£23 (or ~$27) you give will help a small-scale farmer in the North restart cropping in the next season, via the provision of seeds, fertilizer, etc.
Every ~£75 (or $95) you give will support a farming or fishing household in the Uva, N.Central or N.Western provinces to undertake production in the coming months.
Our work, at present, focuses on Kurunegala, Moneragala and Polonnaruwa (via Heman Kumara of NAFSO) and Jaffna and Killinochchi (via Ahilan Kadirgamar of the NCDB), both of whom are closely connected to the realities on the ground. A detailed breakdown of activities, beneficiaries and selection/verification/tracking processes are here: https://bit.ly/SLfoodsecurity
(If you prefer to donate by bank transfer or via a monthly direct debit, the US, UK and Sri Lankan bank details are at the very bottom of this text. Please DM me, and I will record it online via a public ledger, here).
Ø Ø -----------------------------------------------
NORTHERN COOPERATIVE DEVELOPMENT BANK (via Ahilan Kadirgamar):
Effects of the crisis are particularly acute in the post-war districts of the North, where over two and a half decades of war, flawed reconstruction policies, pandemic-related economic constriction, and the current economic crisis are slowing production. Working with the Northern Co-operative Development Bank (NCDB), we intend to support the agricultural sector by encouraging small-scale producers to engage in their livelihoods immediately and in the medium term. Such production is crucial to reducing the consequences of food shortages and the food crisis.
The donations will be used as follows:
1. NCDB and its partner rural co-operatives will provide between Rs. 5,000 and Rs. 15,000 of livelihoods-related inputs in-kind once the producer is confirmed to be engaging in production.
(45%)
2. The Thrift and Credit Co-operative Societies in the Kilinochchi District will be capitalized to reach one thousand more rural producers with credit that will be rotated, resulting in sustained production over the next few seasons.
(45%)
3. Select co-operatives involved in value addition creating demand for local livelihoods will be given equipment to ramp up production and demand.
(10%)
Ø Ø -----------------------------------------------
NAFSO (via Herman Kumara):
The program by NAFSO will serve the most vulnerable and worst affected agricultural and fishing families in the Kurunegala, Polonnaruwa and Moneragala districts. Communities here were already under financial distress due to the lack of sufficient income for their production, even before the banning of synthetic fertilizer, and with conditions worsened by COVID 19-related slowdowns. Farmer families in North-Central and North-Western Provinces of Sri Lanka have been campaigning to ease micro-finance debt they can no longer service, a marker of heightened poverty.
The loss of jobs, the loss of incomes, and the unserviceable debt burden in the face of failing crops has deepened poverty, vulnerability and food insecurity. Significant support is needed to exit the current poverty traps and re-establish livelihoods.
NAFSO will work with Community Based Organizations (CBO) in each of three target districts, focusing on farmers, inland fishers and the women:
- [Kurunegala] - Praja Sahayogitha Sansadaya
- [Moneragala] - Uwa Wellassa Women Organization
- [Polonnaruwa] - Miridiya Organization
The raised funds will be used as follows:
1. NAFSO and its partner CBOs will provide in-kind support between 25,000 and 35,000 LKR to each fishing family to use seasonal tanks to serve local markets.
[Kurunegala and Polonnaruwa]
(32%)
2. For all three CBOs, female members will be provided in-kind support of 35,000 LKR to create income-generating practices and value additions to their existing farming products once the producer is confirmed to be engaging in production.
[Kurunegala, Moneragala and Polonnaruwa]
(37%)
3. Farming families will be provided in-kind support of 35,000 LKR for organic manure production, home gardens, and beekeeping (hive boxes and protective gear) as diversified sources of income.
(28%)
[Kurunagala and Polonnaruwa]
Ø Ø -----------------------------------------------
Please reach us if you have any questions at all, or to collaborate-- we are superbly grateful for all of the support and enthusiasm and conversations already.
Most sincerely and with thanks,
Herman, Ahilan and Madu
----------
For direct bank transfers:
UK (or Intl.) Bank Transfers
Name: Madushini Selvakumar
Account: 41842633
Sort code: 400607
Bank: HSBC, Tottenham Court Road Branch
(Swift: MIDLGB22)
(IBAN: GB25MIDL40060741842633)
US Bank Transfers
Name: Madushini Selvakumar
Account: 12278132
Routing number: 254074170
Bank: Bank Funded Staff Federal Credit Union, Main Complex Branch
Sri Lanka Bank Transfers
Name: Madushini Selvakumar
Account: 0077645014
SWIFT Code: BCEYLKLX
Bank: Bank of Ceylon, BOC Premier, Colombo 7
Paypal: [email redacted]
Venmo: @Madushini-Selvakumar
****
Sri Lanka is experiencing its worst economic crisis in generations, and is fast running out of food. Experts have warned that unless food production begins again following the recent major shocks to the agriculture system, the country faces a catastrophic famine.
Small-scale farmers, who are the backbone of Sri Lanka’s food production system, have begun to abandon their farmlands, unable to afford the seeds, raw materials, and equipment required to begin a new season. Although the Sri Lankan government’s calamitous overnight ban on chemical fertiliser has largely been reversed, fertiliser remains prohibitively expensive for many smallholders.
Small-scale fishers, meanwhile, have been unable to go out to sea as a result of the desperate shortages of kerosene and diesel. With many rural producers having burned through their savings, or taken on debt, they have also lost confidence in pursuing food production for livelihood.
****
Within this frame, we are raising a pool of funds to:
· Provide in-kind social protection support for vulnerable farming and fishing households (seeds, fertiliser, etc).
· Support the continuity of established, high-potential livelihoods and industries, including enhancement of commercial viability and value-addition where possible
· Increase food security, with the potential to enhance yields and resilience, and including climate-smart practices where possible
In brief, every ~£23 (or ~$27) you give will help a small-scale farmer in the North restart cropping in the next season, via the provision of seeds, fertilizer, etc.
Every ~£75 (or $95) you give will support a farming or fishing household in the Uva, N.Central or N.Western provinces to undertake production in the coming months.
Our work, at present, focuses on Kurunegala, Moneragala and Polonnaruwa (via Heman Kumara of NAFSO) and Jaffna and Killinochchi (via Ahilan Kadirgamar of the NCDB), both of whom are closely connected to the realities on the ground. A detailed breakdown of activities, beneficiaries and selection/verification/tracking processes are here: https://bit.ly/SLfoodsecurity
(If you prefer to donate by bank transfer or via a monthly direct debit, the US, UK and Sri Lankan bank details are at the very bottom of this text. Please DM me, and I will record it online via a public ledger, here).
Ø Ø -----------------------------------------------
NORTHERN COOPERATIVE DEVELOPMENT BANK (via Ahilan Kadirgamar):
Effects of the crisis are particularly acute in the post-war districts of the North, where over two and a half decades of war, flawed reconstruction policies, pandemic-related economic constriction, and the current economic crisis are slowing production. Working with the Northern Co-operative Development Bank (NCDB), we intend to support the agricultural sector by encouraging small-scale producers to engage in their livelihoods immediately and in the medium term. Such production is crucial to reducing the consequences of food shortages and the food crisis.
The donations will be used as follows:
1. NCDB and its partner rural co-operatives will provide between Rs. 5,000 and Rs. 15,000 of livelihoods-related inputs in-kind once the producer is confirmed to be engaging in production.
(45%)
2. The Thrift and Credit Co-operative Societies in the Kilinochchi District will be capitalized to reach one thousand more rural producers with credit that will be rotated, resulting in sustained production over the next few seasons.
(45%)
3. Select co-operatives involved in value addition creating demand for local livelihoods will be given equipment to ramp up production and demand.
(10%)
Ø Ø -----------------------------------------------
NAFSO (via Herman Kumara):
The program by NAFSO will serve the most vulnerable and worst affected agricultural and fishing families in the Kurunegala, Polonnaruwa and Moneragala districts. Communities here were already under financial distress due to the lack of sufficient income for their production, even before the banning of synthetic fertilizer, and with conditions worsened by COVID 19-related slowdowns. Farmer families in North-Central and North-Western Provinces of Sri Lanka have been campaigning to ease micro-finance debt they can no longer service, a marker of heightened poverty.
The loss of jobs, the loss of incomes, and the unserviceable debt burden in the face of failing crops has deepened poverty, vulnerability and food insecurity. Significant support is needed to exit the current poverty traps and re-establish livelihoods.
NAFSO will work with Community Based Organizations (CBO) in each of three target districts, focusing on farmers, inland fishers and the women:
- [Kurunegala] - Praja Sahayogitha Sansadaya
- [Moneragala] - Uwa Wellassa Women Organization
- [Polonnaruwa] - Miridiya Organization
The raised funds will be used as follows:
1. NAFSO and its partner CBOs will provide in-kind support between 25,000 and 35,000 LKR to each fishing family to use seasonal tanks to serve local markets.
[Kurunegala and Polonnaruwa]
(32%)
2. For all three CBOs, female members will be provided in-kind support of 35,000 LKR to create income-generating practices and value additions to their existing farming products once the producer is confirmed to be engaging in production.
[Kurunegala, Moneragala and Polonnaruwa]
(37%)
3. Farming families will be provided in-kind support of 35,000 LKR for organic manure production, home gardens, and beekeeping (hive boxes and protective gear) as diversified sources of income.
(28%)
[Kurunagala and Polonnaruwa]
Ø Ø -----------------------------------------------
Please reach us if you have any questions at all, or to collaborate-- we are superbly grateful for all of the support and enthusiasm and conversations already.
Most sincerely and with thanks,
Herman, Ahilan and Madu
----------
For direct bank transfers:
UK (or Intl.) Bank Transfers
Name: Madushini Selvakumar
Account: 41842633
Sort code: 400607
Bank: HSBC, Tottenham Court Road Branch
(Swift: MIDLGB22)
(IBAN: GB25MIDL40060741842633)
US Bank Transfers
Name: Madushini Selvakumar
Account: 12278132
Routing number: 254074170
Bank: Bank Funded Staff Federal Credit Union, Main Complex Branch
Sri Lanka Bank Transfers
Name: Madushini Selvakumar
Account: 0077645014
SWIFT Code: BCEYLKLX
Bank: Bank of Ceylon, BOC Premier, Colombo 7
Paypal: [email redacted]
Venmo: @Madushini-Selvakumar
Fundraising team (2)
Madu Selvakumar
Organizer
Washington D.C., DC
Ahilan Kadirgamar
Team member
