Helping Sri Lanka's farmers get back on their feet

For many years, Peace Winds has been working to support the livelihoods of Sri Lankan people through agriculture, an important part of the local economy. This includes increasing the value of agricultural products by promoting organic farming. To learn organic farming techniques, local farmers are invited to attend Peace Winds training sessions in Jinseki Kogen, Japan.

This program is especially beneficial in the midst of Sri Lanka’s ongoing economic crisis. Along with prices for many goods, the price of chemical fertilizers is soaring, making them out of reach for organic and conventional farmers alike. Peace Winds’ organic farming program is helping participants learn to make their own compost and liquid fertilizer from livestock manure. 

So far, 133 Sri Lankan farmers have obtained their organic certification after participating in the program, and they are successfully selling their organic produce at local markets. These farmers have become a role model for the agricultural community and are receiving increasing attention from the local government.

Excessive use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides is posing an environmental and health hazard around the world, and Sri Lanka is no exception. Many farmers continue to rely on them, resulting in contaminated soil and health problems. Peace Winds is proud to be supporting organic farming techniques that contribute not only to the health and safety of the community but also to economic well-being in the face of a difficult crisis.

Thanks to the support of our donors, Peace Winds carried out a second round of food donations for people suffering from Sri Lanka’s economic crisis. This latest round of food distributions was made to vulnerable households in Piliyadi Village in Trincomalee. Of the approximately 200 families living in Piliyadi, more than 90 percent receive government assistance.

Compared to Mangayuttu Village, where Peace Winds first provided food distribution, Piliyadi has more households headed by single mothers. Many of these residents have only irregular jobs as housekeepers, making less than $2 per day. They have no farmland and live off meals on a day-to-day basis. The food donation provides enough food to feed a family for more than one month.

Peace Winds spoke to Prisha, a Sri Lankan mother who received food assistance thanks to your donations. During the civil war, Prisha’s husband disappeared, and two of her daughters were shot, one of whom was killed. After the long civil war, Prisha’s second daughter got married, but her husband has since disappeared as well, leaving her to care for three young children. The family is hoping that Prisha’s daughter will be able to go to India to get surgery for the injuries she sustained from gunshot wounds during the civil war. Prisha and her family are tremendously grateful for the provision of food assistance. 

Sri Lanka’s economic crisis has received less news coverage lately, but the impact on the people who live there is still very real. The government has issued QR codes to limit the amount of fuel that can be bought per vehicle, and while long lines at gas stations are now rare, fuel is still limited and prices are high. Power outages continue to strike the country for multiple hours per day, and the price of necessities like electricity, fuel, food, and water has more than doubled.

Thank you for your continued support which makes our food distribution possible!