31 October 2023 12:29 am Views - 594
The World Bank has swiftly responded to Sri Lanka’s request for assistance in promoting climate-smart agriculture in the country’s dry zone by dispatching its top executives for a field visit.
World Bank Managing Director Operations Anna Bjerde and Regional Vice President South Asia Martin Raiser undertook a field visit to the Climate Smart Farmer Training School, in Thirappane, last Sunday.
Their objective was to evaluate the progress of the Climate Smart Irrigated Agriculture Project (CSIAP).
This visit came in response to a request made by President Ranil Wickremesinghe during a special meeting with World Bank President Ajay Banga, which occurred when Wickremesinghe was in the United States for the UN Summit.
During their discussion, Wickremesinghe sought Banga’s support for advancing Sri Lanka’s climate-friendly sustainable agriculture initiative. The President’s Media Division affirmed that Bjerde’s visit serves as a confirmation of the World Bank’s endorsement of this initiative.
The CSIAP has initiated a remarkable project to establish a comprehensive farmer training school known as ‘Deshaguna Suhuru Govi Puhunu Pasala’, in Mannakkulama village, Thirappane, located in the Anuradhapura district.
This farmer training school will play a pivotal role in training and equipping farmers with hands-on experience in climate-smart agriculture practices and cutting-edge agricultural technologies.
During their visit, the World Bank executives were accompanied by officials from the Asia Development Bank, JICA and USAID.
Following their visit to the Climate Smart Farmer Training School in Thirappane, Bjerde and the delegation of officials visited the Ambul Banana Cluster in Rajanganaya, a project that supports smallholder farmer clusters in producing high-value agricultural products to improve farmer household income and boost the country’s export earnings.