Concept note

Operation Reality

Brief background to the situation

Kilinochchi is situated in the Northern Province of Sri Lanka and is home 112, 980 who are
predominantly Tamil. The population of Kilinochchi like the rest of the North and East of Sri
Lanka has been heavily affected by the thirty year civil war. Most of the families lost members
and were displaced several times during the war. They lost their valuables, livelihoods and trades.
Of the surviving over 50,000 women-headed families reported in the Northern Province. Woman-
headed Households (WHH) is a relatively new to this once conservative Tamil community. Once
dependent on men these women have taken the role of bread-winner not only to feed the
immediate but also their extended families. Since the dawning of peace in 2009, people have
returned to their lands and begun life once again. Poverty resulting from the long-drawn civil war,
loss of resources, lack of skills and investment capital for small businesses is evidently holding
them down from any progress.
Most people living in this district are farmers growing paddy and vegetables on their own land or
fishermen living close by the sea. And others who have moved to Kilinochchi from other
populated areas are faced with land issues and do not have the opportunity of doing cultivation for
economic gain.
Further to that people who are inhabitants at Kilinochchi who worked in farms generation by
generation could do farming has no or relatively less land to do farming.
Food security, family security and security of the children (from abuse and exploitation) are major
concern for people living in this district due to the growing drought periods in a year and Indian
fishermen coming to Sri Lankan sea.
After the war many organizations have helped the community to grow further from the poverty
and upgrade the skills. Still there are functioning organizations as well.

The Reality
Apart from the development, there is still a bigger gap to be bridged starting from average earning
per family to economic developments.
Several organizations helped without the supervision and proper accountability of maintaining,
developing and sustaining the livelihood support by the beneficiaries for long period.
But due to the attitude of the people who were faced only the war for significantly long period,
the concept of entrepreneurship is relatively very poor. And hence the individual economic
developments from the livelihood support given to the beneficiaries to next level in their life was
unimaginable.
The cultural values of the society mostly falls for spending on the Jewelries and clothes even from
the micro loans which demand vast interest rates.
Individual accountability of the responsibilities in the families are relatively poor towards the
society. Which has an adverse effect on the attitude of the next generation as well on hardworking
towards economic developments.
Development needs/issues
Individuals who received livelihood supports for few years from different organizations freely
with less monitoring and development supports, tends to have developed an attitude where free
has no value. Which has caused them not to care much about the integrity of maintaining them
and developing for long term benefits.
Such as when 4 goats were given and one died there were no proper investigation. When a cow is
given without any arrangement to the proper feeding, shelter and growing grass and let wandering
and graze on the open area has given very less milk. Most importantly the given supports were
sold to manage the difficult situations.
If all the supports given to individuals put together into small Enterprises which would be
managed better then today there would be enormous developments in earnings and gradually in
economic.
So focusing on the long term developments possible at Kilinochchi, there should be a solution
considering all the factors of reality.
No proper scientific or technical knowledge to optimize the resources which were given.
Poor education or experience regarding farming and accounting profit.
Following conservative methodology which are not suitable at present time.
Lack of knowledge about the climate changes and whether forecast.
Poor knowledge of handling the real time issue (disaster like flood, drought, illness)
No proper assistance provides from Government or other necessary sector
Lack of communication of farmer groups to avoid the known problems.
Less concerns of market fluctuation

How Operation reality will address development needs/issues

LEADS will take the initiative to address the mentioned reality by introducing Integrated farming
system in a way that would benefit for long term as well help the individuals earn constantly
which will definitely make an impact on the economic developments.

IFS Concept
Integrated Farming system is a whole farm management system which aims to deliver more
sustainable agriculture. It refers to agricultural systems that integrate livestock and crop
production. IFS has revolutionized conventional farming of livestock, aquaculture, horticulture,
agro-industry and allied activities. It is sometimes called as Integrated Biosystems or Integrated
Agriculture.

“It is a system which comprises of inter-related set of enterprises with crop activity as base, will
provide ways to recycle produces and “waste” from one component becomes an input for another
part of the system, which reduces cost and improves soil health and production and/or income.
The concept will be implemented in the selected village. Step by step development of the IFS
system with the support of the society by providing them employment opportunities will be in
operation.

IFS seems to be answer to the problems of increasing food production, increasing net farm
income, improving nutritional status promoting natural resource management sustainable use of
land, water and soil. It is a complex interrelated nature of soils, plants, animals, implements,
power, labor, capital and other inputs controlled in part by farming family and influenced by
social forces that operate at many levels.

General Objectives of IFS

1. To identify existing farming systems in specific areas and access their relative viability.
2. Formulate farming system model involving main and allied for different farming system.
3. To maintain sustainable production system without damaging resources/environment.
4. To rise overall profitability of farm house hold by complementing main/allied enterprises with
other.
5. Analysis of existing farming system in terms of resource use efficiency, production and
productivity income, employment and sustainability across different agro-climatic zones.
6. Development and evaluation of synergic effects and their actions associated with different
farming system.
7. Imparting training and capacity building of various stake holders on IFS
8. Evaluation and identification of farming system through participatory approach that ensure
thresh hold level of income for the livelihood security.

Components of IFS

Agriculture, Horticulture, Fodder production, Kitchen gardening, Sericulture, Forestry,

Vermiculture, Mushroom cultivation, Azolla farming, Dairy, Piggery, Poultry, Goat rearing,
Sheep rearing, Fish farming and duck rearing.
Specific objectives of Integrated Farming System

1. To encourage farmers to take up improvement in all the crops grown by them by demonstrating
new agricultural technologies
2. To assist farmers in introducing other subsidiary enterprise like dairy, poultry, fisheries,
sericulture, piggery etc.
3. To educate farmers to make them account conscious
4. To help farmers improve their standard of living by working with them over a period of time
5. To develop IFS units as centers of agricultural development in the local areas.

Advantages of Integrated Farming System

 Higher food production to maximize the income.
 Increased farm income through proper residue recycling and allied components
 Sustainable soil fertility and productivity through organic waste recycling
 Integration of allied activities will result in the availability of nutritious food enriched with
protein, carbohydrate, fat, minerals and vitamins
 Integrated farming will help in environmental protection through effective recycling of
waste from animal activities like piggery, poultry and pigeon rearing
 Reduced production cost of components through input recycling from the byproducts of
allied enterprises
 Regular stable income through the products like egg, milk, mushroom, vegetables and
honey from the linked activities in integrated farming
 Inclusion of biogas & agro forestry in integrated farming system will solve the
prognosticated energy crisis
 Cultivation of fodder crops as intercropping and as border cropping will result in the
availability of adequate nutritious fodder for animal components like milk cow, goat /
sheep, pig and rabbit
 Firewood and construction wood requirements could be met from the agro- forestry
system without affecting the natural forest
 Avoidance of soil loss through erosion by agro-forestry and proper cultivation of each part
of land by integrated farming

Risk factor of IFS

o Soil pollution
o Water pollution
o Use of fertilizer
o Huge use of pesticides
o Loss of livelihood of habitat of land
o Infection to farmers
o Poor quality of products
o Huge investment
o Weaken Human resource
o Hard to find vendor
o Indirect marketing
Solutions
 Minimize the waste
 Reuse and recycling
 Use natural fertilizer
 Preserve the livelihood of natural habitats
 Option for organic farm
 Follow good agricultural practice
 Follow code of conduct
 Good hygiene practice
 Good manufacturing practice
 Follow technical assistant
 Keep documentation and certification
 Target the real vendor
 Direct marketing
 Provide Awareness IFS to promote

Farm Land
Government Land for the farming will be given to the CBO in particular village 2-3 acre for the
farming

Farm Manager
With the farming concept of IFS, LEADS will appoint a Farm Manager who will be initially an
Employee of LEADS for 2 years contract.
Basic salary will be given initially during the setting up and after 2 or 3 cycles of IFS the manager
will be given incentives on the profit from the farm. So he should be working towards running the
farm profitably. Such that 20% of the profit will be given as incentive.

Management Board
Leads will take the initiative with the CBO as how it will be handled after successful completion
of 2 cycles of the IFS.

Farm Workers / Ownership

All the workers will be from the particular village. Initially, until the smooth running is
established, the workers will be required on the basis of the labor requirement.
Depending on the requirement Workers will be recruited to work with the components of the farm
permanently.
They will be paid a basic salary minimum. Incentive will be paid for the component they will be
looking after. The incentive amount will be based on the income and profit from the particular
component.
This will make them to take the ownership of the component and to focus on their earnings.

Training
All the needed training will be provided.

Could start with Groundnut Farming and with the earning every other components of IFS could
be introduced.

Study of soil and water

Environment Impact Assessment Report
Research about marketing the products
Strategy to optimize the Human resources
Real time issue handing knowledge
Report of Alternative method from recovery of inefficacy of IFS
Comprehensive reports of several IFS in local and international level
Report from specialist of particular fields
Analysis Regulative policy and strategy about investment