The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization says that Sri Lanka’s humanitarian needs continue to rise sharply.
FAO stated that Sri Lanka is facing an unprecedented economic crisis, which has been exacerbated by political and social unrest.
Sri Lanka is facing a rapidly growing food security crisis.
A recent report released by the organization further states that one in four people in Sri Lanka is already facing food insecurity.
Since June 2022, the Food and Agriculture Ogranization of the United Nations (FAO) has scaled up its emergency andresilience interventions, reaching more than 62,640 households (244,300 people).
Providing vulnerable farmers and fishers with time-critical production inputs and cash assistance will enable them to protect their livelihoods and feed their communities.
FAO’s response up to date is as follows.
- Distributed 2,381 tonnes of urea to 47,619 farming households (185,700 people).
- Provided unconditional cash transfers to 15,021 households (58,600 people), disbursing a total of approximately USD 1.4 million.
- The beneficiaries included vulnerable green gram farmers and fishers in the poorest areas of Ampara, Anuradhapura, Badulla, Batticaloa, Hambantota, Jaffna, Kilinochchi, Matale, Monaragala, Mullaitivu, Polonnaruwa, Puttalam and Trincomalee.
- Engaged 600 households (2,340 people) in urban agricultural activities in Colombo, establishing two community plots and providing the beneficiary households with agricultural production inputs to contribute to improving their food security.
- FAO is currently supporting the establishment of 200 school gardens in Badulla, Jaffna and Moneragala districts and providing capacity building support to teachers and students to increase their knowledge on nutrition and agriculture.
Here’s their planned response that will be rolled out in the coming weeks and months.
- Provide 201 148 households (784,477 people) with a total of 10,057 tonnes of urea to enable them to produce approximately 774,000 tonnes of paddy rice. This intervention will primarily target vulnerable farming households in areas that witnessed low yields during the previous Maha season.
- Provide 53,000 farming households (206,700 people) with unconditional cash transfers (USD 84/household) to cover their basic food and livelihoods needs during the lean season.
- Provide 997,000 paddy farming households (3.9 million people) with 36,000 tonnes of triple superphosphate to restore agricultural production during the upcoming 2023 Yala season.
- Provide 5 058 vulnerable fishing households (19,727 people) from the most vulnerable districts with unconditional cash transfers (USD 141/household) to enable them to meet their immediate food and nutrition security needs.
- Support the most vulnerable and food insecure households with severely malnourished children by establishing 2,500 backyard gardens and facilitating capacity-building activities on improved nutritional and dietary practices, to enhance food production and nutrition at the household level.
The organization also says that by taking immediate steps to provide farmers with quality seeds, fertilizers and pesticides, they can protect their livelihoods and feed their communities.