{"id":4876,"date":"2022-05-13T07:23:06","date_gmt":"2022-05-13T13:23:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/trends.ufm.edu\/en\/?post_type=articulo-semanal&p=4876"},"modified":"2022-06-13T05:51:19","modified_gmt":"2022-06-13T11:51:19","slug":"sri-lankas-environmental-suicide","status":"publish","type":"articulo-semanal","link":"https:\/\/trends.ufm.edu\/en\/article\/sri-lankas-environmental-suicide\/","title":{"rendered":"Sri Lanka’s Environmental Suicide"},"content":{"rendered":"

Currently, 1.6\u00a0percent of the world\u2019s agricultural area is dedicated to organic farming.[1]<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n

Although this form of agriculture has grown in recent years, it is still a niche market in which there is not high demand for products at the prices that this industry can offer, at least not yet.<\/p>\n

Despite this, a small South Asian country, Sri Lanka, had the courage to initiate a massive organic farming program throughout the country. It is the first country to shift its entire agricultural sector to organic agriculture.<\/p>\n

This article analyzes the Sri Lankan experiment. Does organic farming work, as environmentalists claim, or does the use of preindustrial technologies create problems with agricultural yield, as critics claim?<\/p>\n

Let us begin by analyzing the political project that gave rise to this bold initiative.<\/p>\n

Victory at the Polls in\u00a02019\u00a0and the Beginning of the Organic-Farming Adventure<\/h2>\n

In Sri Lanka\u2019s presidential campaign in\u00a02019, the country\u2019s president, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, promised to transition the country to organic agriculture within a decade.<\/p>\n

However, it seems the president was in a bit of a hurry. As early as May\u00a02021, the government imposed a ban on the import and use of synthetic fertilizers and non-natural pesticides, as the principles of organic farming demand. This effectively forced the more than two million farmers in the country to adopt organic farming. In other words, the government did not merely promote to organic agriculture but forced one.<\/p>\n

The Ministry of Agriculture expected yields to remain near pre-organic levels. The results came as a huge surprise to members of the government.<\/p>\n

The Latest Fad in Technocracy Reached the Government in\u00a02019<\/h2>\n

The transition to organic agriculture in Sri Lanka did not simply emerge; rather, it was actively promoted by a civil society movement called Viyathmaga. Members of this movement proclaim themselves to be technocrats with spiritual principles. Part of its mission is to \u201cmobilize the expertise and knowledge of the members of this forum in innovating and developing strategies and policies which would influence the decision making of the government in power, for the greater good of the society.\u201d<\/p>\n

The movement\u2019s mission statement makes constant reference to academics, technicians, professionals, and the need to implement public policy in a technical manner to improve the welfare of the population.<\/p>\n

Members of this movement presented a program comprising ten major public policy proposals with an eye toward the\u00a02019\u00a0elections. This program\u2014named People-Centered Economy\u2014included the bulk of organic-farming principles and the suggestion that organic farming should be fully adopted within ten years.<\/p>\n

When the current president of Sri Lanka won election in\u00a02019, he made several members of the movement ministers. The new minister of agriculture is one of the self-styled technocrats. Thus, it seemed that the dream of large-scale organic farming was going to become a reality; Sri Lanka would lead the world\u2019s green movement by implementing organic farming at a large scale.<\/p>\n

The new government\u2019s commitment to organic agriculture was not going to end with the appointment of a minister. Sri Lanka created numerous advisory committees to implement policies that would allow the country to reap the rewards of organic and environmentally sustainable agriculture.<\/p>\n

What Was Sri Lankan Agriculture Like before the Technocrats Came to Power?<\/h2>\n

Exactly what were the self-styled technocrats trying to fix? Was Sri Lankan agriculture suffering from problems? Productivity per hectare of land in Sri Lanka before the policy change was higher than that of surrounding countries in South Asia and slightly lower than that of middle-income countries (of which Sri Lanka is one). In other words, there were certainly problems in the agricultural sector in Sri Lanka, but it does not seem that there was an urgent problem that required a\u00a0180-degree turn in public policy.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Source: World Bank<\/sup><\/p>\n

The Technocrats\u2019 Organic-Farming Policy<\/h2>\n

Although there did not seem to be any major problems in the agricultural sector, the self-styled technocrats who had just entered government wanted to overhaul Sri Lanka\u2019s agricultural policy from top to bottom. They intended to implement their organic farming program as part of their ambitious agenda.<\/p>\n

Among the agricultural policies to be implemented in order to reach the desired large-scale organic agricultural production were the following:<\/p>\n