Design for Empowerment: Empowering Sri Lankan Farmers through Mobile-based Information System

We developed a mobile-based information system (MBIS) to empower users to improve their livelihood activities. To do so, we first developed an empowerment framework (since one does not exist) as a basis to develop the MBIS. In particular, we conducted this research to solve an agriculture over-production problem in Sri Lanka where farmers remain trapped in a poverty cycle. They cannot make informed decisions due to lack of access to timely, context-based actionable information to achieve a good revenue. We had to generate some essential information such as current production level in real-time by capturing farmers’ decisions such as what and how much to grow. For this purpose, we needed to empower farmers to actively engage them in informed decision-making process through the MBIS. In evaluating the impact of the MBIS, we found a statistically significant positive change in farmers’ empowerment levels based on measuring self-efficacy, sense of control, and motivation before and after they used the application. Commercial organizations have since adopted this mobile-based system in India and Sri Lanka to solve agricultural problems, in universities Africa to mitigate hidden hunger, and the Corporative Research Center in Australia to develop digital health applications to manage chronic diseases, which indicates the approach’s wide adoptability

Identifying the influencing factors in sustainable tea supply in the Sri Lankan tea industry

In monetary terms, the Sri Lankan tea industry was until 1995 consistently the country’s largest exporting element. The tea industry has always played an important role in the Sri Lankan economy, because it uses mainly local resources and over 20% of the population directly depends on it. The Sri Lankan tea industry also plays a significant role in the global tea industry. For over three decades it was the largest tea exporter into the global supply chain (in both value and volume). However, Sri Lanka is currently ranked as the fourth-largest tea exporter in the world. Tea-production volume has stagnated at around 300,000 metric tonnes in Sri Lanka, while at the same time global production volumes have increased considerably in other tea-producing countries. Production costs have increased in real terms globally. Importantly, Sri Lanka has the highest production cost among all producers. Thus the sustainability of the tea industry in Sri Lanka is at risk. Previous research has indicated that the characteristics in the agricultural sector, including tea production, are now similar to many characteristics of the manufacturing sector. However, this has not yet been fully investigated in the Sri Lankan tea sector. Even though some research has explored supply chain management aspects of agricultural products such as coffee, potatoes and cocoa, little attention has been paid to the tea industry. The main objective of this research was to explore the tea supply chain, specifically focusing on the Sri Lankan tea industry. This research identified the influencing factors on a sustainable tea supply chain by mapping the supply chain for both smallholders and large-scale producers

A survey of semantic web technology for agriculture.

ABSTRACT. Semantic web technologies have become a popular technique to apply meaning to unstructured data. They have been infrequently applied to problems within the agricultural domain when compared to complementary domains. Despite this lack of application, agriculture has a large number of semantic resources that have been developed by large NGOs such as the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). This survey is intended to motivate further research in the application of semantic web technologies for agricultural problems, by making available a self contained reference that provides: a comprehensive review of preexisting semantic resources and their construction methods, data interchange standards, as well as a survey of the current applications of semantic web technologies

Value chain integration for rural co-operatives : comparative analysis in the rice sector in Sri Lanka : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Agribusiness at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand

Agri-food industry is transforming in developing countries due to trade liberalisation, globalisation and urbanisation trends. As a result, linking smallholder farmers to modern markets has been a concern among scholars, development agencies and policymakers. Although the transformation in agri-food industry has created many opportunities for smallholder farmers to elevate their income and welfare, they are confronted with many challenges such as poor access to technology, information, inputs, credits, and value-adding services. In this context; co-operatives are recognised to play an important role in improving smallholder farmers' market access. There is an ample amount of literature that discusses the advantages co-operatives are providing to their members/smallholder farmers. Most recent studies on co-operatives have compared members to non-members in terms of benefits and performance. Nevertheless, member benefits and performance of vertically integrated co-operatives gain less attention despite their importance. Vertically integrated co-operatives perform a range of activities related to supply of inputs, services and market information. Yet, there is scant information on how co-operatives' vertical integration benefits their members/smallholder farmers. This study aims to analyse and compare member benefits and performance of co-operatives vertically integrated into two levels: partially and fully integrated co-operatives. In particular, this study addresses whether there are better performance and members' benefits in fully integrated co-operatives than partially integrated co-operatives. This study was conducted in one of the main rice-producing provinces in Sri Lanka using a mixed-methods approach. Co-operatives involved in rice business activities in the province were studied and divided based on their level of vertical integration: partially or fully integrated. Partially integrated co-operatives centrally control some of the successive activities of a value chain (supply of inputs, provision of services and information, production, and assembling and marketing of primary products). Fully integrated co-operatives centrally control all the successive activities of a value chain (supply of inputs, provision of services and information, production, assembling and marketing of primary products, processing, wholesaling, and retailing). Cross-case comparisons of interview data complemented with financial data revealed that co-operatives' financial performance was not significantly different between partially and fully integrated co-operatives and was comparably unsatisfactory at both levels. Further, the financial performance of co-operatives was affected by their governance, managerial, technical and financial attributes. Survey data of 307 rice farmers were used to analyse and compare member-perceived benefits and performance between partially and fully integrated co-operatives. Exploratory factor analysis of data revealed five key areas of benefits: business and financial, livelihood, technology and information, low-cost inputs, and democratic control and education. It was found that business and financial, and technology and information benefits, were better among members in fully integrated co-operatives. Besides, propensity score matching analysis revealed better profits per kilogram of paddy rice and higher economic profit among members in fully integrated co-operatives. However, the regression analysis results showed varying financial performance among the members of co-operatives depending on their demographic and household, farm, and contextual factors. Findings in this study provided some important theoretical and practical implications. The benefits studied in this research provide directives for managers in formulating rice-related business strategies that are well-aligned with members' interests. Contradictions between members' perceived benefits and their actual financial performance in fully integrated co-operatives suggest a lack of awareness among members about the benefits of value-added activities and emphasise a need for improving member communication and engagement. Policymakers should be encouraged to promote vertically integrated co-operatives and provide training to their managers (including directors) on formulating and executing competitive strategies, good governance, and revisions concurrent to changing market forces

Lost in Transitions: Analyzing Sectoral Transitions in Postcolonial Developing Island States, Investigating Theoretical and Practical Gaps in Sustainability Transitions Theory

The theory of Sustainability Transitions, a current concept that has a relevance for both policy and academic thinking, attempts to explain fundamental structural changes in individual economic sectors and in societies at large. Yet, its application outside developed industrialized societies, where the theory originated, has been limited. More research is required on the applicability of transition approaches in developing states. This study attends to this constraint by examining the explanatory power of the main theoretical tenets of sustainability transitions in the contexts of the agricultural and extractive sectors of the postcolonial developing island states of Nauru, Jamaica and Sri Lanka, which extends the geographical and historical terrain of the theory. An empirical survey of 180 individuals, participant observations, archival research, a review of 536 books and articles, in 9 fieldwork missions and some 50 research sites, provides a canvas broad enough to test Sustainability Transitions epistemology and hypotheses with local communities of knowledge: its theoretical scope – levels and units of analysis, its transition causation mechanisms, its validity outside its origin-context in developed countries, and, by extension, to establish whether or not its universal assumptions are justified. Drawing on a comprehensive multi-sectoral analysis, this study illustrates that when deployed in the context of developing countries, specifically in postcolonial island states, the multi-level perspective is deficient. While the analytical framework is useful to some extent, it falls short to provide an inclusive explanation of what drives sectoral changes in developing island states and its epistemology is not fully-representative of sectoral and societal transitions in unindustrialized island societies. The theory does not adequately consider the role of government, or agency; it fails to define the notion of sustainability in applicable, operational terms; it overemphasizes the role of niches and radical innovation networks in sectoral change processes while underemphasizing the rigidity of dominant socio-technical regimes; it offers neither a normative model nor a valid descriptive model of sectoral transformations, and therefore, subscribes no instrument for policy analysis and policy design. Further research is essential to examine whether or not these theoretical limitations are observable in other developing states, and in such event, further refinements of sustainability transitions analytical tools should be warranted

From fear to collaboration : community peacebuilding in the context of a victor’s peace in Sri Lanka

This thesis focuses on the relatively under-research disciplinary area of community based peacebuilding in the context of victor’s peace in Sri Lanka following the state’s civil war with the Tamil Tigers. These events led to several challenges for liberal peacebuilding, including persistent militarisation, and indeed a decade after the end of the civil war, most of these socioeconomic, and political challenges remain unresolved due to the high level of militarisation. In such circumstances, community peacebuilding efforts appear to be particularly challenging. It has thus been suggested that the area of community peacebuilding requires more research and the inclusion of more elements that integrate local knowledge and cultural practices. This study provides a contextual understanding of contemporary community peacebuilding practices within a context of victor’s peace in Sri Lanka, especially the post-war challenges facing minority communities. The prevailing practice in community development in the Asia Pacific leans towards a top-down approach, despite community development being driven bottom up. There is a need for a new approach to community development. This study adopts an interdisciplinary approach to examine the interplay between community development and peacebuilding. Considering the importance of local peace, Lederach’s peacebuilding pyramid is used as the theoretical approach for this study. that it is imperative that peacebuilding is developed from the periphery of communities with the support of non-profit and grassroots organisations. Findings from four selected case study towns of Negombo, Killinochchi, Mullaitivu and Kurunagala indicate that encouraging local participation and incorporating local knowledge into their activities enhances inter-ethnic relations. Through these projects, a safe space was provided for self-expression and dialogue, which played a crucial role in the process of post-war community peacebuilding. Thus, community leaders took charge of reducing tensions between communities by promoting social solidarity. These micro solidarities within communities foster non-violent coexistence in divided societies. This study contributes significantly to the literature on post-war peacebuilding and community development through its detailed study of victor’s peace in Sri Lanka, which offers an insight into aspects of community peacebuilding. Key argument of the study is that top-down approach of victor’s peace hinders the ability of voluntary sector and the communities for peace. This study posits that voluntary sector in conjunction with community leaders strengthen capacities and raise awareness within communities on social, political, and economic contradictions causing for their oppression

Opportunity recognition and new venture creation experiences of Sri Lankan entrepreneurs

In recent times, literature has raised the importance of studying entrepreneurship in different contexts. There has been considerable research conducted in transitional contexts, as it raises the many challenges faced by entrepreneurs. There has been considerable research conducted in Russian, Eastern European and Chinese economies. However, there is a real dearth in the literature on the challenges faced in other transitional economies, particularly Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka was the first country in South Asia to embrace extensive economic liberalisation in 1977 (though the civil war, 1983–2009, in the north-east of the country blocked the full realisation of these economic benefits). Further, entrepreneurial learning in such turbulent and challenging environments has also been identified as a less-explored area. Against this backdrop, this research’s overarching aim was to explore opportunity recognition and new venture creation experiences in the transitional context of Sri Lanka. Four main areas were covered: opportunity recognition and new venture creation, entrepreneurial learning, entrepreneurial motivation and institutional context. The mixed methodological approach was informed by a conceptual framework developed by the researcher. Semi-structured interviews with a non-random sample of 31 Sri Lankan entrepreneurs provided rich descriptions. Their learning styles/preferences were identified using a modified version of Kolb’s (1984) learning style questionnaires through different stages of opportunity recognition and new venture creation. Findings suggest that Sri Lankan entrepreneurs’ initial business ideas arose through prior knowledge, scanning the business environment and changes in government policies. Few initial resources were utilised; many relied on previous experience and relationships with customers and suppliers. Most participants were motivated by pull rather than push factors and individual entrepreneurs demonstrated a combination of learning styles/preferences rather than one. Entrepreneurs cited numerous challenges: frequent policy changes, rigid customs policies, unsupportive financial sector, high interest rates, lack of support for start-up firms, and lack of social recognition in society and among the government officials. Further, critical learning events occur in transitional and turbulent contexts such as Sri Lanka. The frequency of such events is high; resilience is required to ensure higher learning. This research has contributed to entrepreneurship theory in several ways. First, the author explored the under-researched transitional context of Sri Lanka to identify the challenges encountered during transition Second, the research contributes to the literature concerning learning styles during opportunity recognition and new venture creation, using a sample of entrepreneurs. The findings will help educators and practitioners tailor their training and educational programs. Further, this study brings new knowledge in relation what, how and when entrepreneurs learn in critical events in turbulent and challenging environments

Information Systems to Manage Local Climate Change Effects: A Unified Framework

In many localities, local climate change effects are disasters-in-the-making or -in- waiting. They must therefore be managed coherently and consistently to assure the resilience of the local population and its communities. They are of deep concern at the local, state, federal, and international levels of government. Information systems play a critical role in managing local climate change effects. We draw upon many simple and selective frameworks in the literature, some explicitly articulated, and others implicitly incorporated, to present a unified framework for information systems to manage local climate change effects. The framework is both systemic in its coverage and systematic in its development. Its outlook is symmetrically neutral with respect to local climate change effects, recognizing that the change could be both beneficial and harmful to the local community. It is presented using structured natural English and can be easily understood, interpreted, and applied by the researchers, policy makers, and practitioners