Technical Efficiency and Determinants of Maize Production by Smallholder Farmers in the Moneragala District of Sri Lanka

Maze (Zea mays L.) is the second most important cereal crop after rice produced in Sri Lanka. The government of Sri Lanka has taken steps to expand maize production in the country. In the context of these initiatives; this paper analyzes empirically the technical efficiency of smallholder maize farmers in Sri Lanka using a stochastic frontier production methodology. A sample of 130 maize farmers belonging to four local administrative divisions of the Moneragala district was randomly selected. A well-structured, comprehensive interview schedule was used for data collection. The findings of the study revealed that the seeds, hired labor and land extent were found to positively influence maize production. The mean technical efficiency was 72%, implying that there was considerable room for improvement in maize productivity within the present state of technology. Access to hybrid maize seeds, age of farm household head and ownership of irrigated lowland were found to be significant factors determining production efficiency at the farm level. Policy implications drawn from the results include setting up of a mechanism to revamp farmer collective action through the formation of farmer groups so that smallholder land consolidation would be possible and interventions towards improving local production of high quality hybrid maize seeds in order to make them available to farmers at an affordable price. Moreover, the government should support the private sector to expand the existing contract farming schemes to remote rural areas. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2014.v5n27p41

Climate change and agricultural adaptation in Sri Lanka: a review

Climate change is inevitable and will continue into the next century. Since the agricultural sector in Sri Lanka is one of the most vulnerable to climate change, a thorough understanding of climate transition is critical for formulating effective adaptation strategies. This paper provides an overview of the status of climate change and adaptation in the agricultural sector in Sri Lanka. The review clearly indicates that climate change is taking place in Sri Lanka in terms of rainfall variability and an increase in climate extremes and warming. A number of planned and reactive adaptation responses stemming from policy and farm-level decisions are reported. These adaptation efforts were fragmented and lacked a coherent connection to the national development policies and strategies. Research efforts are needed to develop and identify adaptation approaches and practices that are feasible for smallholder farmers, particularly in the dry zone where paddy and other food crops are predominately cultivated. To achieve the envisaged growth in the agricultural sector, rigorous efforts are necessary to mainstream climate change adaptation into national development policies and ensure that they are implemented at national, regional and local levels

Agricultural adaptation to climate change: insights from a farming community in Sri Lanka

The vulnerability of smallholder farmers to climate change and variability is increasingly rising. As agriculture is the only source of income for most of them, agricultural adaptation with respect to climate change is vital for their sustenance and to ensure food security. In order to develop appropriate strategies and institutional responses, it is necessary to have a clear understanding of the farmers’ perception of climate change, actual adaptations at farm-level and what factors drive and constrain their decision to adapt. Thus, this study investigates the farm-level adaptation to climate change based on the case of a farming community in Sri Lanka. The findings revealed that farmers’ perceived the ongoing climate change based on their experiences. Majority of them adopted measures to address climate change and variability. These adaptation measures can be categorised into five groups, such as crop management, land management, irrigation management, income diversification, and rituals. The results showed that management of non-climatic factors was an important strategy to enhance farmers’ adaptation, particularly in a resource-constrained smallholder farming context. The results of regression analysis indicated that human cognition was an important determinant of climate change adaptation. Social networks were also found to significantly influence adaptation. The study also revealed that social barriers, such as cognitive and normative factors, are equally important as other economic barriers to adaptation. While formulating and implementing the adaptation strategies, this study underscored the importance of understanding socio-economic, cognitive and normative aspects of the local communities

Time to take responsibility on phosphorus: towards circular food systems

This Commentary follows up on the previously published article (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2008.10.009) which appeared in Global Environmental Change Volume 19, Issue 2, May 2009, Pages 292–305

Developing a Joint Master’s Degree Programme in Agroecosystem Resilience for Sri Lanka

This chapter details, analyses, and reflects upon the development of a joint master’s degree programme in agroecosystem resilience. The aim of the programme was to increase understanding of food security, awareness of climate change impacts, and increase sustainable approaches to agriculture in the host country and wider area. Led by universities in Sri Lanka, in partnership with institutions from Estonia, Lithuania, and the United Kingdom, the work created a course based on established methods, best practice, national policy and local needs. Comprising four different stages, and methods, of research, the process of identifying and refining the individual elements of the programme is examined in depth. This research occurred during a period of dramatic change in the Sri Lankan government’s agricultural strategy. The challenges, and opportunities, afforded by this, diverse institutional research bases, regional variations, and the impact of Covid-19 lockdown are discussed

Ezetimibe added to statin therapy after acute coronary syndromes

BACKGROUND: Statin therapy reduces low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels and the risk of cardiovascular events, but whether the addition of ezetimibe, a nonstatin drug that reduces intestinal cholesterol absorption, can reduce the rate of cardiovascular events further is not known. METHODS: We conducted a double-blind, randomized trial involving 18,144 patients who had been hospitalized for an acute coronary syndrome within the preceding 10 days and had LDL cholesterol levels of 50 to 100 mg per deciliter (1.3 to 2.6 mmol per liter) if they were receiving lipid-lowering therapy or 50 to 125 mg per deciliter (1.3 to 3.2 mmol per liter) if they were not receiving lipid-lowering therapy. The combination of simvastatin (40 mg) and ezetimibe (10 mg) (simvastatin-ezetimibe) was compared with simvastatin (40 mg) and placebo (simvastatin monotherapy). The primary end point was a composite of cardiovascular death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, unstable angina requiring rehospitalization, coronary revascularization ( 6530 days after randomization), or nonfatal stroke. The median follow-up was 6 years. RESULTS: The median time-weighted average LDL cholesterol level during the study was 53.7 mg per deciliter (1.4 mmol per liter) in the simvastatin-ezetimibe group, as compared with 69.5 mg per deciliter (1.8 mmol per liter) in the simvastatin-monotherapy group (P<0.001). The Kaplan-Meier event rate for the primary end point at 7 years was 32.7% in the simvastatin-ezetimibe group, as compared with 34.7% in the simvastatin-monotherapy group (absolute risk difference, 2.0 percentage points; hazard ratio, 0.936; 95% confidence interval, 0.89 to 0.99; P = 0.016). Rates of pre-specified muscle, gallbladder, and hepatic adverse effects and cancer were similar in the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: When added to statin therapy, ezetimibe resulted in incremental lowering of LDL cholesterol levels and improved cardiovascular outcomes. Moreover, lowering LDL cholesterol to levels below previous targets provided additional benefit