Since there are no currently active contests, we have switched Climate CoLab to read-only mode.
Learn more at https://climatecolab.org/page/readonly.
Skip navigation
Share via:

Pitch

This concept include farming system design and Cultural techniques. will solution for negative impact of conventional tea cultivation


Description

Summary

Despite the fact that tea plays an important role in Sri Lankan economy whilst  contribute to net export earning. Its greatly contribute to GDP in the country as well as most of rural labour absorb  by this sector and large amount area of the country had been converted to tea cultivation. How ever present tea plantation sector has facing many  issues. 

  •  Low profitability
  • Unbearable cost of production
  • Pesticide contamination of products.
  • Shortening of economic life of tea plantation
  • Huge soil fertility degradation
  • Landslide, flood, water pollution  

Major reasons for above issues are,

unscientific land preparation , crop management  practices.

concept (Method)

In the proposed  method      tea plant establish as strip. plant arrangement is triangle.  Two fertilizing  trench are make both side of tea atrip raw (figure 1). Annual green manure crops establish along the outer edge of fertilizing  trench trench. Green manure crops like Flemigia ,sunhemp, Tithonia are use.   The green manure crop strips are subsequently slash and fill in to fertilizing  trench and   Introduce microbial culture to enhance the decomposition and apply bio fertilizer as well as bio vaccine and earth warms in to fertilizing  trench . Multi purpose crop such as spices. Green manure crops, cover crop, pasture, fodder, fruits, medicinal crop, trap crop and replant plant for pest etc establish according to analog forestry techniquies . Gliricedia cultivate inside tea strip  and pepper and vanilla like spices crops cultivate using the Gliricidia poles as support.   Nutrients rich bio-organic solid fertilizer rand low   cost liquid fertilize use to cater the   nutrient budget . Sloping land agriculture techniques ( SALT )system is establish for conservation purposes according to slope of the land.

 

 

 


Is this proposal for a practice or a project?

Not sure


What actions do you propose?

   This framing system highly based on analog forestry or forest garden  principle. forest garden is one of major agriculture landscape

Recent research conduct by our organization study and value ecosystem  services and biodiversity of forest garden. the study covered three agro-ecological zones IM1b , WM3b and IL3 in Sri Lanka.

Total economic value of IM1b , WM3b and IL3were US $ billion  per year 473162.4,  503835 ,503835 respectively .

If we can converted present monocrop tea plantation in to proposed system , we can expect huge environmental benefit against  climate change and many aspects.

 

 


Who will take these actions?

Large plantation owners, small holder tea growers: They will apply new model to for replanting  or new planting tea programme. 

Presidential secretariat Sri Lanka : they have two programme for  sustainable agriculture and  environment conservation they provide  institutional support. 

University of Peradeniya will provide scientific support for the research  study.   


Where will these actions be taken?

This project will initiate  three district named Galle , Matara and Rathnapura in Sri Lanka where popular tea cultivation areas and facing many natural  hazarders .


In addition, specify the country or countries where these actions will be taken.

Sri Lanka


Country 2

No country selected


Country 3

No country selected


Country 4

No country selected


Country 5

No country selected


Impact/Benefits


What impact will these actions have on greenhouse gas emissions and/or adapting to climate change?

according to previous study  we found average carbon stock of 1ha forest garden is 155 tC. total tea land area in proposed three district is  216770 ha. monoculture tea land  sequestered carbon  1.2 mt yr-1 /ha-1  incremental carbon sequesteration is 153.8  mt yr-1 /ha-1 . According to that total carbon sequesteration 216770 ha will  271660846 mt yr-1 /ha-1


 























 


What are other key benefits?

  • Reduced the many negative effect for human and environment health in related to tea sector.
  •  Increase the ecosystem services and biodiversity and related environment  to human and nature.
  • Increase the economic sustainability  of plantation sector.
  • Enhance resilience ability of tea plantation against  climate change.
  • Provide new scientific information.


Costs/Challenges


What are the proposal’s projected costs?

Major  challenge  will be present attitude of the plantation owners for new ideas.  High capital cost also other challenge.

 


Timeline

this project will run 1-15 years period of time. tea is  perennial  crops   therefore it will taken this much of time 


About the author(s)

Name of author is. K.G.Jayantha pushpakumara. He is agriculture graduate he as working experience more than 10 years in sustainable agriculture sector. he is a founder and current president of local research organization call as Green technology forum. He has research  experience   conducting  collaborative research with gover ment, private and NGO sector 


Related Proposals

Developing an Alternative to Shifting Cultivation in North-East India.


References

1.Pushpakumara K.G.J; Analysis of ecosystem service, biodiversity  and livelihoods of forest garden farmers in three different agro ecological zones in Sri Lanka

2. T. L. Wijeratne, W. A. J. M. De Costa and M. A. Wijeratne Carbon Sequestration Potential of Tea Plantations   in Sri    http://www.tri.lk/userfiles/file/228%20E&E 05_228_E&E_31Jan2014_Paper_III_Thushari.pdf