The Trials and Triumphs of Sri Lanka’s Smallholder Paddy Farmers

In the heart of Sri Lanka's rural landscape, rice paddies stretch across the horizon, cultivated by 1.8 million families who contribute to the country’s agricultural lifeline (Senanayake & Premaratne, 2016; Perera et al., 2021). For these farmers, rice farming is more than just a profession—it’s a tradition, a way of life, and a critical thread in the nation’s socio-economic fabric, contributing nearly 9% to the Gross Domestic Product (Central Bank of Sri Lanka, 2022).

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The district of Anuradhapura, located in the dry zone, plays a pivotal role in this story. With its vast expanse of paddy fields, it recorded the highest paddy production during the 2022/2023 Maha season (Census and Statistics Department, 2022). Yet, this region is also emblematic of the struggles faced by Sri Lanka’s predominantly smallholder farmers, who often work plots of less than two hectares. As an agricultural officer noted, the district hosts approximately 0.25 million farmers managing 0.3 million land slots annually—a testament to the scale and complexity of rice farming in this region.

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For generations, these farmers have relied on predictable monsoon rains to sustain their livelihoods. But in recent decades, the rhythm of nature has shifted, throwing their delicate balance into disarray. “We are victimized by both floods and droughts in most of the years and often we can’t even cover the cost of cultivation due to the damage these cause,” one farmer lamented.

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Floods in 2014 wreaked havoc, damaging 2,799 irrigation systems and affecting over 42,000 people across 12,966 families in the district. Similarly, the drought of 2016/2017 left more than 67,000 people grappling with water scarcity (Disaster Management Centre, 2014). These climate events are not isolated; they are part of a growing pattern affecting smallholder farmers in tropical regions like Sri Lanka, where high dependence on natural resources, limited technology, and low institutional support exacerbate vulnerabilities (Morton, 2007; World Bank, 2008; Conway, 2009).

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Faced with these challenges, Anuradhapura’s farmers have turned to their own ingenuity. Autonomous adaptation practices—such as altering planting dates, rotating crops, and using more resilient rice varieties—have become common (Esham & Garforth, 2012). Additionally, many farmers depend on Sri Lanka’s ancient tank irrigation systems, which supply water to 72% of the country’s paddy fields (Paddy Statistics, 2021/2022).

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Despite these efforts, challenges persist. One farmer highlighted the inequity of water distribution:

"My paddy land plot is located at the far edge of the irrigation canal; therefore, most of the time, I do not get enough water from the irrigation system."

In response, some non-governmental organizations have introduced rainwater harvesting systems, allowing farmers to capture runoff during monsoon seasons. Yet, the cost of these systems places them out of reach for many. As one farmer explained:

 "Due to the current financial crisis in our country, we can’t spend our money on rainwater harvesting as it is quite expensive."

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Agrarian instructors in local villages have stepped in to guide farmers in implementing these strategies, but not all are convinced. A lack of trust in new technologies and skepticism about their effectiveness has slowed the adoption of innovative practices. As one farmer put it:

"Who knows how effective these measures would be? I don’t see a benefit of trying out these measures and taking a risk."

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Another challenge lies in knowledge gaps. While terms like “climate-smart agriculture” may appear on television or in training sessions for select farmers, many remain uninformed. As one farmer revealed:

"From what I know, only a few farmers who have a close relationship with Agricultural instructors have received such training and financial support from the government."

Insights for the Future

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The story of Anuradhapura’s smallholder farmers underscores the resilience of Sri Lanka’s agricultural communities, but it also highlights their limitations. While farmers have adapted locally, the scale of challenges posed by climate change calls for planned, systemic responses supported by government and international donors.

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The dry zone, in particular, requires targeted interventions to combat droughts and floods. Providing financial assistance, facilitating access to technology, and building trust in adaptive strategies are crucial. The farmers’ reluctance to adopt new measures reflects not only economic constraints but also a lack of confidence—one that can only be addressed through consistent engagement and education.

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About the writer

Pasindu Jayathilake is a lecturer at the Department of Geography of the University of Kelaniya. He engages in research and teachings in the fields of Agriculture Geography, GIS and Remote Sensing, and Land use planning. Also, he was actively involved in the Erasmus + projects called BEACON (Built Environment Learning on Climate Adaptation) and BRITAE (Building Resilience in Tropical Agro-Ecosystems) projects as a junior researcher and researcher respectively having experiences with climate change adaptations during his working period in Social Policy Analysis and Research Center, University of Colombo.