FAMILY BUSINESS GARDENS: AGRICULTURAL OPTIONS IN REMODELING & MODERNISING TSUNAMI DEVASTATED TOWNSHIPS IN SRI LANKA

Dr. Thilak T.RanasingheDirector of Agriculture (Western Province)P.O. Box 1561ColomboSri LankaTel:- +94-11-2472360, Fax:- +94-11-2320303E-mail:- thithura@sltnet.lk/ wpdiragr@sltnet.lk

FROM DISASTER TO ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITIES

On 26th December 2004, the Boxing Day, “Tsunami Seismic Waves” caused enormous and incalculable damage from Northern, Eastern, Southern and to Western coast townships of Sri Lanka.

It is obvious that the most needed and immediate requirement is to alleviate the suffering of affected people by providing medicine, food, shelter and other basic necessities. Then we need to begin work on economic reconstruction with sincere intentions. By so doing, it is essential to provide land, housing, drinking water and the like to resume normal life of people. Thus, we must think about urban agricultural options to enable those people to become involved in suitable production opportunities. These types of options facilitate improvements in mental levels and physical fitness of those affected people. While relocating homes in less vulnerable areas the Concept of Family Business Garden (FBG) provide several ways of involvements mainly through appropriate adoption of “Living Structures” in remodeling homesteads in townships. Living structures, for instance, initially assist to regain the lost-mental satisfaction and in turn physical fitness through nutrition. Both aspects then pave the way to attain entrepreneurship goals in sustainable economic development in townships.

“FAMILY BUSINESS GARDEN” (FBG) – WHAT IS IT?

In inviting to work on urban agriculture, the concept of “Family Business Garden (FBG)” attempts to convert the simple form of home gardening into a source of family nutrition supply and mental satisfaction that based on sustainable entrepreneurship goals. The concept has been in field of the Western Province of Sri Lanka, since the World Environment Day of 2000,

The concept authenticates that there should be proper mix of aspects of environmental agriculture and commercial agriculture in the process of urban agricultural development ventures. The prime strategy of the concept is to integrate Indigenous Technical Know-how (ITK) with adaptable forms of Scientific Technical Knowledge (STK) available in different fields of sustainable development.

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Pictorial presentation of the Concept of Family Business Garden

The logo of the Family Business Garden, as bloomed above, depicts the five major components that work towards localized and systematic changes in urban agriculture as the profits of bloom not the prophets of doom in the agro-based small and medium scale entrepreneurship. However, there is no hard and fast rule to adopt all components in the first attempt and it can start from any component appropriate to the recipient.

1. Family nutrition component advocates cultivating few locally based favorite-nutritious crops in maximizing vertical space to establish biodiversity and asks to practice Integrated Pest Management techniques and if possible to include livestock keeping for high nutritional standards.

2. Technology adoption component canvases to incorporate suitable “mixed technology” (i.e., proper mix of Scientific Findings and Indigenous Technical Know-how –ITK) to gain commercial status for the activity and generate year-round sustainable income from the enterprise. Consider market opportunities for profitable ventures and join marketing networks.

3. Crop management component emphasizes soil and water wise gardening techniques by adopting plat nutrient recycling methods for long-term management benefits. Where environments are very wet and land is available integrated farming that makes uses of aquaculture, livestock, trees and crop production is stressed.

4. Post-harvest technology and value-addition component highly states that even though products come from homesteads, processing and quality maintenance process should be adhered to meet standards in competitive market place. Here, produce and product diversification is highly stressed.

5. Landscaping and housekeeping component provide dignity for urban farming as well as idiomatic and elegant look to the own craftsmanship to regain the social status in the present context. In addition, it improves mental health and capabilities in becoming an effective manager/manageress in the process of entrepreneurship development.

LIVING STRUCTURES IN TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT PROCESS

On the outset, concept introduced “Cultivation Tower” and “Hydroponics Box Cultivation” at the exhibition site in Mathugama, Sri Lanka. Later the concept is methodically demonstrated at District Agricultural Training Centres and Agricultural Information Centres of the Provincial Department of Agriculture (Western Province).

HYDROPONICS BOXES

From Original Exhibition Demonstration site established at the Kandy- Site on 5th June 2000 Colombo Main road, Mahara, Kadawatha

The following living structures are being developed and practiced in varying scales by recipients of the FBG concept.

1.CUTIVATION TOWERS

Self-directed persons came forward and develop cultivation towers in the form of semi-permanent as well as permanent way in popularizing technology they grasped and utilizing vertical space of their homesteads.

They adopted different designs and competitive ways so as to originate new outlook of their homesteads or their Family Business Gardens.

2. CULTIVTION BOTTLES

Cultivation Bottles or “Cultivation mega-bottles” are made out of empty-soft drinks bottles to utilize limited space and also to provide a wonder outlook form landscapes. It introduces recycling process of such items that generate problems in garbage disposal in cities like Colombo. In contrast, it induces urban agricultural interest among high rising flat dwellers in Colombo and suburbs.

3. CULTIVATION RACKS

“Cultivation racks” can be made out of natural structures such as “Coconut” or “Areca nut” or ”Jaggerypalm” or “Palmyra” tree-trunks in low-cost manner. It can also be made with the help of iron, aluminum or any other metal or plastics for long-term use. It helps to maximize limited horizontal as well as vertical space available for urban agricultural activities.

4. CULTIVATION FENCES

“Cultivation fences” further help to maximize the space available for agriculture and create attractive landscape if vegetable is cultivated with flower and ornamental plants. Furthermore, some housewives use fences for bittergourd cultivation, as stray-animals do not harm to the crop at all.

5. CULTIVATION WALLS

“Cultivation Wall” is a latest addition to the concept by creative grassroots levelagents who search for different cultivationstructures to maximize vertical space. Vegetable crops could easily be planted as seen in the picture (i.e. tomatoes)while flower plants are in the ground.

6. CULTIVATION BAGS

Generally, “Standing Cultivation Bags” are used where cultivation is restricted under waterlogged or ill drain homestead-soils. However, now our recipients adopt “Hanging Cultivation Bags” to cultivate vegetables by developing the concept towards more colourful way or decorating cities with recycling materials: i.e., gas- container bags, polypropylene waste product, so on.

7. CULTIVTION FRAMES 8. CULTIVATION CAGES 9. AD-HOC WAYS

The above living structures have been developed in different socio-economic groups according to their income levels as well as of their creativeness by adding value to the urban agricultural enterprise. “Cultivation Frames” made out of coconut branches that attract low-income communities in sub-urban areas. “Cultivation Cages” adds look of herbarium in Family Business Gardens in urban-areas. Different ad-hoc ways of living structures are found in urban, sub-urban and rural areas by using different waste-materials, in advancing the concept among different communities.

On the whole, the Concept of Family Business Garden thrives throughthe action-research work focused on technology development thatexecutes by grassroots-level extension agents and paraprofessionals.The field clinics, field tours and field days backed by research-extension-training dialogues help to solve practical problems encountered at different situations. It shows that one can develop additional income ventures and his or her creativeness in this concept.10. EDIBLE AIR-SCAPES

“Edible Air-scape” is the latest introduction put forward by the Department of Agriculture (Western) within the Concept of Family Business Garden to accommodate teenagers and youth in urban agricultural activities. It decorates mini-homesteads with flowers cum food crops (vegetables, fruits, medicinal plants, etc) by vertically erected wooden or iron structure. This structure can be circular, rectangle or oval in shape and decided by the owner of the FBG.

OUTLOOK ON URBAN LIFE

Political leaders as well as NGOS work at local as well as internationl level appreciate advancements of living structure promotion work in technology development process of the concept of FBG in urban agriculture. That facilitates to popularize the concept slowly and progressively within sustainable development goals of the nation.

The Provincial Minister of Agriculture (Western ProvincialCouncil), Sri Lanka along withanother Lady Council Membertake initiatives to promote theconcept of FBG at grass rootslevel in the Colombo District(September 2004).

Delegates from International Centre for Sustainable Cities(ICSC) got interest to visitdemonstration sites of FBGin familiarizing different strategies of the conceptAugust 2004).

Since 21st September 2004, the Department of Agriculture (Western Province) attempts to communicate the message of FBG across wider communities in Colombo, Gampaha and Kalutara districts with the help of “Poster Campaign”.

The poster used in this campaign is shown here and it depicts presently popular living structures and invite urban people to join hand in hand with urban agriculture.

The concept of FBG based on theoretical framework could be adopted in different form and scale as there is no blue print or inbuilt model in it.

All in all, the concept of FBG addresses the physical as well as mental fitness of urban populations. Do not let your family miss this concept and do work on fitness of edible and income generating land cum air scape in your homestead.

In this vein, one can convert his or her mean of the development of Family Business Garden into end in itself through proper conscientisation process of human development. As such, donor agencies that have a will to promote urban agricultural development movements are informed this way to come forward in assisting to transform the crises of urbanization into sources of profitable entrepreneurship.

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