Rainforest Alliance Regional Director for South Asia speaks about organisation’s activities in SL

Dr. Madhuri Nanda

Rainforest Alliance Regional Director for South Asia 

Dr. Madhuri Nanda was in 

Sri Lanka this month. The Daily FT met with her to ask about the Rainforest Alliance focus on Sri Lanka and its work with smallholder 

farmers. Following 

are excerpts:

Q: We are aware of Rainforest Alliance’s work globally and the impact it has created towards sustainable agriculture. What are the organisation’s activities in Sri Lanka? 

A: Rainforest Alliance has been working in South Asia, particularly in India and Sri Lanka, for more than a decade focusing on tea, coffee, spices and other sectors through its certification program. In Sri Lanka, Rainforest Alliance has brought nearly 88,000 hectares of land and 200,000 metric tons of produce under sustainable practices. About 74,000 smallholder farmers are already part of the RA certification system in the country. Our sustainable agriculture standard brings good agriculture and labour practices to minimise negative environmental and social impacts are minimised. 

Key initiatives being promoted include climate-smart agriculture, Integrated Pest Management (IPM), addressing deforestation, and conserving watershed areas within the plantations. We also strengthen social practices in the sector focusing on ending child labour, forced labour, gender-based violence, ensuring minimum wages, decent living conditions and other such aspects affecting plantation workers. 

In addition to our well-known certification program, we are also working with companies such as Unilever and Kirin Beverages to help them build sustainable supply chains through training and capacity building of the plantations and small tea growers (STGs). Through the support of these companies, we are creating impact on critical issues including biodiversity conservation, micro watershed conservation, deforestation through awareness building and training programs. 

Q: Since Rainforest Alliance focuses on sustainable agriculture and you mentioned about Integrated Pest Management techniques to reduce use of chemicals, does the RA standard promote organic agriculture? 

A: The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) defines organic agriculture as a holistic production management system. It is about promoting and enhancing agro-ecosystem health, including biodiversity, biological cycles, and soil biological activity and emphasising the use of management practices in preference to the use of off-farm inputs. It clearly indicates that, where possible, agronomic, biological, and mechanical methods, be employed as opposed to using synthetic materials. This concept is not completely understood by many. Some simply consider not using chemicals as the only aspect of practicing organic agriculture. As a result of this misconception, the comprehensive and sustainable benefits of the concept of ‘organic agriculture’ are missed.

Having explained this, it is important to note that certification to the Rainforest Alliance standard ‘does not’ imply organic certification. Our standard promotes an integrated approach towards farming through regenerative agriculture practices that enhances soil strength, biodiversity and promotes the prudent use of those chemicals which are essential for crop protection through Integrated Pest Management practices. Our standard bans the use of hazardous chemicals, and encourages the use of approved chemicals, in the right amount at the right time, only when necessary. As the soil strength improves and farm management practices are strengthened, the farmer moves away from chemicals use over a period of time without impairing the crop productivity and soil fertility.

Q: What are your views on the Government’s ban on import of agrochemicals and subsequent lifting of the ban recently?

A: The overnight ban of agrochemicals was a challenge for the farmers in the country, especially smallholders. It can negatively impact farm productivity, and hence negatively impact the export market for Sri Lanka. Without adequate training and knowledge for farmers to ensure soil fertility through alternatives to agrochemicals, it can be difficult for them to sustain their livelihoods, which are already under pressure due to the climate change impacts. Lifting of the ban can be a relief for many, but in any case, all would benefit from sustainable farming training programs. These would especially benefit smallholders trying to adopt an integrated approach to sustainable farm practices to shift away from excessive use of hazardous chemicals. 

At Rainforest Alliance, we are working closely with local experts to bring this knowledge and awareness to our certified members, and we hope to replicate and scale up this model across the country through support from the Government and other civil society organisations working in the plantation sector.

Q: What are your aspirations and focus of Rainforest Alliance’s work in Sri Lanka in the coming years? 

A: We are aware of activities of other civil society organisations in the region to address some of the persisting challenges, including global issues, to build resilience among the local communities. Going forward, we want to further strengthen our activities to create a greater impact by joining forces with the existing players in the region and build resilience among the vulnerable communities to overcome these challenges. 

We also see the potential of other commodities/sectors, for instance spices and coffee, which could further benefit from our certification programme and linkages with export markets to attract better prices, especially in European and US markets. The demand for more sustainable commodities in these markets has supported many communities in various regions. We see tremendous potential for Sri Lanka to utilise these benefits. 

We also see a need to go beyond certification and develop landscape-level initiatives by engaging with various stakeholders in the region to target key sustainability challenges. For example, we must urgently tackle, an issue which has a direct bearing on the increasing impacts of climate change. An island nation such as Sri Lanka is extremely vulnerable to rising temperatures and sea level. With collaborative efforts from all stakeholders, we can employ a collective approach to address challenges like deforestation.

We are currently in the process of strengthening our presence in Sri Lanka by expanding our team. We plan to initiate dialogue with key players working on sustainability. For example, we will explore ways to help uplifting smallholder farmers in the country. By combining efforts with key players, we can help improve the livelihoods of these communities.