The COVID19 pandemic and the financial crisis caused severe liquidity issues in Sri Lanka making risks on the credit portfolios of the local SANASA cooperatives. The APFP-FO4A and ARISE programs, locally known as the ‘Smart Farmer’ project, enabled the cooperative managers and the leaders to support their members to improve their income through organized and market connected cultivation programs.
Seventy members of the Thirawala society were supported by the ARISE 2 loan scheme to start protected vegetable cultivation projects in their village. Ms. R.K.S Priyangika, the Chairperson of the SANASA society, is eager to expand the project which has already supported to improve the income of the members and pay back the defaulted loans.
“While ARISE loan scheme enabled us to motivate farmers to think differently, we are hopeful to move to the next stage to support the farmers to market their products,” she said.
Currently, SEFEC is supporting Thirawala society to incubate a vegetable packhouse business to identify differentiated markets to gain a higher farmgate price for their members.
SANASA International is the national implementing agency of the APFP-FO4A program which is co-financed by the EU and IFAD and is implemented by the consortium Asian Farmers’ Association for Sustainable Rural Development (AFA) and La Via Campesina (LVC) and the ARISE 2 program which is financed by the IFAD and is implemented by AFA. (Article and photos by SANASA)
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