When building new villages for tsunami victims surrounding land is often stripped bare. New settlements have no green cover or vegetation and are hot and dusty. This unwelcoming environment is not only an aesthetic and health issue but also leaves the area open to erosion, making it hard for families to establish home based income activities. This destructive development also sees the loss of vital habitats for native plant and animal species.
It is here our expertise in Analog Forestry, organic farming and participatory programme development has greatly benefited these communities. Through the set-up and support of CBOs in each village we have worked to:
- Restore surrounding vegetation and greenbelt areas
- Build community capacity in sustainable agriculture, organic farming, horticulture, bioremediation and ecological restoration
- Help establish village cooperation in fractured communities
The Green Canopy Project in Vitchukalai (GCV), on the east coast of Sri Lanka, was initiated in June 2007 to rehabilitate the environment which was badly affected through improper agricultural practices and the tsunami. We are working with the community to restore the ecosystem and educate farmers in sustainable agricultural and land use practices.
A plant production centre provides plants for the restoration and community recovery program, with 77 beneficiary families selected as agricultural producers. A few families of farmers who are cultivating on government land, within the village premises, also benefit from the training program.
Unfortunately the current political situation and escalation of hostilities in the north has affected communities throughout the country. GCV has faced many implementation difficulties, including transportation, communication, workshop attendance and limited working hours on par with the security situation. In response the timeline has been extended to enable us to successfully achieve project goals.
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