2. THE PROJECT AREA AND ENVIRONMENT

 

2.1   Location and access

 

        2. 1.1.   The project area is situated in the Kala Oya basin in Anuradhapura District. The   project area covering 217 square miles is located between Kandalama reservoir and Rajangana Reservoir with Kalawewa forming the main storage reservoir in          the development. The road network inside the project area is fairly extensive on             the right bank of the Kala Oya but, poor on the left bank. Two railways, from            Colombo

to Jaffna

and to Batticaloa - Trincomalee, pass through the area here             there are presently 4 railway stations. The bulk of (lie trade of the project area is      with Colombo

.

 

2.2   Population, employment and conditions of living

2. 2. 1    The total population in the area including those in stages I is around 115,000 inhabitants, of whom 50,000 live in the project area. The number of males above 16 is 19,000. The population has been growing at 4.3 percent per year of which 1.15 percent is attributed to a positive migratory balance.

 

2. 2. 2    Only 8 percent of the heads of families including those in existing schemes in Stage I have solely non-agricultural activities. Another 18 percent are engaged in both agricul­tural and non-agricultural occupations. 36 percent work only on their farms, 28 percent work both on their farm and as hired labour, whereas only 1 percent works solely as hired labour. The occupational status of the remainder is not well defined.

 

2. 2. 3    The actual employment level in the area is low, being about 200 working days per household or 75 days per worker per year. In the poorest areas it is even 20 percent lower. This low level is primarily due to the present cropping calendar and irrigation availabilities. It would he possible to raise this level with an assured water supply for irrigation during the dry season.

 

2. 2. 4    The settlements in the area including those in Stage I can be divided into 4 major categories: Purana Villages with their village tank, colonization schemes, new villages mostly encroached on state land and urban centers located on the fringes of the project area. The main urban centre is at Kekirawa. In the settlements in Stage I 50% are purana villages. 20% are new villages and 30%, colonization schemes, while in the Stage II area 85% are purana

Villages

and I 15% new villages.

 

2. 2. 5    Conditions of life in the area are generally poor, due to low incomes, educational stand­ards are low and medical facilities poor. The colonists, however, have a comparatively high standard of living.

 

2.3   Climate

 

2. 3. 1     The project area benefits from the rainfall of only one monsoon season, and receives about seventy percent of’ its total 60 inches annual rainfall during the Maha season. As a result - the mean annual rainfall distribution shows a bi-modal pattern with two dry seasons; one in February -  March which is short, and other from June to September  which is long and pronounced. Monthly mean temperatures range from 73º to 89º F.

 

2.3. 2     Leaching conditions of the soil prevail during the wet season. Surface sheet erosion occurs during storms. upward movement from shallow water tables is observed during the dry season. There are no cropping limitations due to temperature except for temperate climate vegetables, but adverse rainfall and relative humidity conditions are encountered during the wet Season for some crops at certain stages of growth. Irrigation is necessary for all crops during the semi-dry and dry seasons. Complemen­tary irrigation is needed during the wet season because of the irregular distribution of rainfall.

 

2.4   Topography and Land Classification

 

2. 4. 1    The project lies within the first peneplain of Sri Lanka

. It is gently undulating with relatively shallow minor valleys delimiting small catchments basins. Ridges are gravely or stony. Slopes average 1 to 5 percent. Deeper river valleys such as the Kala Oya have incised stream channels and drain all the affluent valleys. The substratum has an average depth of 30 to 40 feet above bedrock.

 

2. 4. 2   The semi-detailed land classification of the project area gives the following distribution of the respective land classes:

 

Land Classes

                                                                                                                                 Unit: Acres

                                                                                                                                        Gross
                                                                  Fruit       Not                         Non     Dwell-    land
           Irrigable Land                                   Gar-      Coin-       Tanks      irriga-   ing         classifi­

                                                                   dens     mended                     ble        areas  caton area

 

  Class         2         3          4R       Total       4F           5H          5ta+         6

                                     (Paddy)                                              Tanks

                      

  Extent   49300   11200   34000     94,500    1,100       26,700        9,900     8,800       400     145,000

 

                                                                                                         Source: Land Use Division

 

2. 4. 3    Reddish Brown Earth type soils (RBE) cover about 60 percent of the area, Low Humic Gley soils (1.110) 35 percent, the remainder being alluvial soils. They are developed on material derived from the underlying weathered metamorphic rocks and are separated from the decomposing rock by a gravely sandy clay loam layer 2 to 4 fret below the surface.

 

2. 4. 4    Mottled horizons in the reddish brown earths correspond to difficult soil drainage conditions caused by low porosity of the soil and groundwater level build-up which results in severe water-logging. Drainage becomes even more difficult in the LUG soils at the bottom of the valleys. Surface drainage to avoid erosion should be envisaged on most of class 2 and 3. Sub-surface drainage is necessary on three fourths of class 2 land.

 

2. 4. 5    Small extents of saline and alkaline phases can be delineated and are related to saline ground water (4 to 5 gins per litre). Salinity occurs particularly in LUG soils, mostly found in the lower landscape of the project area. Exchangeable sodium can be such that the Na/T ratio exceeds 10 for some alkaline and saline phases of LHG soils.

 

2. 4. 6    The RBE soils have narrow range of available moisture between 6 and 9 percent. The development of the root system and the availability of moisture for the plant growth may be limited on compact soils with rather low porosity. Average infiltration is between 1.5 and 3 inches/hour for deep RB1E soils, 10 to 20 inches/hour for the gravely phases and less than I .5 to 2 inches/hour in LHG soils.

2. 4. 7    Land grading will be required on class 2 land with a slope from 1.5 to 3 percent and on class 3 land with slopes above 3 percent. Land leveling will be required for flooded paddy fields on slopes above 0.5 percent. Brushwood and forests cover about 80% of the irrigable area i.e. 57,600 acres of class 2 and I lands and 18,500 acres of class 4R land of which 80% is in brushwood and the remainder in forest

 

 

5 Hydrological conditions

 

2. 5. 1    The project area contains four major irrigation reservoirs led by the Kala Oya and its main tributaries. The physical feature of the major irrigation schemes in the project area are as follows

                                                                               Full
                                                                              Supply        Gross              Active         Farm Area -               Acres
           Reservoir                                                  level            capacity         capacity      
                                                                              M..S.L.        Ac. ft.              Ac. ft.          Stage I             Stage II

                                                                                      

Kandalama                                                      578.0               27,400             23,800         4,000               14.000

       Kalawewa                                  ..                                                                 424.0             100,000             96,800
    Maha lluppallama                    ..                                                                 362.3                 4,500               4,000       - 13,000              57,000
       Kattiyawa                                  ..                                                                 309.7                 2,800               2,600

 

      Nachchaduwa                           ..                                                                 333.6              45,300            44,000
      Nuwara Wewa                          ..                                                                 286.8              36,1(X)          11,200         10,000
      Basawakkulama                        ..                                                                 280.5              1,800                1,900       
    Tisawewa . .                                                                                                 ..                                                                 289.3              2.9(W)             2,900

       Usgala

                                                         
                     Siyambalangamuwa                .                                                            286.5            22,000                 20,000         1,500                    

                    Rajangana          ..                                                                  ..                                                              224.0            81,600                  76,600                     17,000                

                    Angamuwa         . .                                                                 . .                                                              2l1.0               12.800               10,400

                                                                            ______           ______          _______    ______              ______
                                                                                                    337,.200            315.000       45,.500               71,.000

 

The project area of Stage II also contains over 200 small irrigation reservoirs. called village tanks of average capacity 100 ac. ft. They are replenished by local minor streams While the major irrigation schemes provide water both for the Maha Season and for a restricted extent during the Yala Season, the village tanks provide water only for the Maha Season. Even during the Maha Season, the cultivation tinder village tanks is precarious due to the poor reliability of the NE Monsoonal rains.

 

The tanks themselves are shallow and have large water spreads compared to the irrigated area. The submerged area is over 8,000 acres of arable land while the irrigated area is only about 13,000 acres.

 

Hence, in the canal and farm layout of the project area, only which are useful in canal regulation or as a source of domestic waiter supply will be retained while the majority of tanks will be breached and their tank beds converted to rice fields. The quality of irrigation water is fairly good anti its conductivity varies between 0.4 and 0.8 mmhos/cm.

 

2.6       Present land use and production patterns

 

The project area includes about 16,000 acres of paddy fields rainfed or irrigated front small village tanks. About 25 percent of these fields are unused mainly because of lack of water. About 60 percent are cultivated in Maha and 19 percent in Yala. The percentage of crop failure is around 12 percent.

 

Upland crops cover an area close to 17,000 acres comprising of 22 percent of fruit and coconut trees, 15 percent of garden crops and 63 percent of shifting cultivation.

 

Subsistent  farming is prevalent within the area. However, exchange in cash amount to 80 percent of the total value of agricultural production. Average net agricultural income per farm is about Rs. 1,500/- per year.

 

Animal breeding. in practiced by a minority of families, 27 percent of’ them have cattle and less than 9 percent have buffaloes. The average herd per tamely owning animals as around 9 heads including calves. Animal husbandry is poor. Cattle are allowed to wander around in search of forage and animal the is a problem. Buffaloes ate fed on paddy fallows where the growth of grass is benefited from a shallow water table.

 

Uplands are hand cultivated. Roughly hall the paddy area is prepared by tractors and the oilier hall is worked with draught buffaloes. The yields or paddy vary Iron less than 20 to inure than 80 bushels per acre.

 

Forestry activities are significant in toe area. Fishing in irrigating tanks not well thought of in most of the village communities. The potential fish production scorns presently under use and the actual production amounts only to about I percent of the total value oh agricultural production of the area.

 

The following Table gives the present land use pattern

 

Land List Pattern

 

 

 

2.7   land distribution and tenure

 

2. 7. 1 Summarized distribution of land owners and land operation pattern is as follows

 

Unit:    Percent of land

 

 

urce:          Socio-Agro-Economic Survey MOB 1971

 

2. 7. 2        Fragmentation is quite typical of paddy land whereas there is almost none on highlands and chena parcels. 50 percent of paddy parcels are under one quarter of an acre and

 

about 80 percent are under half an acre. Owners within the project area have on an average four parcels each, scattered far and wide and under different village tanks. People owning a large number of blocks are more willing to consolidate than the others who fear that the more powerful villagers might then appropriate to themselves the more fertile lands. Fragmentation will have to be carefully considered when resettling the undeveloped part of the project area.

 

2.7.3       The Paddy lands Act of I 958 was intended to provide for the security of tenure of tenant cultivators and to specify the rents payable to landlords. Because landlords provide facilities such as loans with no security and because of the disunity among the farmers. The power and authority of landlords over their tenants have yet remained almost unbated

 

2.7.4   The approximate encroachment situation at the end of 1971 is given below

 

Encroachments

 

                                                                                                                                                                    Units :Acres

 

                                                                                                   Paddy          Highland

         Chena            Total

                                                                                                   Land

 

                       Non-urban areas                                                                                                     1,398              2,806              7,734               11,938

                      

                       Kekirawa area ..                                                                   ..                                                                120                         300                 596                 1,016

                                                     ~                                                                                                                                                                                                                              __________

                                                                    Project area          ..                                                    . .                                                                             1,518             3,106                8,330               12,954

 

 

           Source Agro - .Scio - Economic Survey  M D B 197I

 

2. 7 5      Encroachments refer to illegal occupation of State land. The magnitude of encroach-merit and their quick spreading can be attributed to the overflow from colonization schemes and to sonic extent from purana villages, immigration from over-populated provinces, the scarcity of marketable land and the too lenient attitude of government authorities over the recent years.

 

2. 7. 6     Encroachments are a major obstacle to the implementation of the project. They will interfere with engineering works and with the settlement program. They will create tensions among the encroachers, colonists and the authorities. There is the further risk that as the settlement program is scheduled to start in 1975 only, informed encroach­ers may spread before that to the whole project area and may not be replaced by selected bona fide settlers. This risk is not underestimated by the Government since the success of the project depends on the efficient selection of settlers and appropriate measures ate expected to be taken.

 

2. 7. 7    The first colonization scheme around the project area was started in 1946. Three others followed in the next ten years. two of which are not yet completed. They cover a total area of 35,000 acres divided into 7,600 lost with a total population of 45,000. In 1968 two of those schemes were reorganize-d as Special Projects with more integrated planning, co-ordination, guidance and supply of inputs. As such, they are a good experimentation and observation ground with the future settlements iii view. Two youth schemes are found around the project area, at Rajangana and Bellan Oya. They have a total potential for accommodating 220 youths. A third scheme was abandoned. The primary objective of youth settlement schemes is to orient educated young men into agriculture and to create job opportunities in an age group in which unemployment is most widely spread.

 

2.8    Social Issues

 

         2. 8. 1    1here is a strong contrast between the two types of communities. purana villagers on the one hand and new villagers and colonisation scheme on the other, encountered in the project area..

 

2. 8. 2    Purana villages, often more than a century old have a distinctive pattern of settlement, caste homogeneity and social cohesiveness. Almost over the villages are linked by bonds of kinship or marriage. on the other hand, outside relations are limited to two three communities, For caste, ritual purposed and marriage possibilities. Purana villages limit their activities to farming and live essentially on a closed economy at subsistence level. Their behavior is strictly patterned along group standard and through a strong feeling that obedience to the elders is and ethical and practical must. Change occur very early and purana villagers because the elders accept change only when they are tuned with their ideology of village life, and the young are reluctant to endanger their social position by advocating conflict raising change.      

 

2. 8. 3    New Villages 20 years old on the average, are socially heterogeneous with a low level of social cohesiveness. the co-existence of different castes creates social tension and conflicts among the members of the community. The geographical and cultural backgrounds are varied. New villagers and colonists activities include trade, administrative positions and cash—crop farming. The cosmopolitan climate favors individualistic behavior. The adopt iota of new practices is even viewed as a suitable device to protect oneself from the consequences of conflicts. For the same reason close relation­ships are established with external traders and officials, which, in turn lead to many innovations.

 

 2.9  Agricultural Extension

 

Extension services are provided by the extension Branch of the department of Agriculture. Regular in service all grades of staff it agriculture, crops and crop production is provided at two major in-service training centers, one of which is located at the Research Station at Maha Illuppallama. A centre for training in mechanization and the operation and maintenance of farm machinery is now being established at Anuradhapura

close to the project area with aid 1mm West Germany

. Apart from these training centres, additional farmer-training centres are available in the other districts for short courses for farmers. The Extension Branch also has a section for educating young farmers, the extension branch also has a section for educating young framers, and farmwomen’s extension service course in accurated in 1970. a formal link between research and Extension is now being established by a team of Subject Matter Specialists located at the Research Station. Maha Illuppallama. Two such specialists have been appointed.

 

2.10   Co-operatives

 

2.10.1   There are 84 Multi – Purpose Co – operative Societies (MPCS) in the area H including the project areas of which 10 are primary Societies and 74 Branch Societies. The average population serve by each is about 1,500 and about 2,500 in the undeveloped average lands on which the project will be implemented.

 

2.10.2    The Co – operative movement has gone through several changes during the last few years. The present system results from a process aiming at building up economically viable units in the helds of consumer services, agricultural services, ago – based industries and education programmes while their reorganization endeavors to raise the efficiency of the MPCS the risk of stifling local leadership cannot be overlooked. Corruption among officials of Co- operatives, strained relations between MPCS officials and farmers lack of close contact between Government officials and the MPCSS under their care detract greatly from the services that the Co – operatives are capable of rendering to the farmers.

 

2.10.3    A proposal to from Production Co – operatives beside the reorganized Co –Operatives is under consideration the later would remain a servicing agent while the former would attend to institutional problems for productivity maximization.

 

2.11 Credit

 

       2.11.1   Institutional credit sources are the People’s Bank working through the co – operatives and the rural Bank, commercial banks and some government departments. Non-institutional sources include relatives, landlords, traders and money lenders; Institutional sources presently furnish only 27 percent of total credit in the area, at an actual interest rate varying between 6 and 12 percent according to the purpose of the loan. The rate of interest on non-institutional credit varies widely to as much as even 50.

 

2.11. 2  The present level of credit is well below official possibilities for agriculture. MDB investigations indicate that the average indebtedness of the farmers in the project area is Rs. 305 per household or Rs. 74/- per acre for production purposes and Rs. 247/-per household for consumption purposes.

 

2.11. 3  The rate of repayment is very low about 25 to 50 percent of the total institutional loans. Private loans are better repaid because more pressure is put on the villagers. Villagers tend to believe that institutional credit is a gift because the government has no security to enforce repayment. Credit institutions are those which require the most drastic improvement. A new scheme of agricultural credit is being considered to rectify this deficiency.

 

2.12  Marketing

 

2.12. 1  Marketing channels are the co-operatives, private traders and the village fairs. The co-operatives handle most of the paddy and small quantities of dried chilies and other produce. In the project area co-operatives handled about 31 percent of the total sales and the private traders 67 percent while in the existing schemes in areas H and IH, the sales handled by the two agencies are 50.1 and 48.5 respectively. The sales at the village fairs represent only about one to two percent. Paddy accounts for about 79.6 percent of the total purchases of the co-operatives and dried chilies 19.7 percent. The purchase of paddy will continue to increase as the Paddy Marketing Board has been vested with its monopoly purchase, while the purchase of dried chilies will continue to decrease as this fetches a high price in the free market due to the ban in imports.

 

2.12. 2  There are 15 G.P.S. paddy stores with a total capacity of 1,065,000 bushels, in the area H and IH including the project area and 6 stores close to it with a further capacity of 560,000 bushels. This storage capacity is just enough for present requirements.

 

2.12.3    32 rice mills operate in the same area with a total milling capacity of 15,000 bushels per

8-hour day. Most of the mills have old machinery and cannot run at full capacity. The quality of rice, especially parboiled rice, is often below standard. Official milling rates are of 51 percent in volume. Actual rates are slightly higher, leaving an extra profit margin for the millers. The Paddy Marketing Board has a plan to increase the already insufficient milling capacity.

 

No other crop is industrially processed in the area.

 

2.12. 4 Value of present production

 

At farm gate prices, the net value of the agricultural production in the project area represents the value added by 1,120,000 work-days. Paddy production accounts for 40 to 45 percent of the gross value of the production.

 

The gross value of the present agricultural production is Rs. 11.4 million and the net value Rs. 10.3 million the difference of Rs. 1.1 million representing the cost of inputs.