Farming the current food insecurity

Since running out of foreign reserves, Sri Lanka has the title of the first Asia-Pacific nation to default on its international debt in more than two decades. This led to a foreign exchange crisis that resulted in widespread protests, severe shortages of essentials like medicine, and a sharp decline in living standards throughout the island. As it worked to finalise an IMF rescue, the debt restructuring discussions with creditors trudge on, with the common man at risk. Although there were several contributing factors to the crisis the effects of the fertiliser ban were a major factor of the ongoing health crisis.

The Sri Lankan Government put a ban on the import of agrochemicals in April 2021 in order to encourage organic farming and provide all inhabitants with a diet free of toxins. The abrupt policy shift had an impact on the market for inputs and led to an increase in agrochemical costs, which led to a reduction in yield. Because of the country's escalating inflation, food security is currently a major worry. According to some poll results, 70% of farmers fell into the category of being food secure and only slightly food secure. 2% of farmers had severe food insecurity during the survey, while 28% of farmers had moderate food security.  

The short-term effects of this regulation shift on OFCs and the potato farming industry were examined in relation to the Maha seasons from 2020 to the current day. After the policy change, there was a 26% decrease in the overall area under cultivation, which led to a 52% yield loss. Despite the fact that the use of organic fertilisers has risen since the use of chemical fertilisers was outlawed, just 1% of farmers choose totally organic farming, with 56% preferring chemical fertilisers, under legally dubious means. 

Therefore, switching to entirely organic farming is neither desirable nor a viable option for farmers for the last couple of years. It is essential to build a well-balanced and well-thought-out blend of conventional and organic farming methods, together with fertiliser policies that are more environmentally and economically sustainable. Extreme measures like a total ban or tightly regulated licenses may not produce the best results. The farming community in Sri Lanka was extremely concerned about import restrictions on agrochemicals and chemical fertilisers. 

The growers were adversely impacted by the scarcity of agrochemicals on the open market and the high prices that resulted. Other field crops and potato crop production have an important position in Sri Lanka's crop production industry since they are essential food items for the bulk of the population and serve as inputs for several agro-based businesses. After the import limitations, there was a scarcity of chemical fertilisers, although 78% of farmers still used at least one kind, namely Urea, MOP, or TSP. The evidence from the crops showed that potato producers applied the most chemical fertiliser.

Moving toward 100% organic farming is neither advisable nor viable. A well-balanced and well-planned blend of conventional and organic agriculture systems is required, together with fertiliser policies that are more environmentally and economically sustainable. Instead of a sudden and complete switch to only organic farming, a progressive reduction in pesticide use with a long-term strategy on the appropriate supply of organic fertilisers and other organic based alternatives is recommended.