Proposals for the resettlement of people in the North and East

(Summary of the discussion held on 11^th August 2009 at MONLAR) 

1.The country is faced with the daunting task of resettling almost 300,000 people within the next four months. Most of these are originally independent farmers, with a long tradition of sustainable agriculture. They possess a treasure trove of knowledge which will be destroyed for ever if they are forced, against their will, to work on large export oriented farms operated by large entrepreneurs. 

2.Over a period of more than twenty-five years, we have been advocating natural agriculture (with slight change of emphasis, variously known as organic agriculture, sustainable agriculture, low-input agriculture etc.) as the most suitable form of agriculture globally, and more urgently, for countries such as Sri Lanka. It has been adapted as public policy in a number of countries across the world. It is also now the publicly stated policy of the Government of Sri Lanka, under Mahinda Chinthanaya.

( Note 1. If necessary  , a short description of the applicability and advantages of natural agriculture such as savings on the cost of inputs, natural soil improvement, health benefits and the special advantages of small scale farming in adopting natural methods etc. could be added and I would like to suggest that Dr.Lionel Weerakoon could write this or Dr.Gamini Kulathunga)

3.The best option for the country as a whole if it is to simultaneously achieve the objectives of:

Resettling 300,000 people within four months,

Providing them with a satisfactory quality of life,

Making a start on the road to national harmony,

Reducing the risk of a new insurrection,

Reducing defence expenditure and improving national security, Eliminating the national food deficit and improving nutrition levels,

Improving national health standards

Poverty elimination and getting the best participation of the people in planning and implementing their own development process

would be to seek a methodology for the strategy of natural farming.

4.However, it has been very difficult to affect the changeover from high-input agriculture to natural agriculture due to two main reasons, viz. conservatism of the people, and more importantly, the influence of vested interests, both local and global.

5.Contrary to conventional neo-liberal thinking, it has been scientifically well established that small and medium sized farms are more productive than large farms.

6.The otherwise tragic outcome of the thirty-year war has presented a golden opportunity to Sri Lanka to implement this form of agriculture as the preferred mechanism of development in the Northern Province, thus setting an example to the rest of the country.

7.It is possible to identify almost immediately a large number of small mine-free localities with natural or man-made sources of water suitable for human settlement. Immediate action should be taken to establish such settlements around the watersheds with their original inhabitants, together with reservations for essential communal needs such as grazing grounds, forest reservations etc.

8.In order to bring about this transformation from conventional external input dependent agriculture to natural agriculture there is a need to have an intensive programme of re-education and training. Therefore mechanisms of such training and extension work should be established. For this purpose the already existing expertise among ecological farmers and experts should be utilised, which could be a very effective way of rebuilding good will and friendship among the farming communities _ establishing educational institutes to do research and training in ecological / nature farming could be an effective measure.

     9.There is a possibility of obtaining external expertise and experiences from similar groups applying nature farming in India and rest of Asia if necessary

10. Such immediate resettlement will alleviate the suffering of, and in addition, generate a lot of goodwill among, the people.

11. They may be encouraged to develop their cultivation on the traditional co-operative basis relevant to their customs and locality.

We expect common agreement on the above from among all interested parties, including the government, enabling immediate implementation.

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