8 December, 2019
Although the catastrophic effects of the climate crisis affect us all, Sri Lanka among many other countries is on the front-line. With the agriculture sector absorbing nearly 30% of our labour force, while providing livelihoods to 70% of the country’s rural population, a majority of our communities are at the unrelenting mercy of inevitable climate shocks.
The Mahaweli River Basin, the largest draining area of Sri Lanka’s extensive collection of rivers, is home to a large proportion of the small rain-fed farming communities on the island. And, unsurprisingly, climate shocks have exacerbated the prevalent poverty and food insecurity within these communities.