Gardening against the odds
Growing a more resilient future in Sri Lanka
Kamani Munasinghe spends her days surrounded by fresh and healthy food. Her garden is filled with almost 40 varieties of fruits, vegetables and herbs — products of her hard work and determination to turn her life around.
Just 18 months ago, Kamani was depressed and living below the poverty line. She didn’t have any income of her own and was worried about her family and her future.
“It was not easy to live with domestic violence, and I didn’t know whether I could take care of my aging parents and two children on my own. These were worries I had when I separated from my ex-husband,” said Kamani.
Building a brighter future
Today Kamani is a passionate gardener and recently won the ‘Gardens of the City’ competition in the Matale District of Sri Lanka. She has gone from being unemployed to earning USD $330 per month from the sales of the organic food she grows in her backyard.
She is now able to provide her family with a diverse amount of foods that contain vital nutrients to keep her two children healthy. She has also gone into business to sell the extra food so she can earn an income.
The impacts of a changing climate
According to the Global Climate Risk Index, Sri Lanka is ranked 2nd out of 176 countries that are the most affected by weather extremes.
For Sri Lankan farmers, a changing climate and events such as droughts, floods and landslides can have a devastating affect on their incomes and their food security. The 2016/2017 drought was the worst in the country in 40 years, and families in 20 out of 25 districts were affected. It destroyed crops, livelihoods, increased malnutrition and forced families into debt as they struggled to support themselves.
Improving resilience to weather extremes
Building resilience is an important step towards improving food security. In 2017, the World Food Programme (WFP) and the Government of Sri Lanka launched multiple resilience-building and livelihood support activities across Sri Lanka. Funded by the Korean International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), the project has worked with families in the 13 districts that are most vulnerable to a changing climate.
Kamani’s family was one of them. “I received a water storage unit, roofing sheets, and drain-pipes to harvest rainwater. I also got seeds to start home gardening and books on vegetable and fruit cultivation,” said Kamani.
“These donations were instrumental for me to start home gardening. I used the ‘food scalping model’ to take full advantage of my limited space, with vertical gardening methods, cover crops, and types of raised beds.”
WFP, the Government of Sri Lanka and KOICA distributed 780 water storage units and worked with families on 78 irrigation projects. These will help families to improve their access to water, even during periods of drought.
It has also been am opportunity for participants to gain new skills. A total of 1,500 women and youth have been trained to start their own businesses. By diversifying incomes within families, they are better able to buy healthy food year-round.
For Kamani, her garden has created not just economic opportunities, but has changed her outlook on life. “Today, I am confident and an example to women that we can have a livelihood and give a good future to our children if we work hard,” she said.
Read more about WFP’s work in Sri Lanka
