Agriculture has long been the bedrock of Sri Lankan society, but environmentalists say that modern farming methods, which use pesticides and other chemicals, harm consumers’ health and the environment. Farmers are reverting to traditional methods used by ancient farmers to eliminate these risks.
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by Wasantha Ilanganthilake Reporter, Wednesday - May 11, 2011
UKUWELA, CENTRAL PROVINCE, SRI LANKA – Thilak Kandegama, a local environmentalist, manages the Kandyan Forest Garden, a natural farm in Ukuwela, a village in Sri Lanka’s Central Province.
Kandegama started this 12-acre farm in 2009 with the goal of creating an environmentally friendly farming system. He says that crops should be cultivated in a way that protects the environmental balance in Sri Lanka, a country rich in biodiversity.
At his farm, Kandegama says he uses the ancient “chena” cultivation methods, a simple two-stage process in which land is slashed and burned and then seeds that require minimal tending are planted in the nutrient-rich soil. He cultivates mixed crops, such as vegetables, flowers, paddy, coconut and fruit without using any chemicals. Read more: http://www.globalpressinstitute.org/...