After having several dialogues at national and local level GWP Sri Lanka had realised that while adequate knowledge and information on Climate Change (CC) and Climate Change Adaptation (CCA) are available at the central level and might not have even reached to local and grassroots level. Lack of knowledge materials in local languages was a significant drawback and most of the information were available through media.
With this as the backdrop, GWP Sri Lanka stepped in to raise awareness on CC and CCA among agriculture sector, which is considered as the most vulnerable to impacts of CC, the knowledge products supplemented the trainings. The materials were developed in collaboration with the Research Institutions of the Department of Agriculture, i.e. Field Crop Research and Development Institute, the Rice Research and Development Institute the Oil Crops and Legumes Research Institute. Initially the CCA knowledge products on Paddy, Other Field Crops, Rainwater Harvesting for Agriculture, Home Gardening and New Technological Options were developed in Sinhala. The Tamil versions became available only from 2017 onwards while the trainings in Tamil speaking areas (Mannar, Trincomalee, Killinochchi and Jaffna) were began from 2018. All SLWP knowledge products and information materials are being made available for free.
Agency staff, farmer leaders and farmers have been selectively addressed under these CCA programmes and special awareness and training programmes have been held for agency staff and farmer leaders at the respective research institutions. Special Training of Trainers (ToT) Programmes have been held to expand the human resource capability on CCA. Resource Persons are drawn from the respective agencies, universities and research institutes as appropriate. The attached map is indicative of the depth and spread of the CCA programme and to date over 80 programmes have been held with the particpation of more than 3,450 of which 2,275 were Famer Leaders and Farmers. While issues of drinking water are subsumed under these CCA programmes, 28 separate training programmes were held on Drinking Water targeting Community based Organisations and Schools.