Sri Lankan farmers urged to tap ancient irrigation systems amid erratic rains - TRUST
A workable solution to the vagaries of shifting rain patterns may have been around for centuries
CGIAR Climate's insight:
The IWMI research, which was carried under the CGIAR Research Programme on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS), also found that other methods have also been effective in dealing with shifting rainfall patterns in Sri Lanka, including rain water harvesting.
Sonja Vermeulen, head of research for the CCAFS programme, told Thomson Reuters Foundation the new research highlights the importance of supporting farmers’ efforts to manage climate stresses, despite inconclusive evidence on the impact of more extreme weather trends.
“It is imperative that countries take decisive action on adaptation to climate change, rather than wait for a global movement take place,” she said.
Vermeulen said the Sri Lankan example shows that local, indigenous knowledge and practices can sometimes be put to good use quickly, rather than waiting for newer technologies that could take years and millions of dollars to develop.