Resource information
Many attempts, which were aimed at promoting Sustainable Agricultural Systems (SAS) in Sri Lanka failed due to poor acceptance by farmers. This situation still exists in spite of the formidable scientific evidence that supports the physical effectiveness of these systems to solve the respective problems. Factors that lead to poor acceptance of SAS by farmers can be broadly categorized as system specific factors and general factors that affect all systems commonly. This paper argues that although the general factors are less apparent, indirect, and difficult to recognize, they could be more important in Sri Lanka's case as the poor acceptance exists with many systems. The paper briefly discusses five such factors suggesting that major adjustments in the overall agriculture system are inevitable if the benefits of SAS are to be reaped by society. Such adjustments include strengthening of farmer participation at all levels; modification of research and extension systems and changing their priorities; proper land use and planning and screening of existing policies for their inconsistencies. Here, the challenge is to re-orient these policies and institutes to generate appropriate incentives, which will help to promote these systems among farmers.
