Samy Ladir Shan, a commando with Sri Lanka’s elite police force, is on a unique mission to restore a farm that has been damaged by salt contamination.
Salt levels have been gradually increasing, impacting traditional rice paddies along the coast and threatening the livelihoods of generations of farmers.
About a two-hour drive south from Colombo leads to Kathukurunda, home to one of the special task force camps established four decades ago to combat Tamil rebels.
While his colleagues train for crowd control under the oppressive heat of the nearby Indian Ocean, the 35-year-old non-commissioned officer and his team, dubbed the “Commando Farmers,” are busy tilling, weeding, and irrigating.
Their mission? To cultivate coconut palms and a diverse array of fruits and vegetables in fields once deemed useless due to saltwater damage.
This initiative, launched in 2022, aims to boost food security, with land allocated by local governments.
Referred to as Soljan, this approach draws inspiration from farming techniques in Thailand and Indonesia.
By creating ponds where rice can grow and fish can be raised, they transform areas prone to flooding, all while planting salt-resistant coconut trees.
The banks of these ponds are utilized for more sensitive crops.
“We’ve planted around 360 coconut trees here along with pumpkins, gourds, and cucumbers,” Dilshan noted, expressing hope for a positive outcome in about two and a half years.
Facing Challenges
Buddhi Malambe from Peradeniya University described this system as efficient and environmentally aware, as it enhances land use and farmers’ profits.
According to a 2024 report from the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), saltwater intrusion affects 10.7% of the Earth’s land, severely limiting agricultural potential in some areas.
This phenomenon occurs as seawater floods rivers, soaking into soil through evaporation and contaminating groundwater necessary for irrigation.
Climate change is expected to exacerbate these issues, leading to drier soils and rising sea levels, which could increase saline land globally from 24% to 32% by the century’s end, according to the FAO.
These patterns pose significant threats to agricultural yields in affected regions, Sri Lanka included.
Marambe estimates that approximately 223,000 hectares (551,000 acres) of farmland, half of which comprises rice paddies, are affected by salinity.
Salt’s Impact
South of the pilot plantation lies the village of Parapwa, surrounded by barren land.
Here, a few paddy fields remain just a short distance from the ocean.
“Everything’s tainted by salt during high tide,” explained Gamini Piyal Wijesinghe, 46, whose father shifted to the restaurant business after leaving the army.
He pointed out 18 small dams built to block the seawater that, he claims, were improperly constructed, allowing water to still infiltrate.
Many former rice farmers have turned to crops like cinnamon or rubber.
“Cinnamon is thriving, but since we stopped growing rice, our financial situation has worsened,” remarked WD Jayaratne, 50, leader of the local farmers’ association.
There’s a sense of gloom for the future.
“Salt in the water is becoming more menacing, threatening our farmland,” he continued, highlighting the pervasive issues of pests as well.
In the Karutara district, local officials are reallocating abandoned land to farmers, primarily for coconut cultivation, to revitalize these areas.
“We’ve already set aside 400 hectares and aim to expand that to 1,000 in the next two years,” stated District Chief Janaka Gunawardana, emphasizing the demand for coconuts as a source of income.
Salt-Resistant Varieties
In Katukurunda, 55-year-old Aruna Priyankara Perera expressed optimism about the STF’s agricultural pilot project.
“Five acres (2 hectares) are being restored for the STF initiative next to the hotel,” he said, gesturing toward a newly established field of coconut and pumpkin.
“The land is free for two years. If you can demonstrate growth, it’s yours at no cost.”
Rice, being a staple in the region, is of utmost concern for officials.
“Soil salinity is a pressing issue in Sri Lanka,” Malambe noted, adding that they have successfully tested several salt and flood-resistant rice varieties.
The stakes are particularly high.
A recent study of the Bentota River mouth in the southwestern region revealed that half of local rice farmers had lost all income due to saltwater encroachment.
Food security in Sri Lanka is currently at risk; the last rice harvest from September to March was the lowest recorded since 2019.
“If everyone could come together to rehabilitate and cultivate our salt-affected lands, perhaps there’s hope for a brighter future,” Marambe said with a tone of urgency. “Otherwise, we face a grim outlook.”
