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Sri Lanka’s abrupt and compulsory switch to organic farming resulted in a significant reduction in output.Summary
This article by Kenny Torrella, writing for Vox, makes the following points:
- Sri Lanka's economy has collapsed.
- Political corruption, covid (causing a reduction in tourism), terrorism, and unsustainable debt and inflation—all played a part in Sri Lanka's economic collapse.
- In 2021, President Rajapaksa decided to ban synthetic fertilizer and pesticides practically overnight.
- This ban forced Sri Lanka's millions of farmers to go organic.
- One of the reasons for doing this was to save money by not buying synthetic fertilizers.
- This abrupt switch proved disastrous, as Sri Lankan agriculture experts had warned.
- Sri Lanka had been self-sufficient in rice production, but the changes meant the country had to spend $450 million on rice imports.
- Ninety per cent of Sri Lankan families are currently having to skip meals.
- Inflation is out of control, and Sri Lanka cannot pay its overseas debts.
References
References from the Web:
- MAR 2022 In Sri Lanka, Organic Farming Went Catastrophically Wrong—Foreign Policy
- MAY 2022 Green dreams: How going organic helped spark Sri Lanka’s crisis—SBS
Source Information:
- Article Source: Vox
- Media Check: Vox - Media Bias Fact Check (mediabiasfactcheck.com)
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