Debate

Revive the Green Revolution

N.U. Abdul Razzak

There are three fundamental needs that ensure the safe survival of human beings. They are invariably food, clothing and shelter.

Undoubtedly, food that gives energy and nourishment to all human beings and for that matter all the other creatures and vegetation lead the list in importance as none can survive against hunger and thirst.

However, when you closely observe the facts it is apparent that the other two wants, clothing and shelter get more prominence than food in some aspects thus driving people to focus their whole attention on these two vital requirements.

They can either vividly or blatantly exhibit the status of a person giving delight or sorrow.

As far as food is concerned, one can have the option of selection. The outside factors will not make much influence when we go for the decision of buying, preparing or eating food. But when a person takes decisions regarding clothing and shelter there are factors such as neighbours, friends, relatives and the society itself that affect his selection.

The adage "Eat for yourself and dress for others" emphasizes that one has to satisfy not only himself but also others when wearing dresses if he has to live without the criticism of others.

As the topic for this month's debate is related to shelter it is apt to see the importance of it. Indeed, shelter gets the pride of place in any society.

My earlier conclusion that "clothing and shelter have a prominent place" can be slightly wrong if a close and deeper analysis is made on these two vital wants of man. There are some clear-cut reasons which will prove why I am right.

Firstly, normally a shelter is bought or built once in a person's life. On the contrary, a dress is usually bought at least once six months. So, naturally much care is shown on shelter which lasts at least till the death of a person who dwells there.

Then, what about the value of it ? Comparatively it is hundreds of times more valuable than a dress. Thirdly a house is a "home sweet home" for everyone. It gives him more warmth, love, happiness, comfort, satisfaction and above all peace of mind.

Therefore it is obvious that shelter which is usually listed as the third basic requirement of human beings gets the most prominent place in this context.

The topic - "Lands: Balancing interests of property development and agriculture" is quite appropriate and timely as the open economy has brought disgrace and shame to this country which once exported rice to many countries during the golden regime of Parakramabahu, the Great.

Today, the sector of agriculture has got a severe blow as our farmers fail to produce the amount of food that this nation requires.

It is no exaggeration to say that agriculture which was the backbone of the economy of this nation is today in tatters due to the faults of our past politicians.

Consequently, our beloved nation, Sri Lanka has got a number of maladies such as terrorism, disunity, inflation, unemployment, frustration, crimes like drug addiction, and what not! Most of them are the creations of this open economy which never recognises the means of poor man such as cultivation, farming, cottage industry etc. Urbanisation is the latest issue that has to be tackled carefully and systematically.

Haphazard housing projects and massive housing schemes won't solve the problems of this country. A large number of villagers move to cities believing that they can have a peaceful life in the cities or outskirts.

Many of them who are traditional farmers give up their jobs for migration and end up as paupers. Housing schemes, sites of apartments, blocks of flats and condominiums welcome everyone for a so called happy life.

But a major portion of such movers lose their money, property and other wealth by buying them such costly properties which need bulk of money for maintenance and so on. For the majority it takes ages to complete the instalments.

It is sad to mention that many people are not lucky enough to see their houses belong to them in their lifetime as instalments usually takes over twenty years or so. Therefore migration towards such housing schemes should be fully discouraged.

Villagers should be encouraged to continue their cultivation so that they can richly contribute to nation building. It is sad to note today there aren't many families who take home grown vegetables for their diet. Our gardens which were once full of fruits are abandoned as barren lands. No person can eat fruits such mangoes, apples and apricots which got ripe naturally.

Today chemicals are added to our bodies as we consume such artificially ripened fruits.

Besides these ill effects there are many other harmful results which have appeared due to the haphazard habitation. Unemployment, aping the Western culture, ignoring values, forgetting religion are some of such harmful outcomes which have contributed to the disintegration of the society in Sri Lanka.

So it is obvious people of the villages should be provided with more facilities such as infrastructure to ensure the existence of a peaceful and prosperous village community that forms an integral part of this nation.

Today a coconut fetches the price of Rs. 40 and everyone shouts that cost of living has skyrocketed. Hasn't it helped the farming community to double their income ? Nobody will pose the question as to how our coconut climbers possess the mobiles.

Why can't our younger generation who eagerly await getting white collar jobs think of running a coconut estate, a vegetable garden, an orchard etc ?

The word self-sufficiency was a household term for every Sri Lankan before the package of open economy which was thrust on this nation.

Our former Prime Minister Sirimavo Bandaranaike who has the rare distinction of becoming the first woman prime minister of the world initiated a revolutionary project called the "Green Revolution" which gave prominence to agriculture.

People of all walks of life were encouraged to do cultivation. The farmers of Jaffna had a golden era in the first part of 1970s as they could sell their crops and vegetables such as chilies, onion, plantains and so on.

Today Bombay onion has replaced Jaffna onion leading to a big setback to the prosperity of this nation. It is high time that we seriously consider reviving the Green Revolution to restore our economy.

Fortunately, today a great project under the theme "Let's Grow Food and Develop the country" is placed before the nation to boost the economy of this island. It is not a political move but a judicious scheme to develop the country. So everybody should make their contribution as the cost of living stings us severely.

Our former Prime minister Dudley Senanayaka honoured our farmers of yore by having competitions among the peasants.

The title Govi Raja was given to the best farmer of each district. They were selected for the high yielding of paddy. In addition to the Govi Rajas, presents and cash awards were offered to the farmers who reached the given target of harvest.

This types of competitions in the sector of agriculture should be placed before farmers so that Sri Lanka can win back her past prestige. Ironically, many a paddy field which had luxuriant paddy crops are converted into housing schemes with no vegetation found near them.

There are also some paddy fields which are not used for cultivation due to various reasons. Our buffaloes that ploughed the paddy fields have got no tasks as farmers are left at the edge of poverty.

Let alone, the abandoning of paddy cultivation can our precious lands be allowed to be sold plot by plot for haphazard housing ? Can we change our villages into concrete jungles which environmentally and socially cause harm to the people who live there?

People should live close to nature so that they can enjoy the every moment of life delightfully. Development doesn't mean the erection of skyscrapers and hundreds of houses and apartments in a restricted area.

Residential areas should not be closer to the industrial zones and big cities. Today we have got a large number of houses in a particular area built by some construction companies. Some of them lack basic facilities. Environment was not given importance when they were built. Congestion and over population cause social and health hazards.

Therefore mass construction should not be allowed to destroy our precious lands. People should be encouraged to live in villages. They should be provided with all facilities so that urbanisation can be controlled to build a prosperous Sri Lanka which will treat everyone, the villagers and the urban folk alike.

Harmonious regulations can solve the problem

A person neither brings anything when he is born nor he takes anything with him when leaves the Earth. In his period of living he may have possessed something according to his wealth or bequeathed by his earlier generation. Besides, man longs to have wealth very much.

We have heard about people who have committed crimes just because of money. Irrespective of that, some people like to have lands in order to gain something or to bequeath it.

There are ample lands in our vicinities which are just like jungles where even some dangerous animals live. Among these, coconut lands and rubber lands are significant.

In my stance, those lands are a precious gift bestowed to humankind by God or nature. But almost in every instance people spurn it. Gone are the days where these beautiful lands swung in the soft winds that blew across them and had a good productivity.

Now the amount of land has been reduced according to one's purposes. The price of a coconut is prohibitive in contrast to the past. Those days people were able to pluck a coconut, husk and get the coconut milk.

But now it is completely the other side of that theory. No more hard work is remained to be done but just to step a supermarket and there we find what we want in packets. I am not in the notion that those are bad but just reckon that as an idea. Eventually not only coconut lands but also rubber lands have faced a severe depletion as well.

Another problem pertaining to this is the construction of buildings everywhere. Many people long to have a house on their own without dwelling in rented houses. We see innumerable advertisements for lands replete with colourful pictures. Sometimes the lands may be very cheap but consider what may have happened to the trees there were.

Although people buy those lands they are artificial ones. The aesthetic beauty of those trees cannot be seen but the so-called synthetic beauty of the concrete. The fertile plantation may have been devastated.

But sometimes people get deceived by those advertisements because some people may have had an axe to grind by just filling up marshy lands and selling them in an unscrupulous way.

Even of yore, coconut and rubber including tea were highly acknowledged in other countries. But by now it has been curtailed a little. We hear sometimes that people who work in those areas face severe hardships.

In this rapidly developing world including Sri Lanka no more hard work is needed but technology. A person can destroy it in no time. The problem is, man does not develop the world but destroys. He destroys the nature in the name of development.

Although people mend it they annihilate it. Therefore lands are a part of them. It is so slender even to be harmed by a prick. In that kind of situation it is not regretful to claim O tempora! O mores!.

If proprietors and wealthy land owners think and concentrate their monetary earnings keeping lands, what would be the fate of the innocents in this country. Today many people are strewn all over the country because of tragedies that they had to face.

An example is the tsunami disaster which occurred on the Boxing Day devastating many lives and properties people had.

There are also people who were living in composure while engaged in their daily routines. But we as people how can we blame those people for an unfortunate incident that happened without their knowledge.

Aftermaths of this unfortunate incident still could be seen although we have already passed three years. Some people are still in the temporary camps they were given and without much facilities.

With this regard we cannot blame for cutting lands in order to domicile them, can we ?

Then, if the society goes on this so-called developed technological track what might happen to the agricultural aspect of the country and the immense number of dependants on agriculture who are occupied in very many lands. But if people misused these lands there would not be any pretty notion about agriculture.

Thus, this is a vexed problem. While people may want to own lands the Government may want to improve agriculture.

We as human beings it is incumbent not only on us but also on the Government even to think about other people. By now there is a huge demand for lands. So the Government should enact regulations which are harmonious to both people and to the State.

Then there may be aesthetic lands as well as buildings which are precious to agriculture and to the development.

Apply strict laws for land use

MIRAN PERERA

We are today faced with many challenges while some developing countries have to produce more from less and less land, the developed countries are more threatened with the serious problem of environmental degradation through industrialisation.

The whole world is concerned with the serious problem of global proportion of the quality of life now and in the future. Therefore there is an urgent need for careful consideration and thoughtful planning of the uses of agricultural resources.

In a nation that has historically been predominantly agrarian with little trade and industry, possession of land has come to assume an exalted status in the lives of Sri Lankan people defining their social and economic aspirations.

Over the years the stake to land has been expressed by different individuals and communities in varying forms and degrees consequently dictating the use and abuse of the land resource. The Government should make an attempt to provide a framework that would guide the development of land alongside a desired path so that an expected pattern of land use could be achieved.

Any fundamentals of any proposed land use policy draft should include the implementation of scientific land use principles keeping in mind their cultural and environmental impact encouraging private ownership of land, utilisation of land according to land suitability evaluation, decentralisation of land management for a balanced regional development and modifying land laws to meet the current needs.

Sri Lanka is fast moving towards development through the many opportunities for investment foreign and local. With the onset of development, land is needed for various construction activities.

The increase in population has made the necessity for housing construction specially in the larger towns of the country and in their peripheries. The cost of construction material has risen as well as the properties themselves. There is an urgent need for space for construction purposes.

Many people are searching for land near major cities. As land is hard to come by many businesses have ventured out in buying prime properties specially plantation land for housing and industrial purposes.

The old concept of tea, rubber and coconut as lucrative export crops has lost its appeal to the agriculturist as they do not bring the required returns since recent times. Landed proprietors and owners of old plantations of tea, rubber and coconut are faced with diminishing and gradually poorer harvests.

This is because of high costs in manuring and replanting with trees loosing their output due to old age, lack of manure, drought and high expense of labour.

With the manufacture of diversified products from these crops the demand for them has diminished with time. The introduction of substitute oil products has lost the demand for coconut oil thus increasing such imports.

The migration to major cities from the provinces has increased the demand for better housing with modern facilities. With major private construction companies building fashionable houses with modern amenities has raised the demand and preference for modern living standards.

This demand within the country has made a new breed of businessman fast changing their strategies to become property developers intent on making quick money by selling cleared prime land at very attractive prices. The numerous brand names used for describing these properties has tempted many house hunters, wishing to buy land to build their dream homes.

Lack of space in the big cities has led property developers to build high rise housing apartments with very modern facilities sold at exorbitant prices which are beyond the reach of the average citizen.

The relevant authorities should encourage the building of such apartments away from the large cities as such high rise buildings specially consisting of houses would indirectly prevent the fragmentation of land for single unit houses.

There is a need for the preparation of a proper land policy which aligns with the national economic policy. The present policy focuses on the development of a few cities and lures people to throng cities leaving villages. Ours is a different policy and we need to expand development activities throughout the country without restricting everything to the Western Province.

Therefore we need a proper land policy which satisfies our economic need. There is an urgent need for the distribution of land among the poor and the middle class people the disabled and those who are working in armed forces and police in a methodical manner.

Land should be given to those who deserve it at a concessionary rate without any political influence. We should resolve issues related to land disputes - proper titles, handing over of properties from fathers to sons without proper deeds. Estimates state that 44 per cent of agricultural land in Sri Lanka is under some form of land degradation.

About 30 per cent of land in dry zone is degraded and unsustainable for agriculture while 30 per cent of tea lands in the wet zone are considered to be marginal and uneconomical for cultivation.

Although the apparent factors producing land degradation are natural hazards and direct human caused action such as poor soil-earth conservation measures, inappropriate cultivation practices, deforestation mismanaged irrigation and over grazing yet the more important indirect underlying causes that give rise to direct action cannot be overlooked.

They include socio-economic factors such as inappropriate tenurial patterns poverty landlessness, lack of alternatives for livelihood and population pressure. Of all land degradation has its roots most deeply embedded in the problem of tenure insecurity.

Tenure insecurity has often and again been cited a vital issue to be addressed in any major scale initiative to combat land degradation.

Buying plantation properties for property development purposes has risen during recent years. These lands are cleared and the wood sold for very high prices while demarcated plots of these lands still sold for much higher prices.

Most such land plots could be seen along major roads in Sri Lanka. With prestigious brand names these plots of cleared land to tempt and entice many who are searching for such properties. The environment is drastically affected and much valuable crop produce such as coconut and rubber reduced.

Without dispute all accept that land is needed for construction of more houses and business premises due to the increasing population and foreign and local business investments. Yet the fast depleting plantation lands for construction purposes cannot be ignored.

As both are vital a definite balance through much stringent regulations and laws that are seriously applied could help solve thus crisis. If not grave environmental damage, landslides, soil erosion, depletion of vital crops and specially high cost of housing will be a burden to the entire country of Sri Lanka.

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Lands: Balancing interests of property development and agriculture

Sri Lanka is developing fast. There is a huge housing and construction boom throughout the country. The burgeoning middle class is building more houses, getting away from rented houses. Commercial buildings are being built everywhere. This construction boom has naturally led to a demand for more land.

We see hundreds of advertisements for land blocks in Sunday newspapers, replete with beautiful colour photographs. These lands are often advertised as "fully developed" meaning they have been cleared, tarred and provided with water. But what the advertiser won;t tell you is that the land has probably been a fertile coconut plantation or even a rubber plantation. It is also not uncommon for them to fill up marshy lands.

This has become a serious issue. On one hand there is a need for development. On the other, we have to save our remaining coconut and rubber lands which produce precious agri commodities. This is a dilemma that the State and the public face.

What are your views on this crucial issue ? We like to hear from you as the Daily News Debate shifts its focus on to "Lands: Balancing interests of property development and agriculture."

Make your views known in less than 1,000 words. 'Daily News Debate', Daily News, Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Limited, PO Box 1217, Colombo, or via e-mail to debate@dailynews.lk before January 31, 2008.