Soil Salinity in Paddy Fields

Paddy is the staple food crop in Sri Lanka. It is also a major employment avenue in rural areas. However, the productivity of most of the paddy growing lands in Sri Lanka declines every year due to increased soil salinity -- this is primarily a result of changing climate conditions affecting the livelihoods and resilience of farming communities. Currently about 100,000 hectares of paddy lands in Sri Lanka are affected by high salt conditions or salinity. Given the urgent need to find a solution to improve the productivity of salt-affected paddy lands, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Disaster Management Centre (DMC) of the Ministry of Disaster Management joined hands with the Rice Research & Development Institute (RRDI) and the National Federation for Conservation of Traditional Seeds and Agricultural Resources (NFCTSAR - a local NGO) to implement a Climate Change adaptation pilot project. The introduction of new practices to cultivate in salt-affected paddy lands helped increase the yield from about 52 kg per acre to 2,800 kg with enhanced soil residue and water management. The national average of the same variety, during that year, was around 1,700 kg per acre. For more information visit our: Official Website: http://www.lk.undp.org/content/srilanka/en/home/ourwork/environmentandenergy/successstories/improving-paddy-production-through-adaptation-technology--.html Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UNDPSriLanka Twitter: https://twitter.com/UNDPSriLanka Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/undpsrilanka/