Introduction: City context

Gampaha Districts, located in Sri Lanka’s Western Province is made up of 13 Divisions. The Gampaha Municipality covers an area of 37.5 km2 and has a population of around 60,000 adults. In addition, and on a daily basis, there is an influx of 25,000 school children to Gampaha municipality.

Districts of Sri Lanka                                                                                            Gampaha district

Most important types of Urban Agriculture in this specific city

The Western Province Department of Agriculture promotes home-gardens and Family Business Gardens in Gampaha for reasons of a nutritionally healthy diet. Abandoned paddy lands are also being converted to agricultural production (vegetables, fruits and commercial crops like manioc). As, approximately 55 tons of municipal solid waste are generated each day, urban and peri-urban agriculture can play an important role in recycling of biodegradable waste, to be used in floriculture or organic home gardens.  Finally, agriculture is being promoted in schools. 

Manioc production                                                                                       Agriculture activities in schools

Multi-stakeholder Policymaking and Action planning on urban agriculture (MPAP) on urban agriculture in Gampaha

A first policy awareness and partners orientation workshop was organized in Gampaha on 22nd May 2007, with participation of 11 different organisations/ government departments, including the Mayor and the Chief Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture, expressing a strong interest in and support to the program.

A 4-day MPAP Training Workshop was organised in Gampaha in July 2007. After the workshop, a local MPAP enabling team was formed including the Western Province Department of Agriculture, Animal Husbandry Department, Health Department, Department of Education, Gampaha Botanical Gardens, and Municipal Council of Gampaha.

Following capacity building events were organised in August (a 3-day workshop on PRA methods, development of urban agriculture action plans and various types of urban agriculture and a one-day workshop on policy analysis and review) and October (a two-day workshop on land use mapping and development of policy briefs).   

Each the training was followed by direct implementation of several component of the situation analysis,  including stakeholder analysis, PRA activities, a questionnaire survey, land use mapping and identification of potentials and constraints for urban and peri-urban agriculture development in Gampaha.

Results of the situation analysis will be presented and shared with a broader audience in form of a policy narrative to be finalised by December 2007. This will lay the basis for further action planning in 2008.

Linkages to regional websites, key documents, photos, maps

For more information on the RUAF-Cities Farming for the Future Programme in the region, contact the regional coordinator at RUAF South and South East Asia or see their website.

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