SUSTAINABILITEA THROUGH GOOD AGRICULTURAL PRACTICES
SUSTAINABILITEA
THROUGH
GOOD AGRICULTURAL
PRACTICES
SUSTAINABILITEA THROUGH GOOD AGRICULTURAL PRACTICES
1.SCIENTIFIC LAND USE PLANNING - Ageing tea bushes
Degraded soil
2. EMPLOYMENT CHALLENGES - Worker shortages
3. MANAGING COSTS - Labour
Energy
Input cost – (Fertiliser)
High social cost
4. EFFECTS OF GLOBAL WARMING
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SUSTAINABILITEA THROUGH GOOD AGRICULTURAL PRACTICES
1-Scientific Land Use Planning
Scientific land use planning is necessary to identify the BEST lands
for tea cultivation considering current yield / productivity of the land
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SUSTAINABILITEA THROUGH GOOD AGRICULTURAL PRACTICES
Land use planning in a national sense needs to be addressed first of all from the context of the National Tea Crop that has been agreed upon. Equally, National Tea Crops cannot also be fixed or viewed in isolation.
In an international market, where tea is part of the global beverage market , it is imperative that national production quotas should also take into cognizance the global demand for tea, within the expanding beverage market..
Tea production needs to be targeted to keep pace with the growing global demand for tea and also strike a balance to avoid global over / under supply.
Tea consumption is said to increase by 3% per annum and therefore supply also needs to grow at approximately 3%.
Towards this end, it is imperative that the major tea producing countries agree on National Production Targets for the near, medium and long term.
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SUSTAINABILITEA THROUGH GOOD AGRICULTURAL PRACTICES
1-Scientific Land Use Planning
Land ProductivitySri Lanka - 1,600 kg./Ha.India - 1,900 kg./Ha.Kenya - 2,100 kg./Ha.
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SUSTAINABILITEA THROUGH GOOD AGRICULTURAL PRACTICES
Low Land Productivity
Ageing Tea Bushes
Degraded Soil
Changing weather patterns(Global Warming)
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SUSTAINABILITEA THROUGH GOOD AGRICULTURAL PRACTICES
Ageing Tea Bushes
Sub Optimal stands
Sri Lanka - Topography
AgeSeedling > 60 Years = 91%
VP > 40 Years = 6 % 31 – 40 Years = 25 % 21 – 30 Years = 28 % 11-20 Years = 29 % <10 Years = 13 %
Advantages for Quality
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SUSTAINABILITEA THROUGH GOOD AGRICULTURAL PRACTICES
1-Scientific Land Use Planning
Scientific land use plan for the rational use of land to replant the most suitable lands with genetically superior cultivars
Land Use %
Tea 65
Fuelwood 15
Housing etc 10
Miscellaneous 10
Total 100 6
Superior Quality
Global Warming
Yield
SUSTAINABILITEA THROUGH GOOD AGRICULTURAL PRACTICES
1-Scientific Land Use Planning
Good Agricultural Practices
a) Soil conservation / rehabilitation
b) Shade management
c) Integrated Pest & Disease Management
d) Infilling / Replanting with genetically superior varieties
e) Micro irrigation
f) Fertigation
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SUSTAINABILITEA THROUGH GOOD AGRICULTURAL PRACTICES
2-Employment Challenges
a) Highly labour intensive 70 – 72% of COP
b) World over, with countries shifting from Agriculture to Industry to knowledge-based economies, the total number of people engaged in agriculture is reducing drastically. This is no different in the Tea Plantations as well.
c) Ever increasing worker wages, independent of productivity improvement, is posing a threat to the viability of many tea plantations.
d) A model needs to be developed that will ensure the workers an “Income Guarantee” as opposed to the current model of “Employment Guarantee”.
e) While safeguarding the rights and privileges of workers, the new employment model must endeavour to link remuneration to the price of tea that ensures affordability and consequently, sustainability.
f) Mechanisation of field operations. 4
SUSTAINABILITEA THROUGH GOOD AGRICULTURAL PRACTICES
3-Managing Costs
Cost
Worker
Energy
Social Cost
Inputs - Fertiliser
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SUSTAINABILITEA THROUGH GOOD AGRICULTURAL PRACTICES
3-Managing Costs
Worker Costs - Introduce non-wage based remuneration
- Improve productivity
- Mechanization
Energy Cost - Improve energy efficiency (Fans/VSD)
- Convert to renewable sources of energy
- Solar / Dendro Power
Fertilizer - Adjust pH
Improve soil Fertility – Carbon content
Social Cost - Health
- Welfare / Sports
- Infrastructure / Housing / Creches 2
SUSTAINABILITEA THROUGH GOOD AGRICULTURAL PRACTICES
Social Cost
Expenditure on improving quality of life of the workers is indeed,
And
Not actually a cost
3-Managing Costs
An investment
1
SUSTAINABILITEA THROUGH GOOD AGRICULTURAL PRACTICES
a) Warm areas will get warmer
b) Cold areas will get colder
c) Dry spells will get longer
d) Wet spells will get longer
e) Rain in historically dry areas
f) Dry spells in historically wet areas
4. - Effects of Global Warming
SUSTAINABILITEA THROUGH GOOD AGRICULTURAL PRACTICES