A Study of Key Challenges to Irrigation Engineering System Performance affecting Agro Food Security in Sri Lanka 2023, and introducing Partnering Strategy and Innovative Engineering Technologies etc. as Potential Solutions

Abstract

With population increase, environmental changes and socio-economic development, the demand for water and foods continues to increase and the water sector began to face many challenges worldwide. Sri Lanka has faced those challenges adequately in the last few decades but in 2019 - 2023 we can see a sudden setback in agriculture and hydropower sectors due to poor strategic policies and short-sighted political decisions taken by the government in the wake of the Covid19 pandemic.
According to the warnings of Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Food Program in 2022, Sri Lanka's food insecurity worsens mainly due to weak agricultural production. As the issue of food security is directly related to agricultural production and its irrigation systems, it is worthwhile to study the primary challenges and threats to achieve the achievements in the irrigation sector.
Through a literature review and case study, this paper recognized few primary challenges and factors affecting current irrigated agriculture in Sri Lanka and how to mitigate them. i.e. “inappropriate deviation from subsistence irrigation system”, “lack of motivation, inadequate knowledge & organization/collaboration among farmers” which requires Partnering approach, “water scarcity” and “non-utilization of modern irrigation engineering technology” etc. “Non-utilization of modern irrigation engineering technology” is includes examining the applicability of emerging irrigation engineering theories such as “Canal automation”, “Contingency theory”, “Value Engineering approach” and “Block chain agriculture” etc, as adaptation strategies in the context of assessing water security, water conservation and absorbing environmental changes. Under performance of the case project (Mahaweli-MS) mainly due to socio-economics-cultural influence and the Supremacy of technical issues are reviewed.
Furthermore, the sample case study selected using the Sri Lankan and world largest agricultural development program of “Mahaweli System (MS)”. Primary data collection through interviews of farmers and officials, and secondary statistical data collection from the MS database have been done.