Assessment of the Impacts of and Adaptations to Climate Change in the Plantation Sector, with Particular Reference to Coconut and Tea, in Sri Lanka (Janaka Ratnasiri, Sri Lanka Association for the Advancement of Science, Sri Lanka)

This project aims to assess impacts and adaptation options for the plantation sector in Sri Lanka, with specific emphasis on coconut and tea. Coconut and tea are two economically important crops in Sri Lanka and other South and Southeast Asian countries, and are extremely sensitive to drought conditions. Any decline in their production due to anticipated climate change would affect a large number of people and national economies, which are largely dependent on the export revenue from these crops. This will be accomplished by developing scenarios of future climate and crop production using baseline data on climate, crops, and socio-economic conditions at the farm and national level. Crop-weather and integrated assessment models will be calibrated to local conditions and used to assess impacts on the production system, including economic factors, such as changes in labor force, markets and trade. Using the scenarios and integrated assessment models, cost-effective adaptation strategies will be identified, evaluated, and communicated to planters. A set of guidelines for appropriate policy measures for mitigating the impacts and implementing adaptation strategies will be recommended, which could be applied at the national level in Sri Lanka, and to the South and Southeast Asian region generally.

Countries and sectors: Sri Lanka in particular, South and Southeast Asia in general. Plantation agriculture.