Shantha Kallora, a dairy farmer supported by FAO

Kandy - Dairy farming has been an important source of livelihood among the rural populations in Sri Lanka as it ensures a stable income throughout the year and acts as a cushion against income shocks arising due to crop failures. Since the dairy sector provides a large amount of organic fertilizer, it is an integral part of sustainable agriculture and sustainable land management. This is the case in the Central Highlands of Sri Lanka as well where for smallholder farmers, dairy farming is a main source of income.

Mr Shantha Kallora (43 Years) who resides in the Kandy district located in the Central Highlands, began rearing cattle 4 years ago. However, like many farmers engaged in small-scale dairy farming, the poor management of cattle resulted in low yields of milk. Furthermore, due to the poor waste management practices, large amount of cow dung and urine are released to the environment causing severe damage to the upper catchment of Nilambe reservoir which provides drinking water to the Kandy suburbs. Economically, it is a waste of a huge amount of organic fertilizer, an input that can contribute to higher productivity of crops.

The majority of cattle do not have regular, dedicated shelter. The availability of proper sheds for milking animals, where food and water can be accessed by them and where other activities such as milking and veterinary attention can be given has numerous benefits. The lack of a proper waste management system for the farm results in environmental pollution as the waste usually is washed away with rainwater to surrounding water bodies. Many of the rivers and streams in Sri Lanka begin from the Central Highlands, therefore the pollution of such freshwater bodies is a serious problem.  

FAO with funding from the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and in partnership with the Government of Sri Lanka, is providing technical assistance to farmers such as Shantha Kallora to better manage their dairy cattle to increase productivity and have a sustainable source of income while improving waste management, which reduces the environmental impact of the diary sector. FAO’s Rehabilitation of Degraded Agriculture Lands in the Central Highlands Project, implemented this program as a private-public partnership model which is globally accepted as a sustainable and efficient way of agriculture extension.

Officials of the Department of Animal Production and Health (DAPH), Department of Agriculture (DoA) in the Doulwa area and Fonterra Sri Lanka work together in this program. Kallora received technical and financial support to establish a shed for his cows and solid waste management system by the project while Fonterra Sri Lanka supported the affluent filtering system and coordination. Kallora and other farmers also received capacity building and training on dairy cattle management and the production of compost for crop production. 

A food hero during a global pandemic

Kallora who followed the technical guidance provided through the project has now become a model farmer in his village. The two milking cows he owns produce an average of 30 liters of milk per day. With the application of organic manure, his home garden and tea cultivation are also thriving.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Kallora rendered a yeoman service to his community by distributing milk and vegetables. “Usually I sell the fresh milk to a company but it was difficult for the company representatives to come to my home to purchase the milk because of the curfew situation. It was also difficult for the people in my village to purchase milk from the shops as they could not leave their homes. So I decided to go from door to door to sell fresh milk.”

Kallora would wake up at 4.30 daily, wash the cows and then milk the cows. “I ensure that the milk is handled hygienically at the time of milking and bottling,” he noted. He would then load the bottles of milk into his three-wheeler (tuk tuk) and start delivering fresh milk at 7.30 am to around 20 to 25 houses in the village.

“The people look forward to my visits and I ensure that the fresh milk reaches them every day, without fail. They greet me with a smile on their face and words of gratitude, which motivate me to develop my dairy farm further and keep improving. It gives me a great sense of purpose. ”

Kallora also sells fresh fruits and vegetables sourced from his home garden to the villagers. “I feel proud that I am able to supply fresh milk to my community. There is definitely a risk to my health when delivering milk, fruits and vegetables, as I have to interact with people. But I ensure that I follow the health guidelines and the fellow villagers also do the same. I also supply fresh milk to the doctors and nurses working at the village hospital. These doctors and nurses are doing a great job caring for all of us during these unpredictable times. It is the least I can do to show them my gratitude.”