Системы сельскохозяйственного наследия мирового значения (ГИАХС)

The Cascaded Tank-Village System in the Dry Zone of Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka

GIAHS since 2017

The Cascaded Tank-Village System (CTVS)  is described as a connected series of tanks organized within a micro-catchment of the dry zone landscape, storing, conveying and utilizing water from an ephemeral rivulet. It is an ancient, widely used and unique traditional agriculture system mainly found in the dry zone of Sri Lanka. The system has evolved over a period of nearly two millennia. It provides water for irrigation, domestic purposes, animals and ecosystems.

The CTVS takes dominance over all other systems due to its expansive coverage, unique technology, sustainability, and resilience to natural disasters (such as droughts, epidemics, floods, cyclones, and external invasions), high biodiversity and many other beneficial characteristics. Indeed, this system has helped rural people in the dry zone of Sri Lanka to survive in isolation for several centuries of negligence due to unstable socio-political situations. 

News

Sri Lanka among Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems

A Sri Lankan agrarian system, the “ellanga gammana” or Cascaded Tank-Village system in the Dry Zone, was designated as a Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System (GIAHS) by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). The Cascaded Tank-Village System in Sri Lanka was recognized at the International Forum and Award ceremony for new GIAHS sites in Rome, Italy. Read more

Technologies and Practices for Small Agricultural Producers (TECA) - An example of the Shexian stone terraced system.

Shexian dryland stone terraced system is a rain-fed agricultural system in the mountains, developed by the local ancestors through adapting to and transforming the harsh natural environment and inherited from generation to generation. The dryland terrace system has outstanding soil and water conservation abilities. This practice explains the process of building stone terraced fields includes constructing stone shelters (known as Shi’anzi), piling stone ridges and backfilling soil in three phases. Read more.

Flickr Album

SRI LANKA- The Cascaded Tank-Village System (CTVS) in the Dry Zone of Sri Lanka