Sri Lanka, an island nation with approximately 65 610 sq km of land and a coastline of over 1 790 km, has a rich agricultural landscape that includes 19 330 sq km of forests and 13 700 sq km of agricultural land. Over 30 percent of the population is employed in the agriculture sector, which contributes around 7 percent to the national GDP. Fisheries and livestock sectors contribute 1.3 percent and 0.9 percent, respectively.

The fishing industry in Sri Lanka consists of three main subsectors: coastal, offshore/deep sea, and inland or aquaculture. Fish make up about 50 percent of Sri Lankans’ animal protein intake, a ratio three times the global average and the sector provides livelihoods for more than 2.5 million coastal communities.

Despite its potential, Sri Lanka's agriculture and fisheries sectors face significant challenges in productivity and profitability. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the island nation slipped into a multidimensional socio-economic crisis that threatened the food security of 6.3 million of its people and the livelihoods of vulnerable farmers and fishers across the country.

In response to these challenges, FAO mounted emergency response measures to address the immediate needs of affected communities. Key initiatives undertaken include:

• Delivering 58 700 tonnes of essential fertilizers within nine months to support agricultural production.
• Providing emergency cash assistance to over 63 000 vulnerable farmers and fishers.
• Establishing more than 400 nutritious school gardens.
• Implementing nutritional support and home gardens for 2 200 families with malnourished children, among other critical interventions.

These efforts reached 1.6 million vulnerable individuals, including every village and paddy farmer on the island. Agricultural production has since rebounded, and the supply of essential commodities has stabilized, significantly reducing the vulnerability of farmers, fishers, and families.

FAO played a crucial role in building resilience into its emergency response, facilitating the government's transition into sustainable agrifood systems amidst the crisis.