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Some Issues Related to Sustainability in the Smallholder Rubber Sector: a Case Study of Three Major Rubber Growing Districts

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Some Issues Related to Sustainability in the Smallholder Rubber Sector: a Case Study of Three Major Rubber Growing Districts Journal of the Rubber Research Institute of Sri Lanka, (2007) 88, 59-76 Some issues related to sustainability in the smallholder rubber sector: a case study of three major rubber growing districts Wasana Wijesuriya*, DMAP Dissanayake*, Kcminda Herath*, Jagath Edirisinghe** and Vidura Abeywardcne* Received 13 March 2007; Accepted 25 May 2007 Abstract This study was done in the smallholder rubber sector in Sri Lanka to identify socio­ economic,, technological and environmental issues and their relationships on the sustainability of the smallholder rubber sector. The study was confined to the 3 major rubber growing districts of Sri Lanka, namely; Kegalle, Kalutara and Ratnapura districts. The methodologies involved in this study were Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) and questionnaire surveys. Substandard growth in immature lands, low productivity in mature lands, low quality in produced rubber, low societal involvement and improper marketing were identified as major issues at local and regional level while depletion of the rubber extent was of national concern. Appropriate institutional responses to combat adverse impacts of these issues are also discussed to improve the well being of rubber smallholders and the country as a whole. Key words: Participatory Rural Appraisal, rubber, smallholder Introduction estates, medium estates and smallholder Rubber (Hevea brasiliensis) is units based on the extent of land. Large the second most important plantation estates have more than 20 ha and rubber crop in Sri, Lanka, in terms of export lands between four and 20 ha are termed earnings and employment generation. In as medium estates. The smallholder 2006, export earnings from the rubber units have extents less than four ha. industry were 56427 million Sri Lankan Together with medium estates, the Rupees (USS million 513) from rubber- smallholder units occupy nearly 63% of based products (83%) and as an the total extent and distributed among agricultural commodity (17%) (Central nearly 200000 small-scale farmers. The Bank, 2006). The total land area under smallholder sector provides a share of rubber is 115,992 ha which accounts for about 33% to the national rubber about 8% of the total cultivated extent production. However, the productivity (Ministry of Plantation Industries, 2005). of this sector is below the levels of the Rubber lands are classified into large estate sector and far behind the other * Rubber Research Institute of Sri Lanka, Dartonfield, Agalawatta, Sri Lanka ** Wayamba University of Sri Lanka, Makandura, Gonawila (NWP), Sri Lanka 59 Issues related to sustainability in rubber smallholdings countries like India and Thailand where improving the smoke house conditions. the yields are averaging around 1540 and Further, the subsidy for smallholder 1362 kg ha"1 year"', respectively fanners has been increased by a (Viswanathan & Rajasekharan, 2001). substantial amount. With all these The comparative low yields in initiatives and interventions, there is still smallholdings under Sri Lankan an uncertainty in the rubber industry conditions are mainly due to poor among rubber fanners. This leaves a adoption of recommended agronomic question about the sustainability of the practices owing to low and unstable smallholder rubber sector and therefore it income levels and unsatisfactory is a basic necessity to find out the issues extension services rendered to related to the sustainability of this eco­ smallholder farmers. The low Natural system and to study the interactions of Rubber (NR) prices that prevailed for a the environmental, societal and lengthy period posed severe constraints technological factors associated with the on the viability and sustainability of the identified issues. rubber cultivation as well as on the The project Interactions between adoption of cultural operations by the Environment, Society and smallholders. Technology (INTEREST) in the The smallholder rubber sector smallholder rubber sector of Sri Lanka comprises of different stakeholders who aimed to achieve the specific objectives; are involved in the marketing process of viz. understanding and analyzing local the smallholders' produce to the farmer and community ecosystem international market. Smallholders have practices, linking this local knowledge to direct links with the smoke house available scientific knowledge to analyse owners, village dealers and town dealers. and describe changes in the pressures They also have direct links with rubber between environmental policy, social societies, raw latex collectors and scrap challenges and technological innovation millers. However, the links with other using a range of dissemination tools, stakeholders such as; brokers, latex crepe delivering this new and improved factories and products manufacturers are knowledge to all levels of society thus non-existing and need to be strengthened strengthening the social and through societal arrangements. environmental knowledge base. This will Recently, the Government of Sri provide a greater understanding of Lanka has made several attempts to environmental challenges at all social improve the smallholder rubber sector in levels and lead to improved ecosystem various ways through government management strategies to maintain institutions. This is by forming societies production without compromising the mainly to cater to the smallholders in resource base. Findings and activities of marketing, improving technical know- the INTEREST project would certainly how, providing necessary materials for help to understand properly the issues processing at concessionary rates and related and the community's dependence 60 Wasana Wijesuriya et al. on the ecosystem and perceptions of the Each district has several divisions farmers on the technology and associated according to the Rubber Development traditional knowledge. This paper Department, and each division is called a presents the information gathered during Rubber Development Officer (RDO) the study through, participatory range. The highest extent of rubber approaches, rapid sample surveys and lands is found in the Kegalle district, case studies focusing on specific followed by the districts Kalutara and objectives of the INTEREST project. Ratnapura. The number of smallholders in the district also follows the same Methodology sequence. The study focused on these Description of the study area three districts. For the study, three Rubber is found in 14 villages representing 3 RDO regions for administrative districts of Sri Lanka. each district were selected (Figure 1). PetnVgammana Fig.l. The study area 61 Issues related to sustainability in rubber smallholdings All nine villages belong to the sampling plan for the detailed household wet zone of Sri Lanka. The rainfall survey. This was done during the initial experience in the study area is bimodal stages of the study, i.e. during February with rainfall peaks coinciding with April- and March 2002. May and October-November period. The average rainfall values in the study areas Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) range from 2000 to 3000 mm (Wijesuriya Participatory studies were et al., 2002). The temperature conditions designed to identify the ecosystem observed in the study areas range from a behaviour addressing; socio-economic, minimum of 20°C to a maximum of 39°C environmental and technological aspects. (Wijesuriya, 2002). Sri Lanka, being a Out of the nine villages involved in the small island and also due to its position in Rapid Sample Survey, three villages were the Indian Ocean, exhibits uniform selected for PRA, representing one for temperatures throughout the year in the each district. The selected villages from rubber growing areas. The values of Kegalle, Kalutara and Ratnapura districts sunshine hours range from 4.1 to 7.8 hr were Welihelatenna, Batugampola and day"1 within a year in the selected rubber Pohorabawa, respectively (Fig. 1). growing districts (Council for Different PRA tools; focus group Agricultural Research Policy, 1992). interviews, voting, ranking methods and Soils in the Kegalle district mobility mapping were employed to belong to the Great Soil Group of study different aspects of the ecosystem. Reddish Brown Latasols while Red These studies were done during Yellow Podzolic soils are predominant in September 2002 to February 2005. Kalutara and Ratnapura districts. These soils have moderately good physical Detailed household survey properties with moderate infiltration rates The information gathered during and water holding capacities. Red the rapid sample survey was employed in Yellow Podzolic soils found in the deriving the sampling plan for the Kalutara and Ratnapura regions are household survey. The total sample size strongly acid in reaction. A wide variety was restricted to 300. The detailed of tree crops can be grown in these soils sampling plan is given in Table 1. Two (Samarappuli etaL, 1998). separate sets of questionnaires were prepared for immature and mature Rapid sample survey holdings to collect household details and A rapid sample survey was done information on immature and mature in nine selected villages covering 653 rubber holdings. Household surveys smallholder farmers. The main objective were done in the first (2002) and second was to identify the sources of variation of (2003) years of the project. the smallholder sector to be utilized effectively in deriving an appropriate 62 Wasana Wijesuriya et al. Table 1. The sampling schedule for the detailed sample survey District Village No. of holdings Total Mature Immature Kegalle
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