case studies undp: rush and reed conservation and diversification program, sri lanka

7/27/2019 Case Studies UNDP: RUSH AND REED CONSERVATION AND DIVERSIFICATION PROGRAM, Sri Lanka

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Equator Initiative Case StudiesLocal sustainable development solutions for people, nature, and resilient communities

Sri Lanka

RUSH AND REEDCONSERVATION ANDDIVERSIFICATIONPROGRAM

Empowered live

Resilient nation

Empowered live

Resilient nation


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UNDP EQUATOR INITIATIVE CASE STUDY SERIES

Local and indigenous communities across the world are advancing innovative sustainable development solutions that wo

or people and or nature. Few publications or case studies tell the ull story o how such initiatives evolve, the breadth

their impacts, or how they change over time. Fewer still have undertaken to tell these stories with community practition

themselves guiding the narrative.

To mark its 10-year anniversary, the Equator Initiative aims to ll this gap. The ollowing case study is one in a growing ser

that details the work o Equator Prize winners vetted and peer-reviewed best practices in community-based environmenconservation and sustainable livelihoods. These cases are intended to inspire the policy dialogue needed to take local succ

to scale, to improve the global knowledge base on local environment and development solutions, and to serve as models

replication. Case studies are best viewed and understood with reerence to The Power o Local Action: Lessons rom 10 Years

the Equator Prize, a compendium o lessons learned and policy guidance that draws rom the case material.

Click on the map to visit the Equator Initiatives searchable case study database.

EditorsEditor-in-Chie: Joseph Corcoran

Managing Editor: Oliver HughesContributing Editors: Dearbhla Keegan, Matthew Konsa, Erin Lewis, Whitney Wilding

Contributing WritersEdayatu Abieodun Lamptey, Erin Atwell, Toni Blackman, Jonathan Clay, Joseph Corcoran, Larissa Currado, Sarah Gordon, Oliver Hughe

Wen-Juan Jiang, Sonal Kanabar, Dearbhla Keegan, Matthew Konsa, Rachael Lader, Patrick Lee, Erin Lewis, Jona Liebl, Mengning Ma,

Mary McGraw, Gabriele Orlandi, Juliana Quaresma, Peter Schecter, Martin Sommerschuh, Whitney Wilding, Luna Wu

DesignOliver Hughes, Dearbhla Keegan, Matthew Konsa, Amy Korngiebel, Kimberly Koserowski, Erin Lewis, John Mulqueen, Lorena de la Pa

Brandon Payne, Mariajos Satizbal G.

AcknowledgementsThe Equator Initiative acknowledges with gratitude the Committee or Peoples Rights, and in particular the guidance and inputs

Piyasoma Bentota Kankanamge. All photo credits courtesy o the Committee or Peoples Rights. Maps courtesy o CIA World Factbo

and Wikipedia.

Suggested CitationUnited Nations Development Programme. 2012. Rush and Reed Conservation and Diversifcation Program, Sri Lanka. Equator Initiative C

Study Series. New York, NY.
http://equatorinitiative.org/images/stories/events/2012events/Book_Launch/power%2520of%2520local%2520action%2520final%25202013%25208mb.pdfhttp://equatorinitiative.org/images/stories/events/2012events/Book_Launch/power%2520of%2520local%2520action%2520final%25202013%25208mb.pdfhttp://equatorinitiative.org/index.php?option=com_winners&view=casestudysearch&Itemid=858http://equatorinitiative.org/images/stories/events/2012events/Book_Launch/power%2520of%2520local%2520action%2520final%25202013%25208mb.pdfhttp://equatorinitiative.org/images/stories/events/2012events/Book_Launch/power%2520of%2520local%2520action%2520final%25202013%25208mb.pdf


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PROJECT SUMMARYThe Committee or Peoples Rights (Podujana HimikamKamituwa), a local NGO based in Kalutara District,southwestern Sri Lanka, has pioneered the reintroductiono rush and reed species to household paddy elds orprocessing into value-added handicrat products.

The Rush and Reed Conservation and Diversication Programaims to ensure the sustainable use o natural resources, toprotect indigenous and traditional knowledge associatedwith traditional handicrats, to conserve biodiversity andwetland ecosystems through a participatory approach,

and to provide opportunities to the local populationor alternative income-generation avenues. Since 1999,the initiative has provided training or more than 2,500households in 11 districts in Sri Lanka; those involved in theprogram have seen average monthly household incomesdouble thanks to improved production techniques andmarketing support.

KEY FACTS

EQUATOR PRIZE WINNER: 2004

FOUNDED: 1999

LOCATION: Horana, Kalutara District

BENEFICIARIES: 800 people work directly with the progra

BIODIVERSITY: Rush and reed plants, wetlands

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RUSH AND REED CONSERVATION ANDDIVERSIFICATION PROGRAMSri Lanka

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Background and Context 4

Key Activities and Innovations 6

Biodiversity Impacts 8

Socioeconomic Impacts 8

Policy Impacts 9

Sustainability 10

Replication 10

Partners 10


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ush and reed plant species were once abundant in the wetlands

Sri Lanka, where rural lie is based on rice cultivation. Rice paddy

elds typically contained an area where rush and reeds grew. This

atural ormation was traditionally allowed to remain because it

rovided armers with an additional resource to create household

ecessities such as bags, mats, and bins rom rushes and reeds. With

he inux o cheap, mass-produced products into local markets in

he 1980s, however, people became less interested and engaged in

roducing household items. So too, with the introduction o Green

evolution technologies and the advent o chemical inputs, the

atural cycles or rush and reed growth were violently disrupted.

Consequently, rush and reed habitats became neglected or were

bandoned, and little to no attention was paid towards biodiversityonservation and the protection o these invaluable ecosystems.

Among the negative eects o this was a decrease in soil ertility.

imultaneously, rural populations that were previously reliant on

ush and reed crat production lost their primary income streams

nd became increasingly economically marginalized. In 1999, in

esponse to these challenges, the Rush and Reed Conservation and

Diversication Program was born.

Aims and objectives o the program

he program was introduced by a local Sri Lanka community-based

rganisation, Podujana Himikam Kamituwa (Committee or Peoples

ights - CPR), based in Horana, Kalutara District, southwestern Srianka. The programme has the ollowing objectives: i) to ensure the

ustainable use o natural resources; ii) to protect indigenous and

raditional knowledge associated with traditional rush and reed

rats; iii) to conserve biodiversity and wetland ecosystems through

participatory approach; and iv) to provide opportunities to the

ocal population or alternative income-generating avenues, with a

ocus on those most economically-marginalized sectors o society.

CPR is ocused on the rights and social conditions o the communit

their target project areas. Through scoping reviews, the organis

was able to establish that the majority o the local population

dependent on agriculture or their livelihoods and incomes, and

alternative livelihood options and income diversication strate

were needed. The group also established that rush and reed p

as well as the ecosystems that house them were being negle

and slowly degraded. So too, the number o traditional expe

rush and reed crat making was diminishing. CPR concluded

revitalization o the rush and reed industry would help to s

several crucial problems, including most clearly the conservatio

biodiversity and threatened wetlands, improvement o local inc

levels, and the protection o traditional knowledge.

Background and Context


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Key objectives o this work have included:

making paddy cultivation attractive enough or armers to begin

working elds which had been lying allow or many years;

reintroducing the sel-sustaining micro-land unit typical to

traditional arming systems, which consists o less than one acre

composed o a paddy eld, a reed bed, and a home garden;

adopting chemical-ree agricultural practices and the

reintroduction o native varieties o rice;diversiying reed beds in order to ensure their sustainability and

reverse the trend o species depletion;

promoting gender equality in ways that enhance the traditional

values o rural communities;

ensuring ood security in the community;

developing and strengthening the rush and reed based cottage

industry as a poverty alleviation strategy;

conserving biodiversity by ocusing on the use o plant species

acing extinction;

increasing public awareness o causes o environmental

degradation and biodiversity loss;

and introducing school education programs to prepare the next

generation to ace the problems o the uture.

The Committee or Peoples Rights thus evolved in 1999

community-based organization dedicated to working

grassroots and local groups. In the early stages o the initia

CPR worked closely with rural communities to establish a bas

knowledge on the experience o crat making and the traditio

the people who had worked in this eld. The objectives and activ

o CPR were established through a consultative process that inclu

traditional knowledge holders and local community mem

While the vision o the program has not changed substantially its inception, activities dedicated to sustainable livelihoods

been diversied and enhanced to include such areas as org

arming and ecoagriculture. Training and support in the produ

o handicrats rom rush and reed species has reached a large ta

population throughout Sri Lanka ater its initial success in Kalu

District.


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Key Activities and Innovations

he Rush and Reed Conservation and Diversication Program

onsists o three stages:

Pilot stage (1999-2000)

he rst phase, rom 1999-2000, was ocused on awareness creation

mong potential beneciaries within a small target population

n the rural areas surrounding Horana. Initially eighteen sel-help

roups, each comprising o ve rural community members, were

upplied with rhizomes o select rush and reed species, given

raining in appropriate agricultural practices, and trained to produce

practical household items with their harvests. These trainings were

particularly targeted at youth members, with the result that youngommunity members have increasingly become more engaged in

he crat weaving industry as an alternative to seeking actory work.

ocal cultivators were supported to make products that met a

emand in modern markets, comprising both traditional crats

nd value-added goods with higher market values. Around ten

ewly designed value-added products and teen more traditional

products were identied early on or manuacture under the aegis

o the project. Traditional crat making was previously a cottage

ndustry, constituted primarily by hand-woven processes that did not

se machinery o any kind. Part o the value-added processing has

been the introduction by CPR o simple equipment and machinery

or crat production, such as a modied handloom weaving machinend a attening machine.

Second phase (2001-2003)

he second phase o the project was carried out with 80 participants,

ollowing the same process. In this stage, special emphasis was

placed on disappearing or threatened species o rush and reeds. This

was also the stage when marketing strategies were rst explored.

ollowing a market survey, a training centre was constructed in

Horana to oer a sales outlet, a workshop orum, and a show room

or manuactured products. Marketing o rush and reed prod

has been a key area o activity, and a critical contributing acto

the sustainability and longevity o the program. Products are

at a range o environmental exhibitions and events, crat exh

and trade airs. Government agencies and non-governm

organization networks have been enlisted to promote the marke

eorts and to place orders themselves or special unctions, semi

and workshops. Inroads have also been made into the tourism se

where rush and reed products have a market advantage in beco-riendly products. Both the National Design Centre and Nat

Crats Council were critical in identiying the dierent market n

or both the newly designed products and the traditional produ

Third phase (2003-2012)

In the current project stage, activities rom the rst two st

were carried out with an additional ocus on the micro-land

approach, which consisted o dividing arming areas into pa

elds, reed beds, and home gardens. A group o twenty armers


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elected to pilot this approach and trained in organic micro-arming

echniques such as wormiculture, organic ertilizers and composting.

raining in leadership, human rights, and resource management

was also oered to build the capacities o participants. Within the

eed beds, other plants were introduced to enhance biodiversity,

ncluding crops that supported ood security and medicinal plants.

he programs approach was expanded to Sri Lankas Southern

rovince ater the 2004 tsunami, and to the Northern, Eastern and

North Central Provinces during the countrys post-conict period. Auccessul training programme on rush and reed weaving was also

eld in Bangalore, India.

Key project ocus areas

One o the key activities o CPR has been in data collection and

wareness-raising. A ocus on data collection was deemed necessary

o identiy rush and reed species that could eectively be used or

he production o crats, as well as to identiy members o the local

ommunity with substantial knowledge and experience o rush

nd reed crat making. Awareness-raising has been used to oster a

ositive attitude amongst the local population towards traditional

nowledge, biodiversity, and the imperative o protecting both.

Other activities ocus on the conservation o local ecosystems and

atural resources. Wetland ecosystems are capable o supplying

multiple varieties o raw material suitable or weaving, including

ierent species o grasses, rushes, reeds, palms, Pandanus, creepers,

attan and bamboo, as well as tree bark, plant ber, and species used

or natural dyes. The program has reintroduced over 60 such species

plants and trees used as raw material or weaving, and these have

een identied and catalogued, with plans put in place to protect

hese areas. This was again complemented by awareness-raising

rograms on the economic value and importance o conserving

he wetlands. Rush and reed micro-land units (a traditional systemnown as pankotuwa) were established in the project areas to

nsure a regular, healthy and sustainable supply o the raw materials

eeded or crat activities. Nurseries were also established to provide

lants or cultivation. Special attention was given to ensuring the use

organic ertilizers and traditional, low-impact arming methods,

uch as in the production and use o natural dyes or crat-making.

ince 1999, CPR has provided crat weaving training or more

han 2,500 people. Program trainers have carried out trainings in

ndia, overcoming language barriers. A training centre has been

stablished by CPR which is equipped with the acilities needed to

onduct residential courses.

nnovations

One signicant innovation o CPR has been identiying and

eintroducing previously underused rush and reed species. A

coping review was conducted early in the project to identiy

pecies that were both threatened as well as underused in the crat

ndustry. As in other industries, some plant species are more useul

than others. The more useul o the marginalized rush and

species were successully reintroduced by CPR, with the numb

individuals using these species increasing rom 25-30 individua

the beginning o the project to 2,500 currently.

Another project innovation has been the combination o tradit

knowledge with modern market knowledge and considerat

CPR has successully introduced new and relevant products,

based on a sustainable practice grounded in traditional knowleAmong the new products that have been introduced are handb

ofce bags, purses, slippers and shoes, conerence les and old

ceiling sheets and panels, and decorative and practical utensil

hotels products that were not traditionally produced using ru

and reeds. The production o more traditional products such as

has continued to ensure the survival o traditional knowledge

techniques. In 2003, a CPR member received the National De

Fair Award or divi adiya, a mat based on a traditional design.

The nal innovation has been the CPR marketing approach, w

has been particularly successul in promoting its crats unde

slogan o eco-riendly alternative products. The market or t

products was developed in a relatively short period o time,

or newly designed crats as well as the more traditional it

Production has been catalyzed by a growing demand or t

products, which ultimately benets an otherwise economi

marginalized population. This approach has enabled CPR to su

the niche market o eco-riendly products or hotels and conere

Future aims

The initiative has ambitious plans to expand the reach and im

o its program in the coming years. These include the developm

o school learning programs, taking advantage o the adoptio

Environmental Studies as a part o the national school curricuin Sri Lanka. This oers CPR the chance to play a leading ro

enhancing youth awareness o biodiversity conservation thro

ormal education; the initiative plans to establish a permanent

at Gamagedara to ensure the success o this goal.

The program aims to urther improve awareness o the link

between biodiversity and human wellbeing through three initiat

A new research unit will be established to carry out scien

research on issues such as biodiversity and pollution contro

museum and conservatory are planned to house traditional

products and designs and as a basis or plant propagation

conservation o endangered species. And a library will be establi

to hold documents, books, and other print, audio and visual mconcerning the documentation o rush and reed species.


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8

Impacts

BIODIVERSITY IMPACTS

The primary biodiversity impacts o the CPR project have been

n the conservation and sustainable use o local wetlands. As

he crat makers need to ensure a continuous supply o the raw

materials needed or their products, the community is committed

o the conservation and sustainable harvesting o rush and reed

plants, which in turn has larger biodiversity ecosystem benets.

Conservation o rush and reed plants, and the wetlands more

generally, has been accomplished through awareness-raising

direct restoration o small amily plots o allow paddy land

wetlands have been conserved, restored and enriched as a r

o CPR activities. A number o wetland ecosystems that were zo

or alternative development have been saved, as have the end

species o ora and auna that populate them. Some rarer spec

rush and reed have also been conserved through their reintrodu

and sustainable cultivation in demarcated areas.

The area o wetlands that has so ar been conserved through

project is roughly 60 acres. Around 15 acres o this area contain

most widely used rush species (gallehe). A number o other rush

reed species (including Cyperus spp) that were threatened have reintroduced into these wetlands and now contribute to the ge

diversity o plants in the ecosystem (and available to cratspeo

The wetlands contain a diverse range o ora and auna, and pro

valuable ecosystem services such as ground water replenishm

Around 12 threatened rush and reed varieties have also

conserved in situ.

The use o natural dyes in crat-making has also enha

conservation o these species. Environmentally riendly agricul

practices and a commitment to diverse micro-land agricultural

have naturally had a positive impact on biodiversity in genera

increase in species, in particular birds, insects and other lie is evi

in these agricultural units as well in their immediate environs.

SOCIOECONOMIC IMPACTS

The socioeconomic impacts rom the project have been substa

The average monthly household income has increased rom

53.57 to USD 107.14. This increase can be directly attributed to

activities o the Rush and Reed Conservation and Diversica

Program, and in particular to the introduction o produ

techniques and marketing. Jobs have also been created speci


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within the Committee or Peoples Rights as an organization, both

ull-time and part-time. Planting, processing, and weaving are

undertaken at the household level as part-time employment, while

value-added secondary processing and marketing constitute ull-

ime employment. A total o 800 individuals work directly with the

program, including 10 on a ull-time basis.

Beyond the direct project beneciaries, the concept o sustainable

ivelihoods has been introduced to and disseminated amongsthe wider rural community o Sri Lanka. Other local groups are

encouraged to adopt sustainable livelihood practices, including

n the areas o eco-arming, organic agriculture, and the use and

eintroduction o traditional crop varieties.

The community has beneted rom the establishment o a ully

equipped training centre in Horana, known locally as Gamagedara.

The training centre is used to host workshops, demonstration

activities, and as a processing centre or rush and reed crats. The

centre also serves as CPRs ofce and showroom.

A clear social benet has been the reintroduction and practical

application o a traditional knowledge system and practice. Thisknowledge has been passed on to another generation o youth,

who are increasingly becoming involved in traditional rush and reed

crat work. The use o traditional knowledge has also acilitated an

attitude shit amongst the local population to viewing the wetlands

as a source o pride and sustainable economic value.

More than 95% o the CPR project beneciaries are women, a

whom come rom economically marginalized communities. Thro

these projects, local women have expanded their marketable s

improved their nancial stability, and learned leadership skills.

POLICY IMPACTS

The Rush and Reed Conservation and Diversication Progra

considered highly successul or using biological resources sustainable manner to improve local livelihoods. The project

been established as a model within Sri Lanka or the protection

application o indigenous knowledge towards the conservatio

biodiversity. A number o government agencies in Sri Lanka

acknowledged the model employed by CPR, including some

previously had not acknowledged the economic value o rush

reed species.

Project activities have also had an impact at the local governm

level, inuencing the thinking and planning o local govern

ofcials. There has been a noticeable attitude shit amongst

government ofcials towards the value o eco-agriculture, org

arming and the use o traditional crop varieties. The same has true at the state level, where CPR has lobbied or recognitio

traditional knowledge as a oundation o biodiversity conserva

and sustainable use strategies.

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Sustainability and Replication

SUSTAINABILITYAs o 2012, the initiative has been sel-sustaining or ve years,

without the support o any external unds. The income generated

hrough the marketing o rush and reed crats and other products

as been sufcient or CPR to cover its operational costs.

he key components o sustainability as identied by CPR have been

ective marketing and market supply-chains, local training and

apacity building, income generation, and awareness-raising. At the

ommencement o the project, the lack o markets or rush and reed

roducts was a key barrier. With new product designs, it was possible

o carve out a market niche, which is now one o the driving orces production. Well trained sta with enhanced skills have been

ssential, and have helped to produce higher quality products, which

ltimately allows or greater revenues. Community participation

nd engagement in the process was ensured through the economic

ncentives presented by rush and reed conservation, cultivation and

rocessing. The availability o an alternative income stream was and

emains a driving orce behind community engagement and project

ustainability. Finally, without awareness-raising, it would not have

een possible to change attitudes towards the rush and reed crat

ndustry in its initial stages.

REPLICATION

Although ew other groups have attempted to replicate the CPR

model, CPR itsel has been successul in oering training workshops

o more than 2,000 individuals since the establishment o its training

entre. Trainings, workshops and awareness-raising have been the

rimary vehicles or this knowledge exchange.

PARTNERSThe Committee or Peoples Rights believes in the import

o networks and partnerships that acilitate the sharing o id

minimizing duplication o eorts and enhancing the possibilit

replication. Outside unding has been mainly used or institut

development, training, and to a limited extent the purcha

o equipment. Initial unds were sourced rom the Ministr

Environment and Natural Resources Community Environme

Initiatives Facility (CEIF), which provides small-scale unding or

community-based enterprises. A critical initial injection o un

also came rom the UNDP/GEF Small Grants Programme, w

provided two grants o USD 10,412 (in December 2000), and 30,487 (in December 2002.)

The National Crats Council has helped by providing plants. Sim

the Department o Agrarian Services granted permission or pe

to once again use the elds that had remained under-uti

or many years. The National Handicrats Board helped by w

training people in rush and reed based crats. The National De

Centres contribution came in the orm o introducing traditiona

new motis and in market promotion.

The Committee or Peoples Rights has established strong

with national level umbrella NGO organizations such as the G

Movement o Sri Lanka and the Movement or National LandAgriculture Reorm (MONLAR), which have or a long time

concerned with sustainable development issues. These links

helped enhance their knowledge o sustainable practices and m

contacts with key organizations or the development o the initia

Other partners include GREEN Foundation (Bangalore, India) an

Rush and Reed Producers Federation o Sri Lanka.


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FURTHER REFERENCE

Amaleeta, N. 2008. Sustaining an enticing crat, in The Nation. Sunday, April 6, 2008. http://www.nation.lk/2008/04/06/eyepg6.pd

Rush and Reed Conservation and Diversication Program PhotoStory (Vimeo) http://vimeo.com/15672183

Equator Initiative

Environment and Energy GroupUnited Nations Development Programme (UNDP)

304 East 45th Street, 6th Floor

New York, NY 10017

Tel: +1 646 781-4023

www.equatorinitiative.org

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is the UNs global development network, advocating or change and

necting countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help people build a better lie.

The Equator Initiative brings together the United Nations, governments, civil society, businesses and grassroots organizati

o recognize and advance local sustainable development solutions or people, nature and resilient communities.

2012 by Equator Initiative

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case studies undp: rush and reed conservation and diversification program, sri lanka

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