Citi Foundation helps uplift lives of 5,200 farmers
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Ravin Basnayake, MD, Citi Country Office SL (left) and Ms. Malin Herwig, OIC, UNDP SL
Citi Foundation has joined hands with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Sri Lanka to pledge a Rs.70 million contribution, with a primary focus on the diversification of agricultural livelihoods.
The focus would be from paddy to cash crops such as cowpea and mung beans under uncultivated minor irrigation tanks, to not only boost stagnant cultivation activities, but to ensure food security and increase farmer income for economic recovery, UNDP said in a media release.
In April 2022, a nationally represented survey conducted by UNICEF Sri Lanka showed that 70 per cent of households have reduced their food consumption, primarily due to the rising cost of food and that 73 per cent of households have had their incomes either curtailed or reduced.
To address this pressing need, UNDP with grant support from the Citi Foundation, hopes to expand and diversify otherwise narrow livelihood opportunities through income generation, capacity building for upward mobility and economic recovery, by addressing the current drop in production. The grant investment from Citi Foundation will benefit 5,200 vulnerable farmers identified as having limited resources to cultivate 2,600 acres of uncultivated land. It hopes to boost farmers’ expected income by Rs.150,000 for 2.5 months, with a total income increase of Rs.780,000.
Speaking on the role of Citi Foundation, Ravin Basnayake, Managing Director, Citi Country Office – Sri Lanka noted; “Citi Foundation plays a critical role in tackling some of the most pressing challenges globally, working together on social, economic and environmental fronts. The Foundation’s longstanding support to UNDP is a testament to this, and the contribution towards empowering and supporting vulnerable farmers at a time of crisis is vital to boost food security and improve better living standards for all.”
Speaking on the partnership, Ms. Malin Herwig, Officer in Charge, UNDP in Sri Lanka stated, “It is crucial that we invest in preventing further exacerbation of the current economic hardships, and the partnership with Citi Foundation will create a double effect of supporting both farmers and getting crop to market, addressing some of these pressing issues in both the short and long-term.”
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