Cultivation potential in Hambantota district, Sri Lanka : a minor field study
(2004) In Lunds universitets Naturgeografiska institution - SeminarieuppsatserDept of Physical Geography and Ecosystem Science
- Abstract (Swedish)
- Populärvetenskaplig sammanfattning: För att öka tillgången på mat och att generera arbeten och inkomster är det angeläget för
utvecklingsländer att öka produktionen inom jordbruket. En förutsättning för detta är att
eliminera produktionshinder genom att dels förbättra jordbruksmetoder, dels identifiera
olika områden som är lämpliga för olika typer av jordbruk. Denna Minor Field Study
(MFS) är utförd inom det befintliga Sida/SAREC-finansierade forskningsprojektet
”Regional Development in an Open Economy – a comparative study of Hambantota and
Gampaha districts, Sri Lanka”. Syftet är att, utifrån både en kvalitativ analys av intervjuer
och en kvantitativ lämplighetsklassificering av jordmånsgrupper, undersöka
odlingspotentialen i... (More) - Populärvetenskaplig sammanfattning: För att öka tillgången på mat och att generera arbeten och inkomster är det angeläget för
utvecklingsländer att öka produktionen inom jordbruket. En förutsättning för detta är att
eliminera produktionshinder genom att dels förbättra jordbruksmetoder, dels identifiera
olika områden som är lämpliga för olika typer av jordbruk. Denna Minor Field Study
(MFS) är utförd inom det befintliga Sida/SAREC-finansierade forskningsprojektet
”Regional Development in an Open Economy – a comparative study of Hambantota and
Gampaha districts, Sri Lanka”. Syftet är att, utifrån både en kvalitativ analys av intervjuer
och en kvantitativ lämplighetsklassificering av jordmånsgrupper, undersöka
odlingspotentialen i studieområdet. Studieområdet ligger i distriktet Hambantota i den
torra sydöstra delen av Sri Lanka. Tjugosex intervjuer genomfördes av både bönder och
administrativ personal, och analysen tyder på att även om det är omöjligt att öka
jordbruksarealen så verkar det vara möjligt att öka skörden, att växla mellan olika grödor
och speciellt mellan våtris och banan. Lämplighetsklassificeringen av jordmånsgrupperna
genomfördes, med hjälp av ett poängsystem, i relation till de fysikaliska och kemikaliska
kraven hos våtris och banan och inkluderar följande fem jordmånsparametrar: bördighet, dräneringsförmåga, textur, djup och pH. Resultaten visar att tre av de fem stora
jordmånsgrupperna i området till en viss del är lämpliga för odling av våtris och att två
till en viss del är lämpliga för odling av banan. Ett enkelt test av klassificeringen visar att
96.4 % av den totala våtrisarealen faller inom området med lämpliga jordmåner. Trots
begränsningar ger denna klassificering en bild av hur det ligger till, och framförallt visar
den att en noggrannare och mer genomarbetad framtida oskarp lämplighetsklassificering
är möjlig. (Less) - Abstract
- The importance of less developed countries to increase the agricultural production, in
order to improve food supplies and generate employment and income, requires the
removal of resources constraints by improving agricultural practices and identifying land
suitable for different agricultural activities. This Minor Field Study (MFS) is made within
the present Sida/SAREC-financed research project “Regional Development in an Open
Economy – a comparative study of Hambantota and Gampaha districts, Sri Lanka”. The
purpose is to investigate, by the means of both the qualitative measures of interviews and
the quantitative measures of a land suitability classification, the cultivation potential in
the study area. The study area is located... (More) - The importance of less developed countries to increase the agricultural production, in
order to improve food supplies and generate employment and income, requires the
removal of resources constraints by improving agricultural practices and identifying land
suitable for different agricultural activities. This Minor Field Study (MFS) is made within
the present Sida/SAREC-financed research project “Regional Development in an Open
Economy – a comparative study of Hambantota and Gampaha districts, Sri Lanka”. The
purpose is to investigate, by the means of both the qualitative measures of interviews and
the quantitative measures of a land suitability classification, the cultivation potential in
the study area. The study area is located within Hambantota district in the dry southeastern
part of Sri Lanka. Twenty-six interviews of farmers and administrative personnel
were performed, and the interview analysis shows that, even if it is impossible to extend
the cultivated area, it seems possible to increase the crop yield, to change between crops
and especially between wet paddy (rice plant) and banana. A point system was used in
the land suitability classification with respect to the physical and chemical requirements
of wet paddy and banana, and the classification includes the parameters of soil fertility,
drainage, texture, depth and pH. The results shows that three of the five great soil groups
present in the study area to a certain extent are suitable for paddy cultivation and that two
of the five great soil groups to a certain extent are suitable for banana cultivation. As a
simple test of the classification, the percentage of the total paddy area that falls within the
area of suitable soils were calculated and resulted in the percentage value of 96.4 %.
Even if there are limitations in the classification, it does fulfil the purpose of picturing the
situation, and above all, it points at the possibility of a more accurate and elaborate fuzzy
land suitability classification in the future. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
http://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/1333068
- author
- Schubert, Per
- supervisor
- organization
- year
- 2004
- type
- H1 - Master's Degree (One Year)
- subject
- keywords
- naturgeografi, climatology, agricultural production, crop yield, physical geography, point system, geomorphology, cartography, pedology, geomorfologi, marklära, kartografi, klimatologi
- publication/series
- Lunds universitets Naturgeografiska institution - Seminarieuppsatser
- report number
- 104
- funder
- SIDA/SAREC
- language
- English
- additional info
- Professor N. Dangalle at Sida/SAREC Research
Project Office, Faculty of Social Science, University of Kelaniya in Colombo, Sri Lanka. - id
- 1333068
- date added to LUP
- 2005-10-11 00:00:00
- date last changed
- 2011-12-12 16:30:22
@misc{1333068,
abstract = {{The importance of less developed countries to increase the agricultural production, in
order to improve food supplies and generate employment and income, requires the
removal of resources constraints by improving agricultural practices and identifying land
suitable for different agricultural activities. This Minor Field Study (MFS) is made within
the present Sida/SAREC-financed research project “Regional Development in an Open
Economy – a comparative study of Hambantota and Gampaha districts, Sri Lanka”. The
purpose is to investigate, by the means of both the qualitative measures of interviews and
the quantitative measures of a land suitability classification, the cultivation potential in
the study area. The study area is located within Hambantota district in the dry southeastern
part of Sri Lanka. Twenty-six interviews of farmers and administrative personnel
were performed, and the interview analysis shows that, even if it is impossible to extend
the cultivated area, it seems possible to increase the crop yield, to change between crops
and especially between wet paddy (rice plant) and banana. A point system was used in
the land suitability classification with respect to the physical and chemical requirements
of wet paddy and banana, and the classification includes the parameters of soil fertility,
drainage, texture, depth and pH. The results shows that three of the five great soil groups
present in the study area to a certain extent are suitable for paddy cultivation and that two
of the five great soil groups to a certain extent are suitable for banana cultivation. As a
simple test of the classification, the percentage of the total paddy area that falls within the
area of suitable soils were calculated and resulted in the percentage value of 96.4 %.
Even if there are limitations in the classification, it does fulfil the purpose of picturing the
situation, and above all, it points at the possibility of a more accurate and elaborate fuzzy
land suitability classification in the future.}},
author = {{Schubert, Per}},
language = {{eng}},
note = {{Student Paper}},
series = {{Lunds universitets Naturgeografiska institution - Seminarieuppsatser}},
title = {{Cultivation potential in Hambantota district, Sri Lanka : a minor field study}},
year = {{2004}},
}