Determinants of crop diversification in rice-dominated Sri Lankan agricultural systems

Abstract

Climate-driven changes in water availability in tropical agricultural systems will force many farmers to significantly alter their cultivation practices. In agricultural systems dominated by water-intensive rice cultivation, farmers may need to diversify away from rice to crops that perform better in the new climate. We combine data from interviews and household surveys with Sri Lankan farmers to identify the factors that influence farmers’ decisions to diversify away from rice monoculture. Results indicate that many farmers cannot diversify because of the characteristics of their fields, including elevation, soil quality, irrigation infrastructure, and relative position within an irrigation system. As a result, policies that assume all farmers are able to engage in diversification are unlikely to have the desired impact. Of the farmers whose fields can support diversification, poor market access, market instability, limited government support, and relatively high input costs reduce diversification rates. In addition to creating a supportive institutional environment for the cultivation of other field crops, leveraging existing water management institutions to identify and support farmers with fields suitable to diversification could decrease agricultural water demands and increase water access for farmers unable to engage in diversification.