AGRICULTURE IN THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OF SRI LANKA’ … conference organised by the Ceylon Studies Seminar ……16th – 19th August, 1974 …… at the In Service Training Centre, Gannoruwa
** The times of the mid-morning and afternoon tea-breaks will be announced each day.
** The names of the chairman and the discussant for each session will be indicated in a list which will be circulated later.
** The two papers marked with an asterisk may not be available for discussion.
A symbolic natural phenomenon from the Peradeniya University campus …. anticipaing potential prospects from the intellectual flowerings generated within its portals
15th THURSDAY EVENING: Arrival of participants who are not in the Peradeniya-Kandy area.
16th FRIDAY
9.00 – 9.20 a.m. :- Opening Remarks: Michael Roberts
9.20 – 10.00 a.m. “Aspects of Recent Agricultural Policy” …. A Talk by T. Jogaratnam
10.00 – 1.00 p.m. The Plantation Sector
- E. Jayanetti “The Changing Role of Diversification in the Development of Tea and Rubber Areas”
A.B. Dissanayake : “An Analysis of the Production Costs and the Profitability of Rubber Estates”
LUNCH
2.00 – 5.30 p.m. Land Reform and Land Tenure
Nimal Sanderatne : “Leading Issues in Sri Lanka’s Land Reform”
L. J.M. Cooray: “Some Legal Implications of Sri Lanka’sReform Legislation”
Hiran Dias & B.W.E. Wickramanayake: “The Gambara System in the Hambantota District”
M.A. Ommen*: “Land Reform in Kerala”
5.45 p.m. :- RECEPTION
17th SATURDAY 17th SATURDAY
8.45 – 10.30 a.m. … Smallholdings and Smallholders
T. Jogaratnam : “The Small Farmer in Sri Lanka”
K. Izumi: “The Productivity of Land and the Economic Nature of Peasant Rent in the Paddy Sector in Sri Lanka”
10.45 – 12.45 p.m. …. Aspects of Rural Sociology
I.K. Weerawardena : “The Role of Rural Institutions in the Development of agriculture in Sri Lanka”
Ganewatte : “Patterns of Leadership at the Village Level”
John Harriss : “Aspects of Rural Society in the Dry Zone relating to the Problem of Intensifying Paddy Production”
LUNCH
1.45 – 2.30 p.m. …. Bibliographical Aids: Problems of Location and Presentation
A. Gunapala: “A Bibliography on Agriculture in SriLanka”
2.30 – 4.30 p.m. Field Research Methods and Problems which will be introduced by Hiran Dias and which will draw on the experiences of the UCARTI project on Agrarian Change
4.45 – 6.15 p.m. Spatial Aspects of Agriculture
Vidya Samarasinghe : “Spatial Implications of Agricultural Development in Sri Lanka”
18th SUNDAY
8.45 – 10.45 a.m. The Mahaveli Project
- Maheswaran: “Mahaveli Ganga Development – Project One; Its likelyImpact on Agricultural Production”
- S. Jayaratne: “The Proposed Settlements and the Existing Villages in
the Mahaveli Development Area”
- W. J. G. Mendis: “Spatial Policy Considerations in theEconomic
Development of the Mahaveli Region”
11 00 – 1.00 p.m. Water Resources
CM. Madduma Bandara.:“The Prospects of Recycling SubsurfaceWater for Supplementary Irrigation in the Dry Zone”
Robert Chambers : “On Substituting Political and Administrative will for Foreign Exchange: The Potential for Water Management in the Dry Zone of Sri Lanka”
LUNCH
2.15 – 5.15 p.m. Settlements
Narayanasamy: “New Approaches to Settlements in Sri Lanka”
Nihal Amerasinghe : “An Empirical Approach to Settlement Planning”
Antony Ellman : “Management of New Settlement Schemes in Sri Lanka
H. N. C. Fonseka: “Land Use in Purana Villages in the Kala-Oya Basin: ACase Study of Four Villages”
5.15 – 6.15 p.m. :-Spill-Over Session kept free for discussion of themes which aroused controversy in the preceding sessions.
19th MONDAY 19th MONDAY
8.45. – 10.30 a.m. Rural Credit 9.30 – 11.00
R. C. G. O. Gunasekera –“Institutional Credit to the Peasant Sector ThroughCo-operatives
Nimal Sanderatne: “Agricultural Insurance in Peasant Agriculture: Sri Lanka’s Experience: 1958-1973”
10.45 – 12.30 p.m. Service Centres 11.00 – 12.00
Barbara Harriss: “The Analysis of Transactions and of Urban-Rural Parasitism: An Indian and Sri Lankan Comparison”
12.00 – 1.00 LUNCH
1.30 – 3.15 p.m. Transportation and Marketing 1.45 – 3.00
- Sunderalingam: “Transport and Marketing in Sri Lanka with Special Reference to Agriculture
Upali Nanayakkara: “Improving the Level of Performance in the Marketingof Subsidiary Food Crops, Fruits and Vegetables in Sri Lanka – The Role of the private Sector”
Ariya Abeysinghe : “Commodity Marketing with special reference to the Export Prospects for Selected Tropical Perennial Plantation Crops from Sri Lanka”
3.15 – 4.30 p.m. Mechanisation and Its Problems 3.30- 4.30
Barbara Harriss : “The Economics and Spatial Relations of Traction andIts Implications for Rural Indebtedness in HambantotaDistrict of Sri Lanka”
. 4.45 – 6.00 p.m. A Green Revolution?
- Mathew Kurian* : “India’s ‘Green Revolution” …..with T. Jogaratnam as discussant describing the situation in Sri Lanka.
We have also received a cable indicating that Ronald J. Herring will be presenting a paper. No details. But this is likely to be under…..
LIST OF CHAIRMEN and DISCUSSANTS
Title of Session Chairman Discussant
Land Reform and Land Tenure Michael Roberts Anthony Ellman
The Plantation Sector C. R. de Silva B. Hewavitharana
Smallholdings & Smallholders A.T. Mosher Sarath Amunugama
Rural Sociology Sarath Amunugama Ron Herring
Bibliographical Problems C. R. de Silva P Wickramasekera
Field Research Methods Rainer Schickele Hiran Dias
Spatial Aspects of Agriculture George Thambyahpillay Percy Silva
Mahaveli Project B. Hewavitharana Robert Chambers
Water Resources S. W. R. de Samarasinghe John Harriss
Settlements Hiran Dias Rainer Schickele
Rural Credit Robert Chambers N. Balakrishnan
Service Centres C. Narayanasamy A. T. Mosher
Transportation & Marketing SWR. de Samarasinghe Barbara Harriss
Mechanization RCGO. Gunasekera Piyasiri W’ sekera
A PREFATORY NOTE: OBJECTIVES
When I was scrabbling and rooting around for funds (actually, this task was rendered very pleasant), so to speak, it became necessary to clarify the objectives and envisaged benefits from such a conference. The arguments ran somewhat on these lines:
- That in demanding written papers for the conference, researchworkers and administrators would be prompted or compelled to organise their thoughts and sharpen them still further in the course of putting pen to paper or finger to typewriter.
- That the discussions would pinpoint weaknesses in the focusand/or in the research methodology of those engaged in research work, and specifically in those who tested their ideas out by presenting papers, while at the same time suggesting improvements in approach.
- That in bringing personnel from different disciplines into onearena, the conference would lead each person to take cognisance of other approaches and other disciplinary techniques than his/her own; in short, to encourage a greater breadth of focus and a readiness to take note of more alternatives.
- That in bringing together in one arena a number of researchworkers and scholars from a wide variety of institutions and fields it would further contacts which could be pursued in the future and which could engender greater cooperation in research activity than exists at present.
- That it would indicate those areas in which several individualsand institutions seem to be conducting research, thereby providing the means of preventing unnecessary duplication of work inthe future.
- That it would highlight some of the gaps in the survey andresearch material that is presently available on agriculture andagricultural economics in Sri Lanka.
- That it would assist in pinpointing some of the priorities forresearch work in the near future.
- That the papers and discussions might conceivably produce guidelines for policy-formulation and decision-making.
Now, all this will be food for the skeptics (or is it fuel they use?). And such scepticism will be compounded by doubts regarding the degree to which the decision-takers will be receptive to any guidelines that are hammered out. Nevertheless, I venture to reiterate these goals for our activities in the next few days. The degree to which they will be achieved, of course, is in yourhands (and minds).
Finally, I would, on behalf of the Ceylon Studies Seminar, like to thank those individuals who have provided the ‘material’ foundations for our discussions and those institutions which have broken new ground in providing the economic foundations for our gathering.……………………. Michael Roberts
REQUESTS and NOTES FOR PARTICIPANTS
First of all, Greetings.
* We tend to favour an informal, friendly atmosphere, but one in which frank and direct criticism is given and taken.
* It is important that the last two rows of seats in the conference hall should be left free for the (incorrigible?) latecomers. In short, those-first-in please pack the middle and the front.
* Tea breaks will be taken within the hall and the refreshments will be served.
* We will be providing lunch to those listed as participants. We would appreciate it if you sign the lunch register as you come in each morning so that we know how many meals to prepare.
* If you have any requests regarding food, accommodation, etcetra, please take each of your requests to the relevant officers or dogsbodies. As we have subdivided duties, it is important that the right person should be approached:
with Assistance from
Food : W. M. Sirisena Vidya Samarasinghe
Accommodation : Nihal Amerasinghe M. Sinnathamby
Transport : C. M. Madduma Bandara Y. R. Amarasinghe
Conference Programme : S. W. R. de Samarasinghe
Conference Facilities : N. Balakrishnan, M. Sinnathamby, Sarath Gunasekera
Rapporteur Arrangements : Piyasiri Wickremasekera
Shroff : N. Balakrishnan
For those housed within the In-Service Institute
* There is a dinner list on the same basis as the lunch register. Sign in for dinner by: …………at the latest. No signature means no dinner!
* We hope to have arrangements to place a car at your disposal during the period 6.00 p.m. to 9.00 p.m. This facility will be a limited one: to and from the Peradeniya Resthouse and to any point within the campus (other than Mahakanda).
Contact Dr, Madduma Bandara re details.