Desertification of Jaffna and Jojoba
Featured image courtesy Athavan News
DEVANESAN NESIAH on 06/10/2017

To avoid this, some of us have suggested two remedies, namely to avoid the over population of the peninsula and, secondly, gradually change farming practices in Jaffna. Pre-war, Jaffna had a population of close to one million, which is much too many. The present population of about half a million seems to be optimal. To avoid an influx of population post-war, farmers in particular should be encouraged to migrate to the Vanni where there is ample scope for productive cultivation. Regarding farming practices, traditional Jaffna cultivation, with focus on subsidiary food crops is heavily dependent on large inputs of water and agro-chemicals, both of which are particularly harmful to the ecology of the peninsula. These cultivations could be replaced by tree crops such as mango, jak and plantains which have proved to be very successful in Jaffna, if less remunerative than onions, chillies and tobacco. The expansion of the production of fruit crops need to be supplemented by fruit preservation industries and appropriate marketing strategies.
The resort to Jojoba cultivation recommended by Rohan is a further option. There is yet time to avoid desertification of the whole of Jaffna and to retain its greenery, but even now there are arid patches (there always have been) within the peninsula and in some of the off shore islands. The Jaffna farmers could experiment with Jojoba on these lands. With their traditional enterprise and expertise, there is no doubt that they will make a success of it. Hopefully the export of fruits, both fresh and in preserved form, and of Jojoba will soon become a feature of Jaffna.
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