Local Awareness and Perception of Fertilizers: A Case Study in Anuradhapura District, Sri Lanka

Abstract

For many decades, the agriculture sector in Sri Lanka has been dependent on chemical fertilizers, providing near-term benefits but posing substantial long-term environmental impacts. This practice underscores the challenge of transitioning to more sustainable farming strategies. Through structured questionnaires and in-depth discussions, we explored the awareness and perception of fertilizer application practices among paddy farmers in the Tisa Wewa irrigation scheme in the dry zone of Sri Lanka. Most farmers (78%) relied solely on inorganic fertilizers, while an approach of mixed inorganic and organic fertilizers was adopted by 19%. Only 3% of farmers used solely organic fertilizer. Of the respondents utilizing inorganic fertilizer, 44.1% applied the recommended amount set by the Department of Agriculture, Sri Lanka, while 42.6% applied greater than the recommended amount, and 13.2% applied less than the recommended amount. The survey and interview data indicated that the current practice and high reliance on inorganic fertilizer is due to the limitations of organic fertilizers governed by the large amount needed, the longer necessary to release nutrients, and the limited manure availability. Most farmers (87.1%) expressed a strong preference for adopting mixed organic and inorganic fertilizer applications in the future, emphasizing the use of high-quality input products, reflecting a forward-looking approach to sustainable agriculture, combining the benefits of both organic and inorganic fertilizers. The statistical results strongly indicate that education and awareness reduce the over-dependency on inorganic fertilizers and significantly influence the adoption of sustainable fertilizer practices.