1. Development of Organic Tea Cultivation in Sri Lanka
The Role of ESD in Germany
Daichi KOHMOTO

5. Organic Agriculture
Originally developed as a typical alternative to the mainstream global food supply system and productivism
Expected to be an environmentally, socially, and economically just and sustainable farming method
Rural dev. & Env. conservation

7. (%)
No data
Proportion of organic areas in agricultural areas in each countries (Yussefi and Willer, 2004)

9. Stassen Natural Food (Pvt) Ltd. Idulgashinna Bio Tea Garden

11. Background
Most of developing countries in the world
　Still depend on the export of small number of agr. crops and mineral resources
Plantation Agriculture grown under colonial economy is typical

12. Definition and characters of “Plantation”
(The New Encyclopedia Britannica 1985)
A usually large estate in a tropical or subtropical region
Cultivated by unskilled or semiskilled labour under central direction
The term arose during the period of European colonization in the …New World, essentially, wherever huge tracts of crops cultivated by slave labour became an economic mainstay
The typical plantation was a self-sustained community, an economic and political institution governed with a monopoly of authority by the planter
Thousands of square miles of forest land have been cleared since 18th century for the cultivation of sugarcane, coffee, tea, cacao, rubber trees, oil palms, sisal, and bananas.
Frequently depend on foreign capital and tend to exploit the labour forces of native populations.
Productivism

13. 1. The tea industry in Sri Lanka, particularly the plantation estate sector, has structural problems in terms of environment, economy, and social sustainability.
2. These problems have been mainly caused by decreasing consumption of tea in industrialized countries and former policies of nationalizing Sri Lankan tea estates.

14. Change in production amount of tea in 4 major tea producing countries

15. …Small farmers (<4ha)
High /Mid Country
…Plantation estates
Started by British Capital
Serviced by immigrant Indian Tamil laborers
Nationalization in
　→ - Stagnant productivity
- Declining international competitiveness
Revitalization from 1992
= Establishment of 22 RPCs (Regional Plantation Companies)
Low Country
…Small farmers (<4ha)

16. Changes in production amount of tea by elevations in Sri Lanka

17. High Mid Low Small farmers Plantation estates Tea areas in Sri Lanka
Source: Sri Lanka Tea Board (2005)

18. 1956
Proportion of tea areas
(1956)

19. 1980s
Avg. price/year of tea
( )
Proportion of tea areas
(1980s)

20. 2002
Avg. price/year of tea
( )
Proportion of tea areas
(2002)

21. Stopping the operation and Abandonment of the land

22. Delay of replanting tea bushes
Seedling VP
(Vegetative Propagated)

23. Altitude

24. Delay of modernization for processing

25. Increase of wage
Outflow of the workers

28. Increase of chemical use
Low sustainability of tea estates is a structural problem

29. Organic farming methods in tea plantation estates have been introduced mainly in disadvantaged mountainous areas, characterized by many abandoned tea areas and old tea bushes.
= Organic farming is an alternative strategy for developing the estates in such areas.

30. Stassen Natural Food (Pvt) Ltd. Idulgashinna Bio Tea Garden

31. Development of OF in Tea Estates
World-first certified organic tea estate in 1986
Cultivated and processed by 9 companies (5 are dealing with only organic)
Mainly in Up-country
Exporting to GER, USA, JPN, AUS, FRA …

32. Changes in Yield/ha

33. 1980s Haldummulla ・Decreased 38.0％ since 1956 Haputale Haldummulla
Avg. price/year of tea
( )
Haldummulla
Proportion of tea areas
(1980s)

34. 2002
Avg. price/year of tea
( )
Proportion of tea areas
(2002)

35. Fair trade certifications
Export amount of Stassen Natural (Pvt) Ltd. by countries in 2003

36. Diversification of Crops
…Demand from Buyers
ex. B Estate
　 ・Pepper &Coffee
　　　 …as shade trees
　 ・Coffee…Bought the neighbor land (15 acre) in 2004 for this
　 ・Herbs &Woods ...as manures

37. Ecotourism

39. Social welfare policy for the workers
One estate bought sawing machines for the workers by using the premium of fair-trades
Other estate has an idea that OF practices need social responsibility as well as env. consciousness
　⇒”Organic Concept in Social Progress”
　Community based social development programs　…56 /72 staffs are engaging in
No problems in outflow of the workers

42. These organic tea estates are trying to brand themselves, diversify crops, promote biodiversity, conduct eco-tours of estates, enhance social welfare system for residents, and introduce fair-trade certifications, as well as obtain organic certifications.
Thus, organic farming in the tea estates can be understood as a strategy of diversified management, which is a combination of the elements of post-productivism.

43. However, the cost of production (COP) is higher in organic tea estates than in conventional estates, especially the cost of composting and weeding.
Due to their labor-intensive character, organic estates are affected enormously by increasing labor costs, and in the near future the outflow of labor might also be a problem. These issues are common in the Sri Lankan tea industry.

44. Cost of production (April 2004 – March 2005)
Higher COP　⇔　No profit
Others
Chem. Fertilizer
Weeding
Composting
Plucking
C Organic
C Organic
B Organic
Cost of production (April 2004 – March 2005)

45. Delay of the improvement in some estates
- Outflow of younger generation
- Strikes

46. Marketing to acquire new consumers in industrialized countries is not easy for organic estates, and the bought price is not increasing.
This trend will not lead to the establishment of more organic tea estates. Some existing organic estates are also on the verge of closure under these circumstances.

47. Actors and Interrelationships in OF in Global South
Industrialized
Consumers
Countries
Certification Bodies
Buyers
Int’l. Orgs.
Agri -
business
NGOs
Small
farmers’
groups
Plantations
Gvt .
Small
Farmers
Global South
Estate
Workers
ex. Sri Lanka 26

48. To ensure the sustainability of organic tea estates, it is necessary to expand their social welfare policies especially for younger residents, and communicate these efforts to society along with environmental conservation policies. Moreover, consumers in industrialized countries need to understand and support the challenges affecting disadvantaged estates.

49. Actors and Interrelationships in OF in Global South
Industrialized
Consumers
Countries
Certification Bodies
Buyers
Int’l. Orgs.
Agri -
business
NGOs
Small
farmers’
groups
Plantations
Gvt .
Small
Farmers
Global South
Estate
Workers
ex. Sri Lanka 26

50. Vielen dank!!

52. Target Agriculture (Pvt.) Ltd.

54. Support from the Government
Gov. had been negative toward OF
　 …Subsidizing Chemical fertilizer & Low input agr.
1/18 major policies in “National Policy on Agr. & Livestock ”
　↑- Expanding the market =Increasing opportunities for export
　　 - Lobbying activities by NGOs
GTZ
Tea Research Institute
R&D for organic cultivation method for tea
Test growing of organic tea together with plantation estates