Rohana Mahaliyanaarachchi - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Rohana Mahaliyanaarachchi

Journal of Agricultural Sciences, 2020

It becomes a fact that one in nine people around the world does not have enough to eat, and the n... more It becomes a fact that one in nine people around the world does not have enough to eat, and the number is rising. After falling steadily between 2005 and 2014, the number of undernourished people increased in 2015, rising for the fourth consecutive year in 2018. According to the United Nations, a thoughtful change of the global food and agriculture system is needed to feed the 821 million people who are suff ering from hunger today, and the additional 2 billion people expected to be undernourished by 2050. It is a timely issue to consider how we cultivate, distribute and consume our food. If done right, agriculture, forestry and fi sheries can provide nutritious food for the total population in the world and generate suffi cient incomes, whilst supporting peoplecentered rural development and protecting the environment.

Journal of Agricultural Sciences, Jul 3, 2013

Open Agriculture, 2019

The global climate change has become one of the imperative issue for the smallholder dominated ag... more The global climate change has become one of the imperative issue for the smallholder dominated agriculture and tourism sectors in Sri Lanka. This study investigated the perception of farmers on climate change and the potential of agritourism as a sustainable adaptation option to mitigate the negative impacts of climate change in both tourism and agricultural sectors. The study was carried out in the low country dry zone (LCDZ) and the upcountry wet zone (UPWZ) of Sri Lanka. A survey strategy followed by structured and unstructured interviews were undertaken to collect the data. The sample was composed of 100 farmers each from the UPWZ and LCDZ respectively. The study revealed that there had been climate extremes in both climatic zones in terms of high rainfall and longer dry spells. Thus, it was important for the farmers to have necessary knowledge and skills on different diversification techniques related to crop-production, integrated farming systems and climate resilient producti...

Journal of Agricultural Sciences – Sri Lanka

Purpose: Folk poetry was used to alleviate the drudgery and harshness of agricultural life. The r... more Purpose: Folk poetry was used to alleviate the drudgery and harshness of agricultural life. The research problem here is whether folk poetry has been used for the spiritual thinking and mental development of people engaged in agriculture since ancient times. The main objective of this study is to reveal that these poems and songs stimulated the rice farming of the farmers.Research Method: The method used for this purpose is the Ethnographic research method. In those songs, the words used and the rhythm are considered prominent for this. Folk poems and songs related to farming recorded from different places in Sri Lanka from 2000 to 2015 are used for this research. Findings: One of the major features of Sri Lankan farming was singing folk poems and songs while working in farming aiming to mitigate work stress. Those poems and songs have influenced the physical and mental wellness of the farmers. It is evident that the communication ability and mental freedom that attracts agriculture...

International Journal of Agriculture Innovation, Technology and Globalisation, 2021

ABSTRACT As an entrepreneur, if you decide to start an agri tourism farm, it is important to know... more ABSTRACT As an entrepreneur, if you decide to start an agri tourism farm, it is important to know about the types of agri tourism farms. Then you can decide the most suitable type depending on your capabilities and business requirements. If you want to convert an existing farm into an agri tourism farm also, you need to have an idea about the different types of agri tourism farms.The agri tourism farms try to make their production more extensive and ecologically/ environmentally clean because these meet the needs of the tourists/visitors. Visitors to agri tourism prefer ecologically and environmentally clean production. General farms try to introduce as much technical development as they can aim for higher production. However, these modern techniques used in farm production are not very attractive for agri tourists. The traditional and indigenous methods of agricultural production are of great importance for agri-tourism. They differ in different countries and even different regions. Agri tourism farms accept technical development only in the field of improving tourist service. The approach at which the agri tourism farms look at the market is also different. The market is very important and agri tourism farms consider tourists and visitors as their main market segment. If you want to establish and run agri tourism farm you have to fulfill some basic physical requirements in the first instance. What are these? First, you must have an idea about what a farm is.

Proceedings of International Forestry and Environment Symposium, 2018

Agriculture is one of the most important sectors in the Sri Lankan economy and contributes 7.9% f... more Agriculture is one of the most important sectors in the Sri Lankan economy and contributes 7.9% for the national GDP. As the staple food, paddy production is playing a key role in the agricultural sector, contributing 0.9% to national GDP. However, Sri Lanka as a small island is more susceptible to most of the climatic change impacts like increasing temperature of land and sea surface and changes of the rainfall pattern, extreme drought and flood conditions. Nevertheless the agriculture sector ishighly sensitive to climate change in both short and longterm ways and it is important to pay attention on the impact of climate change on the agriculture sector in Sri Lanka.The study assessed the awareness of recent changes in the extreme climatic events and its impact on paddy production in the Kalthota irrigation scheme which is recorded as the second largest paddy producer in Rathnapura district and the highest water consuming area for paddy cultivation in Sri Lanka. It further explored the perception of paddy farmers on the impact of climate change, existing adaption methods and limitation factors that affected the adaption measures.Simple random sampling technique was used to select 63 paddy farmers and primary data were collected using structured questionnaires and direct observations. Journal articles and reports of Meteorology Department were used as secondary data sources. The collected data were analysed by using descriptive statistics and correlation analysis. The results indicated that majority of the paddy farmers (92.1%) were aware of the climatic change effect on the crop yield, however, only 38.1% were practicing different adaption methods such as using drought-resistant varieties and changing harvesting time.However the results also indicated(31.7%) that the farmers have an inclination on performing various spiritual activities believing that these supernatural practices have an impact on changes of climate and adaption for the rainfall pattern changes based on their experience. Inadequate information on adaptation practices and income options act as barriers in shifting to different adaption measures. Nevertheless, the study revealed that even though the farmers are aware on the detrimental effects of the climate change, adapting different strategies to mitigate climate is not taken in to account. The study also revealed that the responsible authorities should implement different strategies to educate farmers on the various adaption techniques.

AGRARIS: Journal of Agribusiness and Rural Development Research, 2021

Tourism industry is one of sectors that have potential to develop and grow in the next few years ... more Tourism industry is one of sectors that have potential to develop and grow in the next few years in Sri Lanka. According to Tourism Development Strategy of Sri Lanka, tourism industry is expected to be the largest foreign exchange earner by 2024. The principal focus of this study was to explore major factors that affect women’s participation and non-participation in the hospitality industry in Ella DS division Sri Lanka. The study used a deductive approach, and primary data were collected through a self-administered structured questionnaire. Samples were 60 women, consisting of thirty women involved in the hospitality industry and thirty women of the non-hospitality industry, randomly selected. Results were analyzed using descriptive statistics and inferential statistics. The results found that the differences in language skills and problem-solving had the most significant effect on women’s participation in hospitality industry. Besides, childcare responsibility and lack of experie...

The Journal of Agricultural Sciences-Sri Lanka is a fifteen years old, international, peer review... more The Journal of Agricultural Sciences-Sri Lanka is a fifteen years old, international, peer reviewed, open access academic journal which comprehends the outstanding achievements of the leading researchers in agriculture, agricultural economics, agri-business management, livestock, fisheries, agri-forestry and agricultural extension. By publishing high-quality and novel articles in a wider range of categories, this journal is dedicated to expanding and evolving the knowledge of current knowledge in agriculture and related research. Researchers, teachers in the universities, undergraduate and postgraduate students, policy makers, and other specialists will be able to obtain valuable information and innovative ideas from the articles published in this journal. The mission of publishing Journal of Agricultural Sciences-Sri Lanka is to provide with a reliable source of information relevant to current developments and findings in agriculture and related areas.

Journal of Agricultural Sciences – Sri Lanka, 2021

In agriculture there are numbers of areas such as science in agriculture, engineering, economics ... more In agriculture there are numbers of areas such as science in agriculture, engineering, economics and business management where researchers conduct various researches. At present, in all these areas, a large volume of data are involved towards the constructions of solutions to problems, and it is not easy to handle this large volume despite using new techniques. Artificial intelligence (AI) is one of the technologies that has changed processes and developments in the field of science, technology, and business in recent years and currently, used in agriculture based research too. AI has been used in applications of expert systems and decision support systems for the simulation of processes and the management of supply operations, in quality control research to investigate the price behavior in agri-food products.

Journal of Agricultural Sciences – Sri Lanka, 2020

As a researcher you need to gather literature relevant to your research study and find out the cu... more As a researcher you need to gather literature relevant to your research study and find out the current updated knowledge in the field of study that your research is focused and find out the knowledge gap prevailing. While you do this information collection some of the researchers especially young researchers unexpectedly fall into the pitfall of plagiarism. Plagiarism is an unethical practice that uses ideas and words of another author or your own ones that were published previously without proper acknowledgement. It can happen intentionally or unintentionally. Plagiarism is considered as a serious intellectual offence and it will result for loss of credibility and recognition of the author. It will also be a result to get your paper refused to be published and you will be black listed in the journal. Journal of Agricultural Sciences-Sri Lanka tolerates only up to 10% of plagiarism level for a paper which is the accepted standard of Web of Science. We have experienced that non-native English speakers face difficulties and challenges in communicating their technical content and ideas in English language without breaking these ethical standards. Today, due to easy access to most of the publications through the internet, some researchers are motivated to copy and paste information.

Journal of Agricultural Sciences – Sri Lanka, 2020

According to the World Health Organization, the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) has been declared to... more According to the World Health Organization, the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) has been declared to be pandemic. Most of the countries are forced to be locked down for weeks and months. Due to this situation, farming activities at the farm and supply chain to the market, need to be reorganized and revitalized. Further, meat and meat products processing and packing plants, dairy processors, ethanol plants and other processing facilities all play vital roles in delivering food to the word population and due to the prevailing global health issue, food processing and packaging companies adopt social distancing policies in keeping with health directives, and this mode of work could have a significant impact on the processing and packaging plants. Additional impacts could include access to seed, fertilizer and crop protection tools farmers need to grow a healthy crop.

Journal of Agricultural Sciences – Sri Lanka, 2018

Journal of Agricultural Sciences, 2017

Journal of Agricultural Sciences, 2017

Journal of Agricultural Sciences, 2016

Most of the alternative tourism approaches are closely related with rural economy and thereby rur... more Most of the alternative tourism approaches are closely related with rural economy and thereby rural development. The main reason for this is that tourist destination of these alternative tourism approaches are rural areas. Therefore, agri tourism as an alternative tourism creates a new economic opportunity in rural areas as well as to the macro economy of a country. Based on the factors such as the place where agri tourism activities take place, people who involve in providing agri tourism activities, nature of agri tourism activities and services, nature of the tourists and main objectives of the agri tourism business, agri tourism can be categorised into four types, namely Farm Stay, Farm Catering, Farm Tours and Farm Retailing. Hence, farmers who are trying to diversify their economies due to low profits and high risks, agri tourism offers a complementary/supplementary income source that allows a large financial leverage for capital expenditure, depending on how much the entrepre...

Journal of Agricultural Sciences, 2015

Journal of Agricultural Sciences, 2015

Journal of Agricultural Sciences, 2015

Journal of Agricultural Sciences, 2020

It becomes a fact that one in nine people around the world does not have enough to eat, and the n... more It becomes a fact that one in nine people around the world does not have enough to eat, and the number is rising. After falling steadily between 2005 and 2014, the number of undernourished people increased in 2015, rising for the fourth consecutive year in 2018. According to the United Nations, a thoughtful change of the global food and agriculture system is needed to feed the 821 million people who are suff ering from hunger today, and the additional 2 billion people expected to be undernourished by 2050. It is a timely issue to consider how we cultivate, distribute and consume our food. If done right, agriculture, forestry and fi sheries can provide nutritious food for the total population in the world and generate suffi cient incomes, whilst supporting peoplecentered rural development and protecting the environment.

Journal of Agricultural Sciences, Jul 3, 2013

Open Agriculture, 2019

The global climate change has become one of the imperative issue for the smallholder dominated ag... more The global climate change has become one of the imperative issue for the smallholder dominated agriculture and tourism sectors in Sri Lanka. This study investigated the perception of farmers on climate change and the potential of agritourism as a sustainable adaptation option to mitigate the negative impacts of climate change in both tourism and agricultural sectors. The study was carried out in the low country dry zone (LCDZ) and the upcountry wet zone (UPWZ) of Sri Lanka. A survey strategy followed by structured and unstructured interviews were undertaken to collect the data. The sample was composed of 100 farmers each from the UPWZ and LCDZ respectively. The study revealed that there had been climate extremes in both climatic zones in terms of high rainfall and longer dry spells. Thus, it was important for the farmers to have necessary knowledge and skills on different diversification techniques related to crop-production, integrated farming systems and climate resilient producti...

Journal of Agricultural Sciences – Sri Lanka

Purpose: Folk poetry was used to alleviate the drudgery and harshness of agricultural life. The r... more Purpose: Folk poetry was used to alleviate the drudgery and harshness of agricultural life. The research problem here is whether folk poetry has been used for the spiritual thinking and mental development of people engaged in agriculture since ancient times. The main objective of this study is to reveal that these poems and songs stimulated the rice farming of the farmers.Research Method: The method used for this purpose is the Ethnographic research method. In those songs, the words used and the rhythm are considered prominent for this. Folk poems and songs related to farming recorded from different places in Sri Lanka from 2000 to 2015 are used for this research. Findings: One of the major features of Sri Lankan farming was singing folk poems and songs while working in farming aiming to mitigate work stress. Those poems and songs have influenced the physical and mental wellness of the farmers. It is evident that the communication ability and mental freedom that attracts agriculture...

International Journal of Agriculture Innovation, Technology and Globalisation, 2021

ABSTRACT As an entrepreneur, if you decide to start an agri tourism farm, it is important to know... more ABSTRACT As an entrepreneur, if you decide to start an agri tourism farm, it is important to know about the types of agri tourism farms. Then you can decide the most suitable type depending on your capabilities and business requirements. If you want to convert an existing farm into an agri tourism farm also, you need to have an idea about the different types of agri tourism farms.The agri tourism farms try to make their production more extensive and ecologically/ environmentally clean because these meet the needs of the tourists/visitors. Visitors to agri tourism prefer ecologically and environmentally clean production. General farms try to introduce as much technical development as they can aim for higher production. However, these modern techniques used in farm production are not very attractive for agri tourists. The traditional and indigenous methods of agricultural production are of great importance for agri-tourism. They differ in different countries and even different regions. Agri tourism farms accept technical development only in the field of improving tourist service. The approach at which the agri tourism farms look at the market is also different. The market is very important and agri tourism farms consider tourists and visitors as their main market segment. If you want to establish and run agri tourism farm you have to fulfill some basic physical requirements in the first instance. What are these? First, you must have an idea about what a farm is.

Proceedings of International Forestry and Environment Symposium, 2018

Agriculture is one of the most important sectors in the Sri Lankan economy and contributes 7.9% f... more Agriculture is one of the most important sectors in the Sri Lankan economy and contributes 7.9% for the national GDP. As the staple food, paddy production is playing a key role in the agricultural sector, contributing 0.9% to national GDP. However, Sri Lanka as a small island is more susceptible to most of the climatic change impacts like increasing temperature of land and sea surface and changes of the rainfall pattern, extreme drought and flood conditions. Nevertheless the agriculture sector ishighly sensitive to climate change in both short and longterm ways and it is important to pay attention on the impact of climate change on the agriculture sector in Sri Lanka.The study assessed the awareness of recent changes in the extreme climatic events and its impact on paddy production in the Kalthota irrigation scheme which is recorded as the second largest paddy producer in Rathnapura district and the highest water consuming area for paddy cultivation in Sri Lanka. It further explored the perception of paddy farmers on the impact of climate change, existing adaption methods and limitation factors that affected the adaption measures.Simple random sampling technique was used to select 63 paddy farmers and primary data were collected using structured questionnaires and direct observations. Journal articles and reports of Meteorology Department were used as secondary data sources. The collected data were analysed by using descriptive statistics and correlation analysis. The results indicated that majority of the paddy farmers (92.1%) were aware of the climatic change effect on the crop yield, however, only 38.1% were practicing different adaption methods such as using drought-resistant varieties and changing harvesting time.However the results also indicated(31.7%) that the farmers have an inclination on performing various spiritual activities believing that these supernatural practices have an impact on changes of climate and adaption for the rainfall pattern changes based on their experience. Inadequate information on adaptation practices and income options act as barriers in shifting to different adaption measures. Nevertheless, the study revealed that even though the farmers are aware on the detrimental effects of the climate change, adapting different strategies to mitigate climate is not taken in to account. The study also revealed that the responsible authorities should implement different strategies to educate farmers on the various adaption techniques.

AGRARIS: Journal of Agribusiness and Rural Development Research, 2021

Tourism industry is one of sectors that have potential to develop and grow in the next few years ... more Tourism industry is one of sectors that have potential to develop and grow in the next few years in Sri Lanka. According to Tourism Development Strategy of Sri Lanka, tourism industry is expected to be the largest foreign exchange earner by 2024. The principal focus of this study was to explore major factors that affect women’s participation and non-participation in the hospitality industry in Ella DS division Sri Lanka. The study used a deductive approach, and primary data were collected through a self-administered structured questionnaire. Samples were 60 women, consisting of thirty women involved in the hospitality industry and thirty women of the non-hospitality industry, randomly selected. Results were analyzed using descriptive statistics and inferential statistics. The results found that the differences in language skills and problem-solving had the most significant effect on women’s participation in hospitality industry. Besides, childcare responsibility and lack of experie...

The Journal of Agricultural Sciences-Sri Lanka is a fifteen years old, international, peer review... more The Journal of Agricultural Sciences-Sri Lanka is a fifteen years old, international, peer reviewed, open access academic journal which comprehends the outstanding achievements of the leading researchers in agriculture, agricultural economics, agri-business management, livestock, fisheries, agri-forestry and agricultural extension. By publishing high-quality and novel articles in a wider range of categories, this journal is dedicated to expanding and evolving the knowledge of current knowledge in agriculture and related research. Researchers, teachers in the universities, undergraduate and postgraduate students, policy makers, and other specialists will be able to obtain valuable information and innovative ideas from the articles published in this journal. The mission of publishing Journal of Agricultural Sciences-Sri Lanka is to provide with a reliable source of information relevant to current developments and findings in agriculture and related areas.

Journal of Agricultural Sciences – Sri Lanka, 2021

In agriculture there are numbers of areas such as science in agriculture, engineering, economics ... more In agriculture there are numbers of areas such as science in agriculture, engineering, economics and business management where researchers conduct various researches. At present, in all these areas, a large volume of data are involved towards the constructions of solutions to problems, and it is not easy to handle this large volume despite using new techniques. Artificial intelligence (AI) is one of the technologies that has changed processes and developments in the field of science, technology, and business in recent years and currently, used in agriculture based research too. AI has been used in applications of expert systems and decision support systems for the simulation of processes and the management of supply operations, in quality control research to investigate the price behavior in agri-food products.

Journal of Agricultural Sciences – Sri Lanka, 2020

As a researcher you need to gather literature relevant to your research study and find out the cu... more As a researcher you need to gather literature relevant to your research study and find out the current updated knowledge in the field of study that your research is focused and find out the knowledge gap prevailing. While you do this information collection some of the researchers especially young researchers unexpectedly fall into the pitfall of plagiarism. Plagiarism is an unethical practice that uses ideas and words of another author or your own ones that were published previously without proper acknowledgement. It can happen intentionally or unintentionally. Plagiarism is considered as a serious intellectual offence and it will result for loss of credibility and recognition of the author. It will also be a result to get your paper refused to be published and you will be black listed in the journal. Journal of Agricultural Sciences-Sri Lanka tolerates only up to 10% of plagiarism level for a paper which is the accepted standard of Web of Science. We have experienced that non-native English speakers face difficulties and challenges in communicating their technical content and ideas in English language without breaking these ethical standards. Today, due to easy access to most of the publications through the internet, some researchers are motivated to copy and paste information.

Journal of Agricultural Sciences – Sri Lanka, 2020

According to the World Health Organization, the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) has been declared to... more According to the World Health Organization, the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) has been declared to be pandemic. Most of the countries are forced to be locked down for weeks and months. Due to this situation, farming activities at the farm and supply chain to the market, need to be reorganized and revitalized. Further, meat and meat products processing and packing plants, dairy processors, ethanol plants and other processing facilities all play vital roles in delivering food to the word population and due to the prevailing global health issue, food processing and packaging companies adopt social distancing policies in keeping with health directives, and this mode of work could have a significant impact on the processing and packaging plants. Additional impacts could include access to seed, fertilizer and crop protection tools farmers need to grow a healthy crop.

Journal of Agricultural Sciences – Sri Lanka, 2018

Journal of Agricultural Sciences, 2017

Journal of Agricultural Sciences, 2017

Journal of Agricultural Sciences, 2016

Most of the alternative tourism approaches are closely related with rural economy and thereby rur... more Most of the alternative tourism approaches are closely related with rural economy and thereby rural development. The main reason for this is that tourist destination of these alternative tourism approaches are rural areas. Therefore, agri tourism as an alternative tourism creates a new economic opportunity in rural areas as well as to the macro economy of a country. Based on the factors such as the place where agri tourism activities take place, people who involve in providing agri tourism activities, nature of agri tourism activities and services, nature of the tourists and main objectives of the agri tourism business, agri tourism can be categorised into four types, namely Farm Stay, Farm Catering, Farm Tours and Farm Retailing. Hence, farmers who are trying to diversify their economies due to low profits and high risks, agri tourism offers a complementary/supplementary income source that allows a large financial leverage for capital expenditure, depending on how much the entrepre...

Journal of Agricultural Sciences, 2015

Journal of Agricultural Sciences, 2015

Journal of Agricultural Sciences, 2015