On A Fearful Road

By Ranil Senanayake -November 2, 2014

Ranil Senanayake

One of the observations that with climate change comes an increase in peak weather events, became a horrible reality to us last week.  Our mountains, bearing soil on a rocky base, was once stabilized by the unbroken blanket of forests that covered it have become destabilized. The tragedy of the loss of life at Meeriyabedda is a warning, we have to change the way in which we treat our soils and landscapes.

The erosion of our soils and the loss of both soil nutrients and biodiversity have forced us into the current chemical basis of agricultural production. The chemical methods of agriculture do not build up populations of soil bacteria, soil bacteria that produce the polysaccharide gum that binds soil particles and soil without good structure quickly dissolves when wet.

But we are proud of a chemically maintained monoculture over our mountains, a monoculture that precludes the use of trees, a monoculture that does not lend stability to the soil. This is our tea country.

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