When the world was created with its different climate zones and vegetations, special attention had been given to Sri Lanka: rich soil and rainfalls in extensive succession, mountain ranges and low lands. Images with the vitality and clarity of rich colours! The eye cannot get enough of all those beautiful colours of blossoms and flowers!
Sri Lanka’s Organic farmers are well blessed by nature. They live in the mountain ranges of Sri Lanka, near Kandy. We had to drive several hours on narrow roads, improvised cuttings and mountain paths to visit them. This was already an adventure itself, as ongoing traffic had to move aside somehow.
Not to speak of the local mini busses, when approaching. Often the driver has to drive backwards for several meters to find a broader place, before both vehicles could pass.
The organic farmers live in simple houses. Some of them are built on the slope of the road. Houses with flat roofs for drying plants.
A few houses are spread in the valley and have their drying place in front of the house.
The houses are decorated simple and practical. Kitchen and washing area are outside of the house. Around the houses the Organic farmers grow tropical spices. Nearby and instanteanous. Spice gardens, no large scale plantations. On many occasions, often only a few square meters in size. Nutmeg trees, Ginger, Pepper, Cardamom and Cinnamom trees are growing here. Close together with many other spices and vegetables.
• 2500 Organic Farmers had joint together as Small Organic Farmers Association, a democratically organised society which consists of several groups: farmers, villages, regions and provinces. They elect their spokes-man from amongst their number at regular intervals.
• The association markets the products to certified organic processeurs and exporters on site.
Surpluses generated are distributed in form of donations and charitable benefits within the cooperative and the farmers. For example school books, harvest tools or kitchen utensils.
• We also visited the exporters of our organic spices, who manage the treasures of the last garden of Eden in a very responsible way. For instance, by gentle hand-picked for additional drying. You can feel the positive working athmosphere. Employees are collected in the morning by dedicated busses to go to work.
They are well paid.
Not always quite easy …to go to Organic Farmers. Because streets are narrow and wet. You can barely scratch it without nerves of steel and a 4-Wheel Car!
Nonetheless: it is worth to go. Nowhere else people are friendlier than here, impressions are positive and very intense. The air is incomparable pure. True paradises of nature! Because of the closeness to the equator and due to the fact of the country being an island, climate is tropical and consistantly warm with very pleasant temperatures of over 25° Celsius. And high relative humdity. Plentyful precipitation arise throughout the year. Monsoon season is from September to December. During our journey rainfall was very heavy in Sri Lanka.
