Sojan project established beside the walking track at Kiribathgoda was handed over to the farmer organizations by the Hon. Mahinda Amaraweera, Minister of Environment on 21.12.2021 at the ceremony organized in parallel to commemoration of World Soil Day which falls on 5th December.
This project was conducted under the financial assistance of the land resources division of the Ministry of Environment and implemented by the Kelaniya Divisional Secretariat with the support of Department of Land Use Policy Planning, Department of Agriculture, Department of Agrarian services etc;
“Sojan” is an Indonesian traditional lowland agricultural method to minimize land degradation and protect wetland ecosystem and increase agricultural productivity. The selected Kiribathgoda site for Sojan project has been an un-cultivated paddy land for over 40 years.
During the ceremony on 21st December, native plants such as “Mee” and “Kumbuk” were planted beside the walking track by the Hon. Minister, while organic fertilizer and two rafts were handed over to the farmer organizations. In addition, “Mee” and “Kumbuk” plants were distributed among 10 selected Grama Niladari divisions to plant along the Kelani river bank. At the occasion, special lecture was delivered by Prof. Dimuthu Wijeratne of University of Kelaniya on the importance of soil conservation. Environmental publications were also distributed among school children.
