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Signing Ceremony for a Grant Project for Faculty of Agriculture, University of Jaffna

On May 18, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) signed a grant agreement (G/A) with the Government of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka to provide grant aid of up to 1.667 billion yen for the Project for the Establishment of Research and Training Complex at the Faculty of Agriculture, University of Jaffna.

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To strengthen the functionality of the university, this project will construct a research laboratory building, a processing training building and a training farm, and provide essential equipment to the Faculty of Agriculture which had been relocated domestically during Sri Lanka’s armed conflict. This initiative will make it possible for the Faculty of Agriculture to carry out effective and efficient research along with educational activities for the center of the agricultural area in the northern region.

The conflict, which lasted until 2009, caused widespread damage, including many internally displaced persons and the destruction of infrastructure, particularly in Northern and Eastern Provinces. Since the end of the conflict, reconstruction has achieved a certain level of success in the outcomes of returning and resettling internally displaced persons, but improving the productivity and livelihoods of the many resettled residents engaged in agriculture remains a priority.



Before the conflict, the Faculty of Agriculture had a campus in Kilinochchi District which is located in the agricultural center of Northern Province, but had to relocate to Jaffna District due to the unstable local situation. As safety has been restored to Kilinochchi District, the Government of Sri Lanka has indicated a desire to reconstruct the Faculty of Agriculture there.

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This project will increase the number of students that can be accommodated at the Faculty of Agriculture, expand the training programs provided to people working in the field of agriculture, and initiate practical training at the training farm. It is expected that these measures will improve the services provided by the Faculty of Agriculture, including the development of agricultural technology and the dissemination of agricultural activities appropriate to the region, while improving the agricultural productivity and livelihoods for farmers, thereby reducing the poverty and vulnerability in the war-affected area.

- JICA Press Releases