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Impact studies
A number of studies documented the adoption of the new technologies, but few
concentrated on their impact. Ranaweera and Siripala (1980) and Ranaweera
(1983) studied the impact of new cropping systems technology under minor-tank
irrigation conditions and concluded that the impact had been primarily in terms of
component technologies--bztter crop management and use of improved varieties.
To e\.aluate the impact of FSR on real incorne or on household expenditure
patterns, nutrition, education, accumulation of household and agricultural capital
items, or other assets, a study was initiated in 1987 at two FSR sites--Uva
Paranagarna and Katupotha.
OBJECTIVES
The spzcific objectives of the study were to examine the adoption of new technical
practices by farmers and estimate the relative efficiency of resources used under
traditional and new technologies; to study the impact of technology adoption on the
structure of crop-production functions, factor inco~nes, and personal incomes; and to
examine the impact of the technology on nonq~~antifiablt: benefits such as better
standards of nutrition.
STUDY SITE
The Uva Valley, represented by the Uva-Paranagama FSR site, has 25,000 smallscale
vegetable farmers ~ ~llo operate, on average, on less than 0.5 ha and are
responsible for nearly 60% of the total vegetable and potato production of the
country (Agricultural Implementation Programn~e 1990).
Of thz 6,600 ha of 1o:vland ricefields in the region, about 6,400 ha are
cultivated nith rice during the maha (January-May) season. A major portion (50%)
of the lowland area is used for a second crop of vegetables and potatoes planted
immediately after the rice crop. The balance of the land has problems with drainage
or irrigation. A second crop of rice is usually grown if the problem is drainage; if
poor irrigation is the problem, the field is left fallow. The third crop for the year in
the lowlands coincides with the heavy rains and cold ten~perat~~res of October-
December. This is the only period when nonirrigated ~~pland areas can be cultivated
with a seasonal cash crop. The FSR site at Uva Paranagama represents the complex
physical environment of the region.
Patter~is of land use
The topography of the Uva Brlsin ranges from undulating hills with gently sloping
broad valleys to steep narrow inclines. The predominant soil is a red-yellow
podzolic, and the valley bottom is a fertile alluvial fill. Terraced upland areas and