Since Sri Lanka’s independence in 1948, its agricultural policies focused on reaching self-sufficiency in food production. Thanks to chemical fertilizers, pesticides, modern hybrid seeds, and bold irrigation schemes, Sri Lanka essentially achieved this goal.
At least that was so until April 2021, when ex-president Gotabaya Rajapaksa banned agrochemicals, boasting to make Sri Lanka the world’s first 100% organic country. Production quickly dropped by 40%. When he fled the country due to riots in July, 7 out of 10 families were cutting down on food, and 1.7 million Lankan children risked dying from malnutrition – 17% of them from deadly chronic wasting.
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