Research Publications

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Bridging tradition and innovation: exploring vegetable harvest loss reduction strategies in Sri Lanka
(Emerald Publishing, 2026-01-15) Jayasuriya, N; Yapa, C.G; Rathnayake, T.A; Dilhara, A; Rathnayake, I.D; Mathangadeera, R
Purpose – This study aims to address a significant gap in the literature regarding vegetable harvest loss reduction methods, exploring both traditional and modern perspectives in Sri Lanka, which is largely driven by an agricultural economy. This study explores the diverse strategies employed and how they are going to be integrated by Sri Lankan vegetable farmers, highlighting both traditional and modern pre- and post-harvest practices aimed at improving productivity, sustainability and resilience in agricultural systems. Design/methodology/approach – The study was conducted across key agricultural districts in Sri Lanka, with data collected through semi-structured interviews with vegetable farmers using the snowball sampling method. Thematic analysis was employed to identify patterns and themes in the data. Findings – The findings emphasize the importance of traditional methods, including cultural practices such as cultivating at auspicious times, established pest control and irrigation techniques. These are complemented by advanced agricultural innovations, modern harvest protection methods and improved packing and transportation techniques. This integrated approach showcases farmers' adaptability in reducing vegetable losses despite the challenges they face. Originality/value – Post- and pre-harvest loss reduction in Asian countries can be considered an understudied area. Furthermore, the focus on traditional methods is rare in the field. Therefore, this study provides a clear understanding of traditional and modern methods that are suitable for farmers in developing countries
Open Access
Achieving near-zero carbon dioxide emissions from energy use: The case of Sri Lanka
(Elsevier, 2023-07-04) Fernando, G.L; Liyanage, M.H; Anandarajah, G; Attalage, R. A; Karunaratne, S
Signatories to the Paris Agreement are to achieve net zero Green House Gas (GHG) emissions during the half-century to pursue the efforts limiting global average temperature increase by 2 °C compared to pre-industrial levels. This study models ambitious to challenging scenarios involving energy demand and supply side actions for energy system transition toward net-zero for Sri Lanka. To analyze these scenarios a least cost optimization-based bottom-up type energy system model was developed from 2015 to 2050. A Business-as-usual (BAU) scenario and four countermeasure (CM) scenarios termed Plausible, Ambitious, Challenging, and Stringent were developed. Four different carbon tax rates were used to fathom the level of carbon tax needed to achieve net-zero emissions. The CM scenarios were formulated considering different technology options and policy measures such as the diffusion of efficient technologies, availability of renewable energy sources, use of cleaner fuels, the introduction of nuclear and carbon capture and storage technologies, and green hydrogen for power generation. The result of this study reveals that the stringent scenario which includes aggressive policy measures in both the energy supply and demand sectors, such as nuclear, and renewable energy for power generation, diffusion of efficient Enduse devices, fuel switching, including the introduction of electric cars, and increased share for public transport achieves the near carbon-neutral scenario at a carbon tax trajectory of 32 US$/tCO2 in 2020 and 562US$/tCO2 in 2050. The Net Energy Import Dependency (NEID) of the country decreases to 13 % in 2050 compared to that of the BAU scenario (65 %) under the near carbon neutral scenario, which is a positive sign from the energy security perspective.

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