Saaraketha – an Organic Agro Forestry Company

Saaraketha, meaning â€Å"bountiful field†; is an organization that intends to deliver the promise symbolized by its name. Saaraketha is a fully Sri Lankan owned 100% Organically certified Global Social Sustainable Enterprise; established in 2008 under the 300 Factories Programme of the Government of Sri Lanka, following registration with the Board of Investment (BOI) Sri Lanka. Saaraketha specializes in Agro Forestry, along with other downstream value additions such as Organic Agriculture, Alternate Sources of Energy, Bio Extracts, Agro Tourism and Carbon Sequestration and Trading. Saaraketha strives to increase the productivity and profitability of small holder farmers of Sri Lanka through a cohesive program that addresses the current constraints for adopting agro forestry in their farming systems. The company’s philosophy is to infuse dignity to the vocation of farming through knowledge infusion, professional skill development and facilitating access to appropriate technology. Saaraketha’s aims to provide the socially responsible global citizens of the world the means to live a healthy, simple and ethical life; that supports integrated clean development while leaving only a minimal footprint on the environment. The farm is located in the picturesque village of Gangeyaya, Perakanatte, Wilgamuwa in the Matale District overlooking the knuckles range, bordering the Mahaweli river and is a six hours drive from the city of Colombo where it supports many poor farmers to defy the odds of their circumstances. The scenic nature of the village hides the various hardships that compound an already difficult life for the community of Wilgamuwa where attacks from wild elephants pose a very real threat to both life and livelihoods, scarcity of clean drinking water, lack of access to basic health & education, and crippling cycle of poverty are part and parcel of everyday life. We are privileged to be working with the people of Wilgamuwa who are striving to improve their quality of life while embracing sustainable practices of agriculture amidst these unequal odds. The sustainable community forestry model we use merges a number of commercially viable crops with mixed life cycles, to ensure regular income generation and healthy cash flows. We work to promote endemic plant species that are usually not thought of as cash crops, in an attempt to ensure their survival for the generations to come, while proving to be an additional source of revenue to rural farmers, thereby creating a sustainable model for conservation. With the organic agriculture element of the venture, we hope to reach the modern consumer who is conscious of the effects of her consumption on the planet. At Saaraketha we believe in sustainable growth: that man and nature can exist in harmony. We harness the benefits of Organic Agro Forestry as our primary means of doing business. Through this we are assured a commercially viable platform that allows users to reap maximum benefits with no damage done to the environment. To this end, we strive to leave behind a minimal carbon footprint. As a Global Social Sustainable Enterprise, we hold fast to the principles of the Triple Bottom Line, â€Å"people, planet, profit†.