Gannoruwa Agro-Technology Park :

Versatile park brimming with biodiversity

by Ganga Ratnayake

In 1638 AD Gannoruwa, tucked in the midst of this island, was famous for the great battle between the Sinhalese and Portuguese. Centuries later during British colonial era Gannoruwa became a research ground for crops. The area is blessed with perfect soil and weather conditions, hence crops from anywhere in the country can be grown here. This perennial practice of research was eventually inherited by Gannoruwa Agro-Technology Park, which stands proudly today on the very historical soil.

Centenary monument

The concept behind opening an agro park was to have a permanent agro exhibition site to demonstrate the entire cultivation process of crops. In addition, to grow all the crops found in the country in one place and share the technology used. To expand its services the Department of Agriculture launched a second agro park called Chamal Rajapaksa Agro-Technology Park in Bataatha, Hambantota. Apart from continuing their multitude of services, both parks have set sights on introducing the local crops to the world, through Agro-tourism.

At Gannoruwa Agro-Technology Park, you will come across more than 40 distinctive sections housed within two square kilometres of land. Yet when we toured on November 15 we could only cover around 14 important sections and that too after exploring for nearly two hours.

Indeed, the park offers so much to see and experience, that it’s no easy task trying to cover the entire park in merely one tour. Thus, to make the most of the time spent at the park, the facilitators guide the visitors only to the sections relevant to their subject of interest.

After leaving the fascinating realm of bugs and butterflies we continued our tour, and this time we headed to the Soil Conservation and Sacred Trees site. En route we passed through a lush Jack fruit Garden nestling a small children’s playground. I was surprised to find out that the play equipments here like the swing, bicycle and seesaw were in fact water pumps, which can pump water while the kids played to their hearts’ content.

At the Soil Conservation area we came across a sloping hill with a summit covered by a wooded area. At the border of the woods stood the 28 Sacred Trees depicting the very trees where upon the 28 Buddhas attained the Enlightenment. It is prohibited to cultivate areas with a slope above 60 degrees since it leads to soil erosion.

So to remind about this rule and to stop chopping down trees, the sacred trees and birth trees of astrological signs have been planted around the base of higher slopes.

To prevent soil erosion a sloped land can be terraced. This in turn will slow down the gush of rainwater flowing downhill and guide them to water reserves. And so below the sacred trees we saw a terraced slope which resembled a long stairway, complemented with stone and tire bunds. There were also double hedgerows and sandbag barriers skirting the terraces on either side, adding beauty to the landscape while protecting soil.

After a walk between the neatly trimmed hedges we arrived at the next section called Plant Quarantine Unit. Plant quarantine is a process that every imported plant to this country has to undergo, where the plant is quarantined and tested for foreign illnesses and pests. This enclosed room displayed a big variety of exotic plants in vivid hues, flaunting their beauty. There were wall posters explaining the guidelines for importing and exporting plants in addition to other important facts.

Our tour thereafter took us past an array of interesting exhibits, both living and non-living. First we came upon a row of wide circular water tanks infested with invasive aquatic plants, where visitors can easily identify and learn how to prevent their invasion. Next we walked past a rock collection featuring sizable rocks, which turned out to be the source of soil found in different parts of the country.

And near them was a wide herbal garden where its plants were categorised by illnesses which includes fractured bones and skin diseases.

Herbal garden and rock collection

After a while we came upon an underground chamber exhibiting Soil Profiles, featured as tall slices of soil samples, showing individual layers up to several feet below ground. Not far from here we saw a massive creation of a multi-coloured Sri Lankan map made entirely using soil! This map, created on a sloped floor, had its regions filled with the respective soil taken from the very regions they belong.

As we went further the environment felt somewhat different, making us wonder if we had entered the dry zone. And sure enough we were standing before a Traditional Chena.

A messy crisscrossing log fence enclosed the tall grown crops and a fine tree house rose high from the midst of them. Nearby we saw few traditional traps that were used in the good old days to keep away animals, big and small.

Next the path between vegetation led us to an open area with a serene rustic backdrop. In no time we were standing before a traditional tank nestled at the foot of a dense wooded area. And this was the Tank and Irrigation Technology section.

This was a recreated ancient irrigation system, in a small scale, demonstrating how the farmers of the olden days drew natural water from a traditional tank up to their paddy fields some distance away.

The tank water passes through a special waterway called Katta Kaduwa which can naturally filter heavy elements like ferrous and cadmium. Then after passing two more narrow channels, only the purified natural water reaches the paddy fields.

From here we took a detour and visited the newly built section called the Livestock Technology Park. Attached to the Gannoruwa agro park this section is managed under the Department of Animal Production and Health, and was launched in June 6, 2012. We were welcomed by a beautiful herbal garden, displaying all kinds of herbs used for treating animals.

Here we saw a variety of animals including sheep and Jamunapari (Indian) goats as well as various types of poultry. In the poultry section there were pens of various designs, from economic to space efficient, set up right next to a tall fenced traditional pen found in villages.

There was even a nice little pond here with a bunch of ducks and geese enjoying a hearty chat.

Sir Samuel Baker

Next we had to cross a very narrow foot path called ‘dewata’ and walked until we passed the paddy fields. Most of the fields were getting ready for the planting process as the Maha season began, and some fields were partially planted with lush paddy in neat alignments.Here we entered the section that portrayed the Evolution of Department of Agriculture. On our left side we passed a miniature replica of the Victoria Dam and on our right side we passed miniature building models representing the colonial eras of Portuguese, Dutch and British, reminiscing their contribution to agriculture for centuries. There was even a sculpture of the British Engineer Sir Samuel White Baker, who found an agricultural settlement in Nuwara Eliya, paving the way to a stable vegetable cultivation which has continued to date.

While admiring these realistic models we didn’t realise that we have already reached the end of our tour - the Leafy Vegetable Garden. Once again this was no ordinary veggie patch, as the landscape looked like a striking courtyard vivified by multifarious hues and patterns, made solely of leafy vegetables. Standing tall amidst this breathtaking landscape was the recently unveiled Centenary Monument, yet another awesome creation built entirely using parts of farming machinery and tools.

This monument commemorates the hundred years of service rendered by the Department of Agriculture, and the legacy is now shouldered by the Gannoruwa Agro-Technology Park.

Gannoruwa agro park is a place where fun meets education, curiosity meets excitement, and inspiration meets aspiration.

It is where innovation and technology go hand in hand with tradition and perennial customs.

All in all, a tour in the Gannoruwa Agro-Technology Park is an educational, cultural and historical experience that visitors of all ages and walks of life ought to enjoy.