Sri Lanka’s rich and ancient agro-hydraulic heritage includes large reservoirs, canals and cascaded village-tank systems, declared as a Globally Important Agricultural Heritage (GIAHS). Important investments continue to be made in multipurpose river basin development schemes and other large, medium and small-scale water resources and irrigation development projects in parallel with the rehabilitation and modernisation of existing infrastructure. We offer specialised services in the design and management of irrigation and water resources facilities, incorporating conjunctive use of surface and groundwater and climate-resilience principles, to sustain performance and mitigate risks to lives, livelihoods, and infrastructure.

Our Expertise:

• Feasibility studies
• Socio-economic assessments
• Detailed designs
• Supervisory consultancy
• Construction supervision

Sri Lanka is a country blessed with an abundance of ecosystems and several endemic species, earning it the distinction of being designated as one of 36 biodiversity hotspots in the world. The genetic diversity of agricultural crops is also quite remarkable. However, Sri Lanka’s biodiversity is severely threatened by the impacts of human activity and climate change, adversely affecting the sustainability of its natural resources and dependent sectors such as tourism. Moreover, Sri Lanka is ranked as one of the countries most vulnerable to the effects of climate change. We provide flexible and innovative solutions to the challenges of ensuring the conservation of our environment and the sustainable development of our natural resources in congruence with local traditions and customs and consistent with international norms and practices.

Our Expertise:

• Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA)
• Environment Impact Assessments (EIA)
• Initial Environmental Evaluations (IEE)
• Socio-economic assessments
• Climate change adaptation strategies
• Wildlife and biodiversity management

Agriculture (including crops, dairy production and fisheries) not only contribute to the country’s food and nutrition security but also its export earnings. In the process, backward and forward linkages are created throughout the value chain, stimulating demand for other products and services, and creating employment opportunities for the country’s workforce, including women and youth. We provide solutions to improve and sustain the performance of the agriculture and fisheries sectors while empowering communities to attain their potential for growth and development.

Our Expertise:

• Policy and institutional analyses
• Technical innovations
• Socio-economic assessments
• Livelihoods improvement
• SME development
• Training needs assessments

Tourism makes important contributions to Sri Lanka’s economy, generating local and foreign exchange earnings, employment, and livelihood improvements. Building on synergies with its other core areas and fields of expertise, Infotechs-IDEAS offers services to address the needs of the tourism industry, encompassing the so-called 3 A’s (accommodation, attractions and activities). For instance, designing and promoting tourist destinations and circuits around agriculture, fisheries and irrigation, an under-exploited niche holding attractive prospects for SMEs and local communities.

Our Expertise:

• Tourism-based community development
• Tourism planning and development advice
• Environmental and social safeguards assessments
• Policy development and reviews
• Social impact assessments
• Pre-project surveys and assessments
• Urban and rural resettlement planning

We help clients to develop and optimise their organisation’s education and training programmes to enhance productivity and strengthen competitiveness. We analyse the training needs of organisations and communities and provide leadership and guidance in the development and implementation of tailor-made programmes and initiatives to meet the assessed needs.

Our Expertise:

• Training needs assessment and analysis
• Curriculum design and development
• Facilitating opportunities for learning and practise
• Performance monitoring and evaluation