Sri Lanka Human Development Report 2012.pdf

attention of science and technology research institutions.
It also helps to ensure the transfer of technology that
meets community needs, including for the promotion of
entrepreneurship and marketing.
Livelihood Patterns in Conflict-affected
Regions
In general, as this report has demonstrated, the economies
and livelihood prospects of the Uva, Northern and Eastern
provinces lag behind those of the other provinces. This is
not unexpected for the Northern and Eastern provinces,
which are emerging from drawn-out conflict. Progress since
Recent studies have shown agriculture and fisheries are the
main sources of livelihoods in the Northern and Eastern
provinces, including the cultivation of paddy and highland
crops. The end of the conflict has increased competition
for natural resources, which has forced many households
to abandon traditional occupations and become unskilled
daily wage labourers in agriculture and fisheries. These
occupations are now the main sources of income in the
two provinces. 280
Fish production in conflict-affected areas drastically
declined during the conflict years, but is picking up again
(Figure 5.11). After depressed output from 1983 to 2008,
Figure 5.11: Marine Fish Production in the Northern and Eastern Provinces, 1983-2010
Source: Based on Ministry of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Development 2010
the end of the conflict has been encouraging, but there are
areas that need attention, recognizing that the journey is
not a quick or easy one. Infrastructure, in particular, has to
be repaired, rebuilt and extended. Governance, health and
literacy issues, are among other priorities.
fish production rose in Kalmunai, Batticaloa, Trincomalee,
Jaffna and Mannar. The rise from 2009 to 2010 was steep,
about a 60 percent increase in Jaffna and Batticaloa. As fish
production expanded, so did the number of households
and fishers involved in the business (Figure 5.12).
Chapter 5 Bridging Human Development Gaps: Employment and Livelihoods 97