In the quiet farming village of Vidyapuram in Mullaitivu, the rhythm of life has always followed the rains.
 

For years, Krishnasami Ravichandran cultivated paddy in the same way generations before him had done trusting seasonal weather patterns, managing with limited resources, and hoping each harvest would be enough to sustain his family. Like many smallholder farmers in the region, farming was not viewed as a business, but as a way of survival. 

Yet survival itself was becoming increasingly uncertain. Erratic rainfall, rising cultivation costs, and fluctuating market conditions made it difficult to plan ahead. Income arrived only during harvest periods, while household expenses continued throughout the year. Financial decisions were often reactive, shaped by immediate needs rather than long-term planning. Savings were limited, and concepts such as agricultural insurance, investment planning, or risk management remained largely unfamiliar.

“We cultivated because that was all we knew,” he reflects. “But we did not always know how to prepare for losses or think about the future.”

A turning point came when Mr. Ravichandran participated in the Gender-Responsive Climate Finance Literacy Training, supported through the Climate Finance Network (CFN), a flagship UNDP initiative funded by the UK Government through the FCDO CARA Programme, to strengthen climate resilience and financial literacy among the district's smallholder farmers. He gained practical knowledge on climate risks, crop planning, savings, reinvestment, and financial management. For the first time, he began maintaining cultivation records, tracking expenses, and calculating profitability.

“Earlier, we only focused on cultivation,” he says. “Now I think about planning, costs, risks, and future investment. Farming has become a business for me.”
 

The training also deepened his understanding of climate change and the growing need for resilience. Rather than waiting for climate shocks to disrupt his livelihood, he began investing proactively in protective agricultural systems.

Today, he is constructing a polytunnel to cultivate capsicum under controlled conditions an ambitious step for a farmer who once depended solely on seasonal paddy farming. The structure integrates drip irrigation, mulching practices, and climate-controlled cultivation techniques designed to reduce water usage while protecting crops from harsh environmental conditions.

This shift reflects more than agricultural modernization. It represents a deeper behavioural transformation from coping with uncertainty to planning for resilience.

Financial awareness has also become an important part of that journey.

Before participating in the programme, Mr. Ravichandran believed insurance was limited to life and vehicle coverage. Through the training sessions, he learned about crop insurance, agricultural risk transfer mechanisms, and the importance of protecting investments against climate-related losses.

He has already begun discussions with insurance providers and plans to secure crop insurance for future cultivation cycles, a decision that would have seemed unimaginable only a few years ago.

The impact of these changes extends well beyond the farm.

With more stable and diversified income, his household now experiences greater financial security. Educational expenses for his children are managed more confidently, household nutrition has improved, and savings have gradually increased.

“Planned cultivation has changed our lives,” he explains. “When income becomes stable, the whole family feels secure.”

Encouraged by his progress, Mr. Ravichandran is now preparing to expand his fruit cultivation from two acres to four acres in the coming season, steadily building his future as an agripreneur.

His journey reflects the growing potential within Sri Lanka’s rural farming communities where access to knowledge, climate-smart technology, and financial literacy can unlock lasting transformation.

The CFN climate finance literacy training had a powerful, catalytic effect. Armed with new risk-management and budgeting skills, Mr. Ravichandran felt empowered to make strategic financial decisions for his farm, ultimately enabling him to diversify his income by transitioning from traditional paddy to groundnut cultivation.

In villages like Vidyapuram, resilience is no longer defined only by enduring hardship. For farmers like Krishnasami Ravichandran, it is increasingly about planning ahead, adapting with confidence, and cultivating a future built not merely on survival, but on opportunity.