Abstract:
The negative consequences of climatic factors on paddy production have seriously impacted many
small-scale farmers, as the agriculture sector is mainly known to be affected by the weather and
climate in Sri Lanka. This review is mainly focused on the negative impacts of climate change on
paddy production in Sri Lanka and the best adaptation strategies that can be applied to overcome
those impacts. Therefore, one hundred and thirty research articles were reviewed in Sri Lanka. In
Sri Lanka, the dry zone contributes 60% of the annual rice production. Achieving a grain yield of
8–10 tons of paddy per hectare in well-managed irrigated lowland rice lands in the Dry and
Intermediate Zones of Sri Lanka is certainly practicable with current technology. The negative
impacts on rice production are due to high temperature-accelerated spikelet sterility that can be
aggravated by rising CO2. Similarly, rising temperatures, either independently or with the
combination of changing rainfall, will also cause a drop in paddy production. The past studies
suggest that temperature rise by 4°C, together with a 50% rainfall intensification, led to a 32.13%
decline in average rice yield, and 27.57% will be reduced with the combined effect of a 4°C
temperature increase and a 50% decrease in rainfall. Climate adaptation strategies such as
ensuring crop insurance, cultivating short-term paddy crops and drought-resistant crops,
improving irrigation efficiency, changing the planting date, adopting aerobic growth conditions
for rice varieties, introducing agricultural practices combined with endogenous paddy varieties,
cultivating short- to medium-duration cultivars, introducing rice varieties that match high CO2
concentrations, and introducing short-duration rice varieties were the findings to overcome the
negative impacts of climate change on paddy production in Sri Lanka. These adaptation strategies
should be connected in a proper way to have a connection with the national development policies
and strategies to have an improved structure for a great yield. Further, the outcomes suggest that
rural farmers should be given better awareness and knowledge of climate change to combat its
negative impacts and the need for a good policy framework to ensure the stability of paddy
production in Sri Lanka while moving to climate-smart agriculture practices.
