When the Winds Settled, Recovery Took Root

Cyclone Dithwa swept through Sri Lanka's Wayamba region, damaging coconut plantations, farm infrastructure and the income-generating activities that families depend on. Through the Fairtrade Disaster Relief Fund, Fairtrade NAPP extended support to affected members of the Wayamba Organic Farmer Association (WOFA) so that recovery could begin without delay. On 10 June 2026, the Fairtrade NAPP team travelled to Kuliyapitiya to see how that support translated into recovery on coconut farms. Nine farmer members, women and men, opened their farms and their experiences to the team, and what emerged was a picture of a community steadily rebuilding and already thinking about how to be better prepared for the next storm.

Seedlings, Soil and Storage: Support That Reached the Farm Gate

Walking through the affected farms and sitting down with WOFA management and farmer members, the team confirmed that the Disaster Relief Fund had been utilised effectively and reached farmers in time to ease the economic burden of the cyclone. Coconut seedlings are replacing lost palms, soil rehabilitation support is restoring damaged land, and reconstruction materials have gone into rebuilding storage facilities destroyed by strong winds. The visit also verified the information in WOFA's disaster relief report against what farmers themselves described, giving Fairtrade NAPP clear evidence of how the funds were used.

Farmers Leading Their Own Recovery

The strongest impression from the conversations with farmers was ownership. Rather than waiting for recovery to happen to them, WOFA members are replanting their fields, restoring their soil and rebuilding their storage rooms, using the relief support as a starting point for their own efforts. Farmers spoke openly about the challenges they faced during and after the disaster, and equally about how far they have already come in restoring their livelihoods. This commitment from farmers and their association is the foundation on which everything that follows will be built.

A Clearer Map for the Road Ahead

A detailed assessment carried out during the visit gave Fairtrade NAPP and WOFA a shared, practical picture of what recovery still needs. Priorities identified together include managing pest pressure on damaged coconut farms, restoring farm infrastructure and bringing productivity back to pre-cyclone levels. Rather than a list of problems, the assessment now serves as a roadmap: it tells both partners exactly where future support for livelihood restoration and farm rehabilitation will make the biggest difference, and it will feed directly into the design of Fairtrade NAPP's future programmes in the region.

Turning One Storm's Lessons into Lasting Climate Readiness

The discussions in Kuliyapitiya looked well beyond this cyclone. Farmers and the Fairtrade NAPP team exchanged ideas on disaster preparedness mechanisms, climate-smart agricultural practices and community-level readiness for future extreme weather, which is affecting farming communities more frequently. These conversations, grounded in the lived experience of Cyclone Dithwa, will contribute to strategic planning for climate adaptation and disaster risk reduction within Fairtrade certified producer organisations, so that the region's coconut farming systems grow more capable of withstanding whatever comes next.

Voices from Wayamba

"The support helped me restart my coconut cultivation after the cyclone destroyed many of my plants. The seedlings and soil improvement assistance gave me hope to recover my farm and restore my income."

- J.P. Jothipala, farmer member, Wayamba Organic Farmers Association, Gomugomuwa, Kuliyapitiya
 

"My storage room was completely destroyed by strong winds. With the support received, I am rebuilding it and can safely store my farming tools and inputs again."

- Sugath Chandana Mapa, farmer member, Wayamba Organic Farmers Association, Nakkawaththa, Kuliyapitiya

The Way Forward: From Relief to Resilience

Recovery is a journey, and this visit marked the shift from immediate relief to long-term resilience. Between July and September 2026, Fairtrade NAPP will work with WOFA to identify climate resilience and disaster preparedness projects for the affected communities. Through the third and fourth quarters of 2026, the partners will explore funding and partnership opportunities for livelihood restoration and farm rehabilitation. Fairtrade NAPP will continue to monitor farmers' recovery progress through periodic follow-up engagements, walking alongside Wayamba's coconut farmers as one storm's aftermath becomes the starting point for stronger, more climate-ready farms.