Agricultural inputs & harvest among fruit producers in rural Sri Lanka: Insights from a baseline survey of the Fruit and Vegetables for Sustainable Healthy Diets (FRESH) end-to-end evaluation
Repeated crises in Sri Lanka – the COVID-19 pandemic, economic crisis, and climate-related disruptions – have strained food systems and narrowed household access to nutritious foods, pushing many toward cheaper and more calorie-dense alternatives. These pressures have compounded an ongoing nutrition transition, in which rising consumption of ultra-processed foods coexists with persistent micronutrient deficiencies and increasing rates of overweight and obesity.
Fruit and vegetables (F&V) are key sources of vitamins, minerals, dietary fiber, and phytochemicals, and adequate intake contributes to the reduction of both micronutrient deficiency and diet-related chronic diseases. However, intake of fruit and vegetables (F&V) falls well short of international and national recommendations: mean consumption in rural agricultural communities is approximately 118 (±117) grams of vegetables and 71 (±243) grams of fruit per person per day, against the minimum of 400 grams per person per day according to the World Health Organization (WHO) and Sri Lanka's Food Based Dietary Guidelines (FBDG). What farmers grow, their production practices, how much they harvest, and whether produce enters household consumption or local markets all shape the acceptability and availability of F&V at the household and community levels, making production data a necessary input for understanding and addressing low intake. This brief follows a companion brief on vegetable production and applies the same framing to fruit.
The CGIAR Science Program on Better Diets and Nutrition (BDN), previously the Fruit and Vegetables for Sustainable Healthy Diets (FRESH) initiative, integrates supply-side, demand-side, and food environment interventions across the food system. This brief presents baseline findings on fruit production from rural farming households enrolled in the FRESH end-to-end evaluation in Sri Lanka, documenting fruit crops grown, inputs used, pre-harvest losses, yields, and market orientation to inform supply-side intervention design and establish a benchmark for evaluation.
Authors
Koyratty, Nadia; Aheeyar, Mohamed; Hewajulige, Ilmi G. N.; Tan, Daniel K. Y.; Quabili, Wahid; Zagré, Rock Romaric; Olney, Deanna K.; Cunningham, Kenda; Kumar, Neha
Citation
Koyratty, Nadia; Aheeyar, Mohamed; Hewajulige, Ilmi G. N.; Tan, Daniel K. Y.; Quabili, Wahid; et al. 2026. Agricultural inputs & harvest among fruit producers in rural Sri Lanka: Insights from a baseline survey of the Fruit and Vegetables for Sustainable Healthy Diets (FRESH) end-to-end evaluation. CGIAR Research Program on Better Diets and Nutrition Research Brief 3. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute. https://hdl.handle.net/10568/185510
Keywords
Asia; Southern Asia; Agriculture; Farm Inputs; Harvesting; Fruits; Sustainability; Healthy Diets; Rural Areas; Randomized Controlled Trial
