Pradeepa Korale Gedara

• PhD in Agricultural Economics
• Postdoctoral Research Fellow at The University of Queensland

While the existing literature on rising food prices in recent years has mainly focused on the causes and calculating the number of people falling below the poverty line in developing countries, less attention has been paid to rising food prices and food security in terms of calorie intake. The main objective of this study is to fill this gap using...

The aim of this review is to diagnose the nutrition transition in Sri Lanka with special emphasis on the nutrition profile of the country. The estimates reported in peer-reviewed journal articles and relevant national surveys conducted by the government agencies from 1977 to 2017 were synthesized. The estimates were summarized using tabular analysi...

This study assesses the degree of adoption of food safety measures by milk producers in Sri Lanka representing different production systems. The study is based on primary data collected from 500 dairy producers across different milk-producing districts. To assess the intensity of adoption of food safety practices, a Food Safety Index (FSI) was calc...

Abstract Dairy farmers are affected by climate change (CC). To reduce the negative effects of CC, farmers need to take numerous adaptive measures. The ability to adapt is context-specific and there is a dearth of research on the adaptation and adaptive capacity (AC) of dairy farmers in village tank cascade systems (VTCS). The study investigates da...

The layer chicken farming industry in Sri Lanka has faced significant challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic and broader economic downturn. In response to risks such as critical input shortages, price escalations, retail regulations and reduced demand, some farmers exit while others persevere with risk management strategies. A study was conducted...

The recent upsurge in food prices in Sri Lanka has raised significant concerns, posing a threat to the food and nutritional security of the population. However, the causal factors driving this inflation still need to be better understood. Our study, utilizing Cointegration and Vector Error Correction Models (VECM), investigates the role of supply a...

The objective of this study is to test the asymmetry in price transmission along the tea supply chain of Sri Lanka. Using monthly export prices, Colombo Tea Auction (CTA) prices, and producer prices for 2001-2020, the presence of asymmetry was tested for market pairs, export market-CTA, and CTA-producer markets. A non-linear autoregressive distribu...

Effective teamwork is an indispensable factor in the achievement of IT project success. Effective leadership is a key contributor to team member satisfaction, ensuring their active involvement and contentment within the IT project, all of which collectively lead to favorable project outcomes. This study assessed the effect of leadership style on te...

Abstract CONTEXT A greater potential exists for developing culture-based fisheries (CBF) in village tank cascade systems (VTCS). A well-defined sustainable fishery management approach that is accepted and supported by the community is vital to enhance financial gains from an underutilized resource without compromising the social and environmental s...

The financial viability of dairy farms, established under the third phase of the Dairy-Cattle Importation Project in Sri Lanka, is assessed in this study. The data were obtained from a primary survey. The results of the Stochastic Frontier Approach revealed that the mean technical efficiency of farms was 44.9%. The average milk production of these...

For better decision-making, proposed investments need to be analysed for their technical, social, environmental, commercial, and financial/economic feasibility. A financial/economic feasibility analysis of technically sound projects justifies the usage of scarce resources before they are committed. Cost-benefit analysis (CBA) is one of the tools th...

The objective of this chapter is to equip policy analysts with the knowledge to conduct ex-post evaluation of marketing policy. While there are many tools to evaluate marketing policies, this chapter describes one tool used to test marketing policy, market integration. Market integration testing goes beyond testing the physical connection between m...

The adverse effects of climate change on dairy farming have been witnessed in many countries. Climate change affects dairy yield, reproductive performance and the spread of diseases. Adaptation to climate change is vital to reduce the loss of farmers. This study assesses the adaptive capacity of dairy farmers to climate change, the extent of adapta...

The variety of benefits in backyard chicken operations have been widely elaborated under varying production contexts. However, the efficiency in management and resource utilization are not assessed properly. Therefore, the present study focused on the production efficiency between sole (BC-sole) and integrated (BC-integrated) operation systems of b...

Village chickens contribute to 15% of the national egg production. Although they are poor producers, farmers tend to rear them because of the favorable characteristics exhibited by village chicken. This study was conducted to evaluate the change in socio economic status of village chicken farmers in Karuwalagaswewa and Thirappane veterinary ranges...

A pilot facility was developed to evaluate the digestion efficiency of mixed fruit peel waste by black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens (L.) (Diptera: Stratiomyidae); BSF) larvae in Sri Lanka. Larval biomass was characterised by proximate analysis and the techno-functional properties of BSF larvae flour protein were determined. A cost-benefit analysi...

Provision of food safety requires not only regulation but also a demand pull where value chain participants demand food safety or are able to play their role in providing safe food. In both cases, producer, and consumer awareness about requirements for food safety is a precondition for delivery of food safety. In this paper, focusing on dairy in Sr...

Food prices have an enormous potential to shift diets of consumers towards more healthy options. Yet, in Sri Lanka, pricing policies have not considered this potential and have been used to serve different purposes. This policy brief examines prices and responsiveness to prices focused on the main food groups in Sri Lanka; discusses the role of sub...

Backyard poultry production is an important system to the rural society as it provides high quality animal protein and employment, in addition to its contribution to the genetic diversity. Though there is a need to conserve these genetic resources through sustainable utilization, lack of competitive economic benefit of backyard poultry production i...

Backyard poultry production is an important system to the rural society as it provides high quality animal protein and employment, in addition to its contribution to the genetic diversity. Though there is a need to conserve these genetic resources through sustainable utilization, lack of competitive economic benefit of backyard poultry production i...

Abstract It has been widely argued that the increased prevalence of overweight and obesity in Asia is due to the nutrition transition experienced by the region. Most communities in Asian countries have moved away from the monotonous diet to one with more variety comprised of pre-processed food, added sugar and fat, and food of animal origin. The na...

Sri Lanka is well-known in development economic literature for its commendable progress in social indicators. This article chronicles the food policy implemented by the successive governments of Sri Lanka from 1948 until 2017, which undoubtedly helped the country achieve its present status of food security. The political context, food policy object...

This study analyses asymmetry in price transmission between wholesale and retail rice markets in Sri Lanka, using the threshold autoregressive model. We found that the wholesale and the retail rice markets in Sri Lanka are integrated, with price changes moving from the wholesale to the retail market. However, the price transmission process is asymm...

This study aims to estimate the input-output relationship in the production of three categories of captured fish, a) tilapia, b) other exotic fish species, and c) indigenous fish species. Since the production of a given species of fish is jointly determined, a simultaneous equation model using three-stage least square technique was estimated. Fish...

Commercial Orientation and its Effects on Plant Diversity in Homegardens: An Empirical Investigation of Rural Households in Sri Lanka Pradeepa Korale-Gedara†1, Jeevika Weerahewa2, Gamini Pushpakumara3 and Sarath S. Kodithuwakku2 ABSTRACT It could be argued that commercially oriented famers pay more attention on reaping short term commercial bene...

Although rising food prices have hit hard on a large number of households in many developing countries, the vulnerability in terms of food security varies across different household sectors within a country. In this study we have developed a simple analytical model and used it to examine the food security vulnerability across different households t...