SLIIT opens up new vistas on the dawn of New Year

Through a spiritual journey to a far reaching technical collaboration with Ven. Kirinde Assaji Thero of Hunupitiya Gangaramaya Temple

SLIIT marked the dawn of New Year with a Pirith chanting ceremony endowed with Buddhist rituals under the spiritual guidance of Ven. Kirinde Assaji Thero of Hunupitiya Gangaramaya Temple fame. Venerable Thero who is an ardent environmentalist on his own accord, took time off to pay a visit to the institute’s state-ofthe-art green house facility and laboratory during his spiritual mission on the day of the New Year.

The Thero who has a natural penchant for agro based technological advancements, was highly impressed by the initiative of the SLIIT. Interestingly, Thero is a brainchild of numerous such endeavours in green farming and propagation of the concept which he embarked on his own initiative since of late.

Therefore, he expressed his willingness to collaborate with SLIIT to establish a modern and technologically advanced laboratory facility in the near future which would perfectly blend the objectives of Venerable Theros’s green concept and of the SLIIT.

Faculty of Humanities and Sciences of SLIIT with its own state- of- the- art laboratories which facilitates to undertake cutting edge technologies were mooted and developed by Prof. Sriyani Peiris, Head, School of Science and Education with the guidance and support given by the SLIIT.

With the active support of Dr. Malitha Wijesundara, Dean of Faculty of Humanities and Sciences with emphasis on student’s interests in line with the significant increase of the student numbers for the degree in Biotechnology, this epoch making project in fact comes as a blessing at a right time. Venerable Thero’s association in this project will augment the prospects thereby opening new vistas in this area of explicit technological advancement.

SLIIT has initiated this enthusiastic greenhouse project with conceptualized vertical farming to facilitate the research in biotechnology and automation which will be exclusively undertaken by students for their research work.

This venture is also a part of the research project funded by AHEAD Operations, World Bank. Establishment of the greenhouse is one of the expected outcomes of the research commercialization endeavours as planned in the project. ‘Commercialization of Low Cost ( CSUP) Micropropagation for Export and Production of Improved Ornamental Plants through Genetic Modifications’ is the research grant received by Prof. Sriyani Peiris and which has a high value to the society.

SLIIT greenhouse and the plant house are closely monitored continually by Prof. Colin Peiris, who serves in the capacity of the Director – Academic Development and Quality Assurance in addition to his primary mission of educating the yo u n g generation in Biotechnology.

SLIIT Proudly declares that this is one of the singular achievements of the School of Science and Education of the institute. Maintaining a greenhouse for an educational institute is always an uphill task. Every element should be well integrated and monitored to streamline the activities in a plant house, as it is artificially creating a conducive environment for the plants to grow.

Best quality seeds from leading Agricultural companies and all operations are used for the hydroponic cultivation to ensure that genuine organic vegetables are produced.

Currently the students are nursing a tomato cultivation, high quality lettuce species, capsicum species etc. The external factors are being automated through a specialised system developed by the lecturers of the Faculty of Computing.

This enables to monitor temperature, humidity, light, and other critical factors inside the plant house. Prof. Lalith Gamage, Vice- Chancellor of SLIIT and Prof. Lakshman Rathnayake, Chairman SLIIT recently visited the greenhouse to witness the vertical farming and how even a limited space could be well utilised for cultivation. Prof. Gamage emphasised the importance of regulating the systems of greenhouse through an automated process as this has a vital importance especially during this period with Covid-19 pandemic.

The best approach is less human work which results in a low level of labour cost and it can reduce possible contaminations that can occur in such an environment.

As many agro-economists predict world is likely to face a devastating food shortage in the future as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic which still haunts the world. The only way out is producing our own food in whatever the spaces available. SLIIT being the role model for this tremendous step, would like to invite interested students to visit the greenhouse hopefully after the country returns to normalcy.

‘ Everything else can wait, agriculture can’t’ Prof. Colin Pieris concluded his valuable insights with this famous saying by Dr. Norman Borlaug who pioneered contemporary green revolution in the world.

Therefore, the intended association of SLIIT and Ven. Kirinde Assaji is a welcome sign in this sense which will go a long way. Mostly, it comes at a time when it is most needed.

The world is desperately looking for alternatives to increase the production of agro produces, in a bid to meet any eventuality such as a food shortage envisaged by economists. It is phenomenal that SLIIT has taken the leadership to spearhead this campaign well in advance while sourcing a wide ranging knowledge base to make it a reality.

Today, SLIIT receives accolades from all quarters for its unique initiative that would transform Sri Lanka into a new agro culture.