The Sustainable Development Council conducted a series of capacity-building and technical sessions for the Department of Agriculture and its affiliated institutions

The Sustainable Development Council conducted a series of capacity-building and technical sessions for the Department of Agriculture and its affiliated institutions to support the integration of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into their mandates and strengthen their contribution to Sri Lanka’s national SDG implementation efforts.

The first session, held virtually on 18 May 2026, provided participants with an overview of the evolution of the sustainable development agenda, the SDGs targets and indicators, with a special focus on those relevant to the agriculture sector. The session also included an interactive discussion that enabled participants to identify challenges, data gaps and areas requiring further technical support.

Building on the outcomes of the initial session, a full-day physical workshop was conducted on 25 May 2026. The programme covered key areas including, mainstreaming SDGs into the action plans of the Department of Agriculture and its affiliated institutions, SDG-based planning and financing processes, aligning agricultural research and development activities with SDG targets and indicators and strengthening data collection, monitoring and reporting systems.

More than 60 participants attended the workshop, representing the Department of Agriculture and its affiliated institutions, including the Seed Certification and Plant Protection Centre, Plant Genetic Resources Centre, Office of the Registrar of Pesticides, National Plant Quarantine Service, Plant Protection Service, Field Crops Research and Development Institute (FCRDI), Seed and Planting Material Development Centre, Horticultural Crop Research and Development Institute, Agriculture Research Stations, Regional Agriculture Research and Development Centre, Agriculture Research and Development Centers, Rice Research Stations, Regional Rice Research and Development Centre, Progress Monitoring and Evaluation Unit, Natural Resources Management Centre Extension and Training Centre and the Socio Economics and Planning Centre.

As a follow-up to these engagements, a technical session on SDG data methodology development was conducted on 3 June 2026 for officers responsible for data compilation, further strengthening the capacity to effectively monitor and report SDG progress.