Arrived: November 2024
From: Kandy, Sri Lanka
Favorite animal at Deck: Cow. They provide milk, cheese, butter - all things I like to eat, and they are beautiful.
We have another new student on the farm from Sri Lanka. Jaan Bogodage is in the US working with a visa obtained through the Multinational Exchange for Sustainable Agriculture (MESA). He is participating in all aspects of farm work at Deck Family Farm as well as working in farmers market and CSA sales.
Jaan graduated from Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka in 2021 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Export Agriculture. His research project analyzed the factors influencing self-employment in agriculture versus non-agriculture sectors.
“In Sri Lanka we are an agriculture-based country historically, but nowadays labor is moving from agriculture to industry and the service sector. So it is a huge problem in Sri Lanka,” he said. “We used to be a self-sufficient country but now we are importing much of our foods from other countries, especially India. We have enough space and resources but the young generation doesn’t like to work in agriculture. They need money and so they work at white collar jobs. So I just want to research what is the reason for that.”
The research revealed that there are built-in societal and policy structures that discourage people from participating in farming. For instance, because people can’t afford to own land they are precluded from starting their own agriculture business. His study recommended using financial incentives and land reclamation to rectify the situation. I think most of us agree this would be a welcome change even in our own country!
“There are a lot of problems with land acquisition in Sri Lanka. So we have to provide government assistance, financial assistance, legal advice… there are a lot of things they could do.”
Jaan hopes to continue these policy goals once he returns to Sri Lanka at the end of March. He works as an extension officer in his district and will return to his job after his 12 month leave of absence. He spent 7 months at a farm in Arkansas and will leave after 5 months at Deck.
“I specialize in agriculture management and economics. Most of the time here I learned about CSA practices at Deck and I will start a CSA practice in Sri Lanka. We don’t have that kind of thing there,” he said. “I learned a lot of things from here like using the rolling freezers, piecing meat products rather than selling the entire animal, so I am looking forward to starting that when I go back.”
How has it been to live in a community at Deck Family Farm? “It is really new to me to live in a community concept. We don’t have that. I really enjoy the activities - movie nights, games, cooking, traveling. It has been really enjoyable.”
Was it difficult to get used to the climate in Oregon? “I like this climate but sometimes it's hard to tolerate the cold weather,” he laughed. “I loved experiencing snow for the first time. But it is really green, trees everywhere, animals, good air, it is very good. It’s not hard to get used to.”
“It’s a great experience to be here,” he said. “I want to thank Christine, John and every community member on the farm. They help me out and are very friendly. And MESA who makes this possible for students from other countries.”
Jaan knew our other Sri Lankan student, Baghya Rajapakshe, before coming to Oregon. “She works in the private sector and I work in the public sector, and our organizations work together and I’m sure we’ll see one another again.”