Institutional Repository

U n i v e r s i t y of P e r a d e n i y a

The Institutional Repository of the University of Peradeniya is the University's digital gateway to scholarly knowledge and research excellence. Established as the next phase of the Digital Library initiative launched by the University Library in 2011, it preserves, showcases, and provides open access to the intellectual output of the University community.

Through a rich collection of research articles, conference proceedings, theses, dissertations, and other scholarly works, the repository enhances the visibility, accessibility, and long-term preservation of knowledge, extending the global reach and impact of the University of Peradeniya’s academic and research contributions.

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Recent Submissions

Cultivating empathy: a love-informed framework for genderInclusive farmer empowerment
(Postgraduate Institute of Agriculture (PGIA), University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka, 2025-11-21) Hettige, N.; Dissanayake, M. P.
While agricultural reforms have prioritized technology and productivity, such approaches often neglect the affective and relational dimensions essential for true empowerment. This study proposes a love-informed psychological framework rooted in the LUVORA model; Love, Uniformity, Virtue, Openness, Resilience, and Acceptance, to explore how empathy and emotional intelligence can drive gender equity and social inclusion within farming communities. Using a narrative synthesis of twenty-one peer-reviewed studies drawn from an initial pool of seventy three records published between 2008 and 2024 across Scopus, AGRIS, and Web of Science, the paper integrates interdisciplinary insights from Positive Psychology, gender studies, and rural development. The synthesis reveals that emotional safety, self-worth, and communal empathy are decisive catalysts for women’s agency in decision-making, leadership, and access to resources. The LUVORA framework operationalizes love not as sentimentality but as a transformative psychological force capable of nurturing shared dignity, collective resilience, and inclusive engagement. The study concludes that integrating empathy workshops, peer storytelling circles, and compassionate leadership training into agricultural extension systems could reframe farmer empowerment as a holistic pursuit of emotional justice and human flourishing rather than a purely economic or functional agenda.
Transforming social inclusion through emotional intelligence and human flourishing: the LUVORA paradigm in agriculture
(Postgraduate Institute of Agriculture (PGIA), University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka, 2025-11-21) Hettige, N.; Dissanayake, M. P.
Amid increasing calls for equity in agri-food systems, the empowerment of marginalized farmers, especially women and socially excluded groups, requires not only economic interventions but also emotional and psychological transformation. This study introduces the LUVORA framework, a love-based, values-driven model grounded in Positive Psychology, as a novel approach to fostering farmer empowerment and social inclusion. LUVORA, representing Love, Uniformity, Virtue, Openness, Resilience, and Acceptance, was conceptually applied to rural farming communities in Sri Lanka and India to explore how emotional safety, empathy, and connection can catalyse sustainable change. Using a narrative review methodology, the study synthesizes over 32 peer-reviewed articles published between 2005 and 2024 from Scopus, Web of Science, and AGRIS, focusing on affective inclusion, emotional resilience in agriculture, and gender responsive interventions. Studies lacking a human-centred approach or focusing solely on technological solutions were excluded. Key findings reveal that cultivating emotional intelligence, compassion-based leadership, and relational trust significantly improve women’s participation, farmer well-being, and social cooperation in agri-food systems. By aligning human flourishing with sustainable agricultural practices, the LUVORA model promotes a more emotionally inclusive culture of empowerment. This research advocates integrating psychosocial training modules based on LUVORA into agricultural extension programs, rural women's collectives, and Agri-leadership training initiatives. In doing so, it reimagines farmer empowerment not merely as a matter of productivity, but as a profound act of love, healing, and collective upliftment.
Evaluation of fruit development dynamics in king coconut (Cocos nucifera L. var. aurantiaca)
(Postgraduate Institute of Agriculture (PGIA), University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka, 2025-11-21) Thilakarathne, M. G. O. S.; Perera, S. A. C. N.; Dissanayake, H. D. M. A. C.
Understanding the process of fruit development is essential for successful management of crops, for determining the optimum harvesting time and criteria, and effective seed collection. Despite the economic importance of King-coconuts (KC), detailed information on fruit development remains scarce. This study was conducted to evaluate physicochemical changes during the development of KC fruits. Seven KC trees from Lunuwila, Sri Lanka were selected. From these trees, bunches aged 1–12 months from fertilization were harvested and pooled by stage. Then, 710 fruits per stage were randomly selected. Morphometric data on mesocarp, liquid and solid endosperm were recorded for each stage. Furthermore, the electrical conductivity (EC), pH, and total sugar content (TSC) of the liquid endosperm were measured. The differences between the growth stages were assessed by GLM and ANOVA. The results revealed that the fruits achieve their full size at seven months after fertilization (MAF). The thickness of the polar end of the mesocarp exhibited dynamic changes, whereas that of distal and equatorial ends of the mesocarp remained constant. Solid endosperm formation started from 5-6 MAF and continued up to 8 MAF. The highest water volume and TSC were recorded at 6-7 MAF, suggesting this period is optimal for beverage purposes. Temporal changes in the EC and pH of the liquid endosperm provided insight into its biochemical development. These findings are important in King coconut crop management and will provide novel insights into the coconut fruit development biology.
An integrated performance index for irrigation schemes in Sri Lanka: an interdisciplinary and sustainable approach
(Postgraduate Institute of Agriculture (PGIA), University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka, 2025-11-21) Sarathchandra, P. S. M.; De Silva, R. P.; Dayawansa, N .D. K.
Irrigated agriculture is vital for Sri Lanka's food security but faces growing sustainability pressures from population growth and limited water and land resources. Therefore, assessing and improving the performance of existing irrigation schemes is a crucial, cost-effective strategy. However, most performance assessments use mono- or multidisciplinary approaches that fail to capture the complex and interconnected nature of these systems. To address this gap, a generic, interdisciplinary composite index was developed, prioritizing simplicity, traceability, and interpretability. The index conceptualizes a scheme as two subsystems: the ‘Water Delivery System’ (includes all activities and components from water sourcing to field delivery) and the ‘Agricultural Production System’ (includes all activities and components from field application, to crop output and benefit distribution). The index incorporates 26 input, process, and output indicators covering technical, managerial, economic, environmental, and social dimensions. All indicator values are normalized on a 0–100 scale to ensure comparability. The relative importance of indicators in each subsystem is identified using the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) through expert judgment. To obtain the final score for the index, both weighted additive aggregation and weighted geometric methods are used. Based on this score, schemes are classified into one of four performance levels: Poor (<50), Average (50-70), Good (70-90), or Excellent (>90). To demonstrate its utility, the index was applied to a simulated dataset, yielding an overall score of 79 ('Good'). The developed index is a valuable tool for identifying strengths and weaknesses of schemes, comparing schemes across different contexts, and guiding decision making for future improvements.
Knowledge and perceptions of food misconceptions and facts: a study among a group of Sri-Lankan adults in the Puttalam District
(Postgraduate Institute of Agriculture (PGIA), University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka, 2025-11-21) Marliya, S. M. T.; Chandrasekara, A.
Food choices significantly impact on the health and well-being of people. Despite the increasing availability of nutrition related information, food myths remain widespread among adults, potentially influencing dietary behaviors, nutritional status, and the risk of chronic diseases. This cross-sectional survey aimed to investigate the knowledge and perceptions (KP) of a sample of adult Sri-Lankans in Puttalam District regarding a series of food myths and facts. Sixty-five adult participants were recruited (32 males and 33 females, aged 25-50yrs, Sinhalese, Tamils and Muslims) using an interviewer administered questionnaire. Each participant was directed to respond to 30 KP-testing statements in 5-point Likert scale ranging from strongly disagree to strongly agree (+2, +1, 0, -1, -2 scores for very correct, correct, no idea, incorrect and very incorrect responses respectively). The results showed that 69% of participants scored poor KP (scoring- 0 to negative values) and 31% of them scored high KP (scoring positive values). More than 90% of participants believed drinking a glass of water with lemon and honey helps in weight loss, drinking hot water after having a meal will remove fat from the body, spinach is rich in iron compared to other green leaves and eating more carrots will improve the eyesight. Only 6 out of 30 thirty statements were correctly scored by the majority. It was concluded that the study sample had poor nutritional KP, that needs to be debunked, to promote good nutrition among adults.