Waikato dairy farmer helps thousands of Sri Lankans get back on feet after war

Ross Wallis.

When Waikato dairy farmer Ross Wallis first met with his Sri Lankan counterparts, many didn't know what to feed their cows, how to shelter them and how to properly milk them.

Thousands of people were living in poverty, many of which had lost family members in the Sir Lankan war which ended in 2009, with only enough milk from their stock to feed their families and little to sell.

But Mr Wallis has combined his love of travel, especially to South East Asia, and helping people to support 4500 people to get back on their feet.

"It tied in with our roots. My family is on its sixth generation of missionaries and also 10 years of volunteers," he said.

The farmer, originally from Raglan, said he's made four visits to villages in Sri Lanka and hopes to make it an annual trip as part of Tearfund's dairy project.

Mr Wallis heads over for about a week each time and meets with farmers doing it tough.

As many farmers were women who had lost their husbands in war and dairy farming wasn't the main source of income, he said there were many issues, including what type and how much feed they gave their cows, access to water and looking after calves.

Ross Wallis in Sr Lanka.

Mr Wallis recalled one man who had "absolutely no hope" and was ready to give up. The man's few cows were skinny, he'd lost his prized cow and had spent a lot of money on infrastructure.

"We wanted to help, help source a cow for you," Mr Wallis said he told him. "It's just really heartbreaking to see."

The Sri Lankan farmer was connected with a local "model farmer" - someone who has previously been through Tearfund's programme.

"I'm really excited about that. It's what turns my wheels," Mr Wallis said, adding some farmers were discouraged about being told "this is what we do in New Zealand".

"It's the 'if you can do it, I can do it'."

Mr Wallis said they taught them about how to make the most of each cow breed and cost effective ways to build things like fencing.

He said he'd also taken some knowledge back to his own farm, including diversifying by getting into other areas of farming - having since planted some avocado trees on his own farm in New Zealand.

Since learning new skills in budgeting and how to run a farm, one Sri Lankan woman had put two children through university, Mr Wallis recalled.

"Seeing the success is awesome," he said.

Mr Wallis also said it was humbling to see the community-wide impact following the war, in which 90,000 people died and about 280,000 people were displaced.

On a return visit recently, he said many farmers they helped were part of a 7500-person march for women's rights.

"Seeing that was like wow, this wasn't just dairy development, it's actually so much more and for the needs of the whole community."

Ross Wallis works with a Sri Lankan farmer.

Send your news tips to Rebecca.Moore@tvnz.co.nz.

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