Mirza Farmers Use Solar Fence to Protect Crops from Elephants and Boost Harvest
In the Kamrup district of Assam, farmers in the Mirza area have successfully used a low-cost solar fence to protect their crops from wild elephants. This initiative has significantly increased their paddy harvest.
Community Effort in Gosaihat Village
The local community of Gosaihat village, near the Maliata reserve of Palashbari Range Forest, installed the solar fence in November 2023. The project was supported by Aaranyak, WWF, and the US Fish and Wildlife Service. The Aaranyak team trained the villagers on how to manage and operate the solar fence.
Successful Harvest
The solar fence protected three hectares of crop fields, allowing farmers to harvest 90% of their crops last season. Anjan Baruah, an Aaranyak official, noted that before the fence, wild elephants would destroy most of the crops.
Expansion of the Project
Encouraged by the success, the farmers decided to expand the solar fence to cover 10 hectares of crop fields in August 2024. Led by local farmer Sukleswar Boro, the community installed a one-kilometer-long fence using bamboo posts. The installation was completed in two days.
Future Plans
The farmers expect to harvest 100% of their crops this year. They plan to remove and store the fence after the harvest for use in the next year. This initiative has not only boosted their agricultural income but also taught them to coexist with wild elephants.
Doubts Revealed
Mirza -: Mirza is a place in the state of Assam, India. It is where the farmers are using the solar fence to protect their crops.
Solar fence -: A solar fence is a barrier that uses energy from the sun to create a small electric shock. This helps keep wild animals like elephants away from the crops without harming them.
Elephants -: Elephants are large animals that sometimes enter farms and eat or trample crops. This can cause problems for farmers trying to grow food.
Paddy harvest -: Paddy is a type of rice that is grown in fields. Harvest means the time when farmers collect the crops they have grown.
Aaranyak -: Aaranyak is an organization in India that works to protect wildlife and nature. They help with projects like the solar fence to support farmers and animals.
WWF -: WWF stands for World Wide Fund for Nature. It is a global organization that works to protect the environment and wildlife.
US Fish and Wildlife Service -: The US Fish and Wildlife Service is a government agency in the United States that helps protect animals and their habitats. They supported the solar fence project in Mirza.
Gosaihat village -: Gosaihat village is a small community in Mirza, Assam, where the farmers installed the solar fence to protect their crops.
Hectares -: A hectare is a unit of measurement for land. One hectare is about the size of a football field. The farmers expanded the fence to cover 10 hectares of land.
Coexist -: To coexist means to live together peacefully. The farmers are learning to live with the wild elephants without harming them.