GUWAHATI: A low-cost solar fence that has protected standing crops on three hectares of crop field from depredation by wild elephants at Mirza in Assam’s Kamrup district has immensely boosted paddy harvest by local farmers in the last harvesting season.
The local community of Gosaihat village near Maliata reserve of Palashbari Range Forest, Mirza installed a low-cost seasonal solar fence last year in November to protect the vast crop field with the collaborative support of Aaranyak and WWF.
The US Fish and Wildlife Service has also supported the Aaranyak’s initiative.
The Aaranyak team initially trained the local community of Gosaihat on solar fences management and operation. Eventually, a low-cost community-managed solar fence was successfully installed on an experimental basis.
The fence provided protection to the standing crop from wild elephant herds. As a result, local farmers could harvest 90 percent of the crop in the last season.
“Previously, when there was no solar fence, the farmers could hardly harvest anything as wild elephant herds used to devour and destroy the standing crop,” said Aaranyak official and solar fence installation expert Anjan Baruah.
The solar fence power machine was installed in the residence of Sukleswar Boro, a local farmer of Gosaihat.
After harvesting the crop in the last season, the local farmers, led by Boro, removed the entire fence, including the solar fence machines, solar panel etc., and stored the same for the next year.
According to Boro, they could protect their crops from wild elephants last season and have realized the utility of the seasonal solar fence.
They have taken the responsibility to take care of the fence materials along with the machines and battery.
After witnessing a very good result in the last harvesting season, the local farmers this year have decided to install a seasonal solar fence covering a larger area, which include crop areas earlier left unused due to threat of elephant depredation.
In August 2024, the local farmers of Gosaihat installed the seasonal solar fence using the stored materials to protect 10 hectares of crop fields.
A group of farmers of the village led the installation of one km-long low-cost seasonal solar fence using bamboo posts to protect around 10 hectares of crop fields and completed it in two days on August 20 and 22.
“This year the farmers are expecting to harvest 100% of the crop with the help of the seasonal solar fence. The farmers now no longer have to bother about the crop damage by elephants,” said Boro.
However, the farmers have left some space to facilitate the movement of wild elephants while installing the fence.
With the adoption of a low-cost solar fence, the farmers Gosaihat village have not just boosted their agricultural income but have also learned to coexist with wild elephants.
