Assam Farmers Use Lemon Fence to Deter Elephants from Destroying Crops

Tactics range from audio devices that amplify the buzz of bees, to pepper bombs, electric fences, and reserving space in elephant corridors to cultivate vegetation that the animals love.

A trial study on lemon fences around farmers' croplands at Soraguri Chapori on the Brahmaputra River's bank was proven to be more successful as well as inexpensive & ethical.

The location is in the Dikhowmukh area of Sivasagar district in eastern Assam. "These lemon walls not only protect us and our farmsteads from wild elephants that frequently walk through our areas after straying from their typical route in search of food, but they also offer us with a significant monthly revenue," Nitul Das, who owns a farmland in the area, said.

He claims that the lemon fences have increased the family's revenue by around Rs 8,000 per month. He normally sells lemons for Rs 8 each. "Three years ago, when we didn't have the walls, wild elephants used to raid and destroy the crops we planted," Das added, crediting the initiative to the Guwahati-based Organization Aaranyak. His neighbours, Rinku Das and Sombar Hazarika, also praised the bio-effectiveness, fence's saying they are now confident that their efforts will not be in useless.

Niranjan Bhuyan, who oversaw Aaranyak's bio-fence pilot project at Soraguri Chapori, stated that the farmers were given lemon seedlings and instructed on how to plant them in three rows around their farmsteads. "The farmers who accepted the initiative are now experiencing the benefits, in addition to protection from wild elephant raids," he said. "After two years of field experimentation, we have also begun offering alternative foods to those living in some of the HEC areas."

Farmers are encouraged to grow crops that are less appealing to wild elephants. Alternative crops that have been tried and evaluated include wild turmeric, taro roots, and lemongrass," said Aaranyak senior scientist Bibhuti Prasad Lahkar. He is also a member of the International Union for Conservation of Nature's Asian Elephant Specialist Group. Apart from Sivasagar, the Charity is working on HEC hotspots in Baksa, Goalpara, Golaghat, and Udalguri districts in Assam.