JOIN USIn Arunachal Pradesh, solar fences helping Tawang's Monpas to return to farming
Raiding of crops by wild pigs, macaques and porcupines forced many farmers belonging to the Monpa tribe living atop Zemithang valley in Arunachal Pradesh's Tawang district to give up farming.
That was until 2018.
A solar power fence put up that year by WWF India, a wildlife conservation group has not only provided a respite to farmers against animal depredation but has helped many get back to farming, their traditional source of income.
"The solar fence installed at Lumpo village now protects farm plots of approximately 40 families, and the communities have cultivated and successfully harvested wheat, millets and seasonal vegetables for at least two seasons now. The fencing was installed in May 2018 after our survey found that wild animals were raiding their crops and villagers failed to find any solution. The village has seen very less human-wildlife conflict since the solar fence was installed. The efficacy of the fencing solution encouraged other villagers to revive their crop fields," WWF India said.
Solar power fences send harsh but non-lethal shocks at regular intervals when an animal comes in contact with it. This acts as a psychological barrier for the intruding animals.
Tawang and its neighbouring West Kameng districts, situated 2000 metres above sea level, are predominantly occupied by the Buddhist Monpa tribe, who sustain mostly on agriculture and animal husbandry. The community focusses on small-scale mountain agriculture, growing rice at the low-lying valleys, barley, wheat, millet, maize and buckwheat to meet local and other religious requirements for food.
The main purpose of the project, according to Kamal Medhi, the landscape Coordinator, Western Arunachal Landscape, WWF India was to restore traditional agriculture practice, retain their agro-biodiversity and help avoid human-wildlife conflict for conservation. "Restoration of the traditional agriculture practice is important in order to prevent instances when communities are faced with no option but to look for other means of livelihoods, such as working in construction sites as daily wagers," Medhi said.
"Conservation and restoration of traditional agricultural practices are even more pertinent to the current scenario like the Covid-19 crisis and during climatic hardships for food and nutritional security of the communities," he said.
The success of the pilot project at Zemithang led people in neighbouring Khremu village to approach the local district agriculture office seeking a similar solar fence to cover more areas of cultivable lands. "A similar model has been replicated by the Tawang district agriculture office in Khremu village, covering croplands belonging to more than 100 families," Medhi said.
"The fence has safeguarded the traditional crops such as millets, maize, beans, buckwheat and seasonal local vegetables. It is also expected that minimising the instances of human-wildlife interaction will reduce negative sentiment of the locals towards wildlife," Medhi said.