Elephants and People Need Food to Survive

Some years ago when her husband was alive, the couple could no longer afford to buy seeds or fertilisers. Someone told them about our partner, the Movement for Land and Agricultural Reform (MONLAR). Her husband attended a farm school. Instead of trying to buy costly fertilisers, they learned to make their own. They saved seeds for the next crop and made a better income using the new techniques.

Somawathie is a firm believer in MONLAR’s approach. The members of her group discuss their concerns and take part in community campaigns.

The elephants are becoming a bigger problem in Anuradhapura where she lives. Land that once belonged to the elephants has been cleared by government and large-scale business, forcing the animals to go further in search of food and water. As this has happened, the conflict between elephants and farmers has increased – last year 145 people and 433 elephants were killed in human elephant encounters. MONLAR is campaigning for better protection for elephants.

Small-scale farmers like Somawathie have faced conflict, drought and economic crises, but the climate crisis promises to be much worse. They need help now so they can learn new ways to grow food for their families and deal with mounting challenges – like wild elephants that can destroy months of hard work in minutes.