Farmers' perceptions and responses to wildlife crop damage: A case study from Palpa district, Nepal
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.26832/24566632.2025.100402Keywords:
Agriculture, Crop damage, Farmer perception, Palpa, Wildlife interventionAbstract
Wildlife crop damage has been a serious problem for rural farming communities globally, including Nepal. To understand the perception of farmers of wildlife interventions, a survey was conducted in Bagnaskali Rural Municipality, Palpa district, Nepal, using a structured questionnaire. The responses were collected from 73 randomly sampled individuals (farmers). The findings revealed that rice, maize, and vegetables were the major crops cultivated in the region. The most followed farming system was rice-wheat-maize, with 70%, and maize-rapeseed-wheat with 16%. The post-sowing period was identified as the peak time for wildlife damage by the majority, i.e. 63 respondents. Monkeys, rabbits, and deer were the primary animals causing major damage to the crops. The random attack from these animals was found to be the most dominant issue for farmers. A majority (52%) of the respondents reported losses ranging from 10% to 30% due to the intervention of these wild animals. Furthermore, only 15% mentioned that the trend of wildlife damage in crops over the last 5 years has decreased, while 85% fully agreed that the damage is increasing daily. Regarding preventive measures, it was found that 31.5% used scarecrows, 16.4% used noise/light methods, and 32.9% used no significant mitigation strategy. These strategies were perceived to be ineffective by 70% of the farmers, while 27% found them effective, and 3% were unsure. The findings suggested the urgent need for government intervention to address this issue in Palpa district of Nepal.
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