National Plant Protection Centre

Semtokha, Bhutan

An Overview Of Our Solution

Human-wildlife conflict in the form of crop loss and livestock predation is a growing concern in Bhutan. While the country is well-known for being a champion in conservation and environmental protection, there are 69% of population living on agriculture. Finding a balance between agriculture and conservation has always been a challenge for Bhutan. So many mitigation and prevention measures were tried in the past but all failed. Recently, we have developed a locally fabricated electric fencing that’s affordable and simple to use by farmers. It instantly became very successful and now it’s the only measure used to protect crops from wildlife depredation in Bhutan.

Who is this solution impacting?

Organization type

Government

Ecosystem (select all that apply)

Freshwater

Grasslands

Population impacted

10, 034 households benefitted

Size of agricultural area

26, 256 ac

Production quantity

212 metric tons

People employed

Not applicable

Describe your solution

Electric fencing, which is locally fabricated is the solution to human wildlife conflict problem in Bhutan. While electric fencing is nothing new in the context of conflict mitigation, the one we have developed here in Bhutan is extremely cheap and affordable. We use high density polyethylene pipes to make insulators and galvanized iron wires for strands. These materials are available in the market. For poles, we use the forest trees. The only material imported is the energizer. While my colleague developed energizer by himself, the device was not permitted to use in the country due to its crude nature and uncertified. Fencing brought positive attitudes towards conservation and behavioral changes in farmers. Farmers now help to protect the wildlife species and retaliatory killing is reduced. Extraction of forest resources is also reduced because now farmers no more need to go to forest to collect non-wood forest products as they derive enough from their fields. Farmer can also now grow diversified crops and earn additional income. There are both direct and indirect benefits of locally fabricated electric fencing to farmers in Bhutan.

Describe your implementation

When locally fabricated electric fencing was being introduced to farmers, the fencing was established as a pilot project in each 20 districts in Bhutan. Once the fencing was established in each district, the district and county agriculture officials were trained on establishment and maintenance of the fencing. The fencing was slowly taken by the county agriculture officials to their areas and funding support for materials were provided by the government. The adoption of solution is clearly visible from the increasing demands by the farmers. The first establishment of electric fencing was started in 2013. Since then, districts have established fencing widely and today there are about 1630 km of electric fencing established in the country. In total, 10, 034 households have benefitted and covered about 26, 256 acres of agricultural fields. These are the success indicators. Other success indicators can be reduction in day and night guarding, increased crop production and reduced fallow land. There wasn’t any obstacle as such. The only issue with fencing is sustainability once it is established. Maintenance and timely monitoring is critical. To ensure that fence is maintained and monitored, beneficiaries have to develop by-laws stating how the fencing will be maintained and monitored.

External connections

The centre behind development of locally fabricated electric fencing is one of the renewable research centres in Bhutan. But the nationwide propagation was done by our centre with my coordination and initiatives. Nationwide adoption happened only after legalization, on which I worked with the Bhutan Power Corporation Limited. Once it was legalized, our centre took to the fields with funding support from the government. Now our centre is the technical advisor and we provide technical backstopping wherever required. We develop technical manuals and produce videos on how to establish, maintain and ensure safety of fencing. Our centre coordinates procurement of fencing materials in the country. I being the focal person for electric fencing in the country, people from the government, non-government and civil societies contact me. Since fencing is becoming widely spread and likely going out of control, we are planning for developing policies on electric fencing in the country.

What is the environmental or ecological challenge you are targeting with your solution?

Bhutan is well-known for environmental protection and conservation. It is regarded as one of the 25 global biodiversity hotspots. At the same time, agriculture sector is the country’s backbone where 69% of the population directly depend on for income and livelihood. But recurrent issue of human-wildlife conflict in the form of crop loss and livestock predation is jeopardizing the success of conservation and undermining food security. So many mitigation and preventions measures were tried in the past but all failed. The conflict is also one of the main constraints impeding poverty alleviation in the country. The locally fabricated electric fencing that we have developed is targeted to address the recurrent issue of human-wildlife conflict in the country and improve the socio-economic conditions of the rural people.

Describe the context in which you are operating

The locally fabricated electric fencing developed in Bhutan is extremely cheap and affordable, not costing more than US $526 per kilometer. Electric fencing has reduced crop loss to wildlife by 80-100% and night and day guarding of crops is totally stopped. Social cohesion has improved and farmers have additional time to engage in other income generating activities. Increased crop production has led to increased food security. Farmers are also able to pay loans from the bounty harvest. Farmers’ dependence on forest resources have decreased as they have sufficient food production to last for a year. Land which were left fallow due to conflict is also now brought under cultivation. There are endless benefits for electric fencing for farmers in Bhutan.

How did you impact natural resource use and greenhouse gas emissions?

While it is difficult to say how locally fabricated electric fencing can improve biodiversity, I would certainly say that it helped to revive crops that were abandoned due to the conflict. For instance, millets cultivation. In other ways, farmers not going to forest to collect non-wood forest products can revive the biodiversity. Peoples negative attitudes towards conservation can also become positive and support the conservation efforts

Language(s)

Which language(s) are spoken in the area where your solution is implemented?

Water

500 characters max.

Food Security/Nutrition

Food insufficiency is widespread problem in Bhutan. Given that Bhutan is mountainous and land holding is hardly 1 acre, the produce from the land is not enough to feed the entire family for one year. Those who do not own land live as share croppers. However, when crops are damaged by wildlife, the food insufficiency is further aggravated. Fencing has improved this.

Economic/Sustainable Development

Due to fencing farmers have now extra time to devote on other activities. Many farmers have taken up crop diversification and helped earning additional income, thereby reducing poverty. Rural urban migration is also promoted by the conflict but now it is stopped. Farm labor is becoming available now.

Climate

Not relevant for fencing

Sustainability

There is no subsidy provided by the government to establish electric fencing. Depending on the farmers’ capability, they either choose to go for individual fencing or community fencing. Usually, for community fencing, government provides materials for free while the beneficiaries have to contribute poles, labor and transportation. This modality is followed to instill sense of ownership. If there are projects, different mechanism can be worked out depending on the projects.

Return on investment

Fencing materials are not manufactured in Bhutan. Materials are made from the materials available in the market like high density polyethylene, galvanized iron wire, and nails. We just show them how to make insulators from the pipes, fix the wires, etc. As such, for 1 kilometer, the materials cost comes to around US $526.

How could we successfully replicate this solution elsewhere?

This can be replicated anywhere around the world where human wildlife conflict is a problem. Initially, 1-2 days training is required to learn what materials are required, how to make insulators from the pipes, stretch wires, fix poles, fix insulators on the poles, gaps between wires strands to be maintained, cleaning the fencing corridors, etc. Depending on the length of fencing to be established, US $526/km can be worked out.

Overview