Owning agricultural land has many challenges. One of them is the attack by and encroachment of wild animals. Where there are farm lands, there are bound to be animals, especially if the lands are close to forest areas.
In our state, there have been elephant, wild boars, deer, peacocks, tigers, wild cats, and even wild dogs attacks. Recently, wild animal attacks in the state of Kerala have increased, and a large number of humans are attacked every year. The forest officials are always ready to help, but not many are prepared for a sudden attack by a wild animal.
People, especially farmers, need to be educated about how to fend off wild animals. I recently read about a village in Africa that installed solar-powered lights near farms to drive away lions and other wild cats. The lights would be charged by day and automatically switch on after sunset. The bright lights would drive off the wild animals, and thus the villagers were able to save their animals. This is a good example of how a simple method was used to safeguard farms.
Farmers also need to arm themselves and protect their plantations and animals. Proper fencing of lands, strong pens, good dogs, and alarm systems are necessary.
Animals not only attack the cattle and other farm animals, but they also destroy the crops that the farmers grow with such dedication. For example, a herd of elephants enters a banana farm and stamp everything and eat without leaving anything. Boars upturn the soil and destroy plants. Boars have recently started attacking our plants too, and it is a scary thought about meeting a wild animal even during the day. Even the coconuts are not spared. Monkeys are not common here, but some particular types of animals are known to climb trees and pierce the husk to drink the coconut water. Have you heard about the flying squirrel? This is one such animal that attacks the coconut tree.
Even birds do much damage. Many might think that parrots are cute, and they make great pets, but I have seen hundreds of parrots flying in large numbers and descending on paddy fields to eat the ripe grains. It is really hard for a farmer to ward off such birds. Bats also attack bananas at night and nowadays farmers install huge poles and spread green nets to protect fruit trees from bats and other birds.
Humans also pose challenges. Some thieves ruthlessly steal produce if there are no guards to protect the ripe crops. This usually occurs when the farmer grows fish to be sold to the local markets. Fish is a cash crop and gives good returns, so the farmer has to stay vigilant against human thieves and animal thieves too.
As I wrote earlier, there are many challenges in farming, but the farmer never backs off and tries his or her best to work for a good harvest. Next time, you buy something from a local farmer, try not to bargain if the price seems right.
