Zim farmers find ways to save crops from elephants

A NON-LETHAL concoction invented by farmers in northern Uganda is helping farmers in Zimbabwe keep away rampaging elephants, after years of recurrent attacks on farms during harvest season.

While chilli has been used by farmers in Zimbabwe, Tanzania, and Uganda as an elephant repellent since 1997, its unsustainability forced villagers and agriculture experts to explore alternatives.

Maz Robertson, representative of the WildAid in East Africa, said the new concoction, a mixture of chilli, garlic, ginger, and cow or elephant dung along with a few other ingredients invented by locals in northern Uganda in 2018, has succeeded in keeping elephants away from the fields.

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