By Taddeo Rusoke

Uganda’s vast wildlife resources are majorly found in 10 national parks, 13 wildlife reserves and several community wildlife management areas, controlled hunting areas and game sanctuaries.

These are located in the countryside and surrounded by farmers whose livelihood depend on agriculture. Wildlife damage on crops has remained rampant among such farmers bordering national parks.

Such scenarios increase human-wildlife conflicts and constrain conservation efforts as some farmers resort to poaching wild animals that damage their crops.

However, in a study conducted by Rusoke (2020) among 366 farmers bordering Kibale National Park, it has been discovered that growing of buffer crops can contribute to stopping crop damage by wild animals up to 68.5%. buffer crop growing consists of growing crops which are wholly or partially damaged by wildlife, these crops are not palatable to wild animals, they form a low conflict barrier between the national park boundary and farmed landscapes.

The study on effectiveness of buffer crops as mitigation measure to crop damage by wildlife, which was conducted among farmers bordering Kibale National Park (KNP) in western Uganda established the types of buffer crops grown by farmers to mitigate wildlife damage, analysed the effect of wildlife (fauna) on yields of major food crops grown and determined ways how farmers can scale up growing of buffer crops as a mitigation measure to crop damage by wildlife a major source of Human-wildlife conflicts.

From a recent study conducted around Kibale National Park, I found out that about 28% of farmers who grow buffer crops around Kibale National reported minimal damage on their crops by wild animals compared to 71.3% of those farmers that did not grow buffer crops.

The growing of tea was ranked by 96% of the farmers as an effective buffer crop that stopped crop damage by elephants and buffaloes. Growing of coffee was ranked as very effective by 79.5% of the farmers against crop damage by most species of wild animals and fairly effective against red-tailed monkeys and elephants.

Overall, growing of buffer crops has been found to effectively mitigate 68.5% of damage from wild animals among farmers bordering Kibale National Park (P = 0.00, r =0.685). Foristance, in Hakibaale sub-county Kabarole district, 50% of the farmers who grow Khat crop (Mairungi) ranked khat as a very effective buffer crop against most wildlife crop damaging species.

Farmers bordering the Park report that the most wildlife species that damage their crops in absence of buffer crops and other interventions such as beehive fence lines, trenches, and Mauritius thorns are elephants (Loxodonta africana) which damage 30% of the crops grown, followed by wild pigs (22%), olive baboons (13%) and buffaloes 9%. About half of the farmers lose their banana crops to elephants. The most affected crops are bananas, maize, sweet potatoes, beans cassava.

The study reveals that elderly farmers crop gardens are more vulnerable to damage by wild animals straying from Kibale National Park in Uganda. Loss of crop yields after wildlife damage was more experienced by elderly farmers (β= -.173, P=0.002). However, farmers' level of knowledge was increasingly associated with more protection of crop farms (β= .152, P=0.009).

Regarding damage on sweet potatoes damage by the wildlife, the study finds that the larger the farm size, the less wildlife damage on crops (β=0.206, P=0.00). Growing of buffer crops should be encouraged among farmers owning sizeable land holdings, as those farmers with limited land can be supported in alternative livelihood projects such as animal husbandry and ecotourism related enterprises.

The way forward and policy implications of the study would be for Uganda Wildlife Authority as an institution mandated to manage the country’s wildlife resources need to invest in ssensitizing farmers about the value of planting buffer crops. However, this mitigation measure should be promoted alongside digging more elephant trenches, maintaining the existing trench network which is currently about 82kms, setting up more beehives, and planting and maintaining Mauritius thorns to deter crop damage by wildlife.

There is need to encourage farmers to grow more effective buffer crops such as tea, coffee and simsim. This study developed a Buffer Farmers Model (BCFAM) which can guide growing of the named buffer crops.

About the Author

Dr. Taddeo Rusoke (Ph.D.) is a Lecturer of Conservation Sciences at Nkumba University and Researcher Fellow with Africa One Consult Limited.

trusoke@nkumbauniversity.ac.ug\