Saving crops from marauding wild animals and birds is a continuous struggle for farmers in the hilly and forested areas in the country, and Adilabad district with its healthy population of wild boars, monkeys and numerous variety of birds is a perfect example of the problem.
If the fields are left unprotected, farmers stand to lose even 50 per cent of their crops to these animals and birds which either eat away the grain or just destroy the plants.
A detailed study on agriculture and its relationship with wildlife has been made by well known naturalist Tara Gandhi who discusses in great detail crop protection methods in her recently released book, Birds, Wild Animals and Agriculture . Saving crops closer to harvest period is a constant battle of wits for farmers who depend largely upon their knowledge of animal behaviour to devise methods.
Killing animals by use of electrified fencing and poison mixed food balls was comparatively costly and more often boomeranged as domestic animals too became victims of the deadly mechanisms. Innovation has come into play since about two decades which saw cheaper techniques being used to create confusing sight and sound to scare away wild animals and birds.
Shining tape and colourful sarees around the field perimeter are passe. Farmers in Adilabad have come up with an equally effective alternative last season in erecting a line of plastic carrier bags around the boundary of the field.
“The different shine of the plastic bag and the weird sound created by the wind as it enters the inflated cavity through the narrow mouth of the bag scares away both wild animals and birds. The wild boars and monkeys seem confused and get back without entering the field while flocks of birds do not alighting on the crop,” explained farmer Ginka Venkata Ramana.
Putta Poshetti, who uses this crop protection method at his 7 acre cotton and red gram field near Kuntala village, says it costed him just Rs. 800. “I spent Rs. 500 to purchase 50 packets containing 50 plastic bags each, and Rs. 300 for the plastic string,” he says.
The mode is also more durable as the system lasts in place for months. “Unless rain fills the bags with water,” Poshetti pointed out the one danger which the scheme faces.
