Hundreds of farmers in Nwoya district have threatened to boycott the 2021 general polls unless government puts an end to the problem of marauding wild elephants from Murchison Falls National Park.
The affected farmers are now demanding one billion shillings’ compensation for their crops devastated by wandering wild beasts. Since July, more than 1,000 acres of both staple and commercial crops estimated to be more than one billion shillings have been ravaged.
The most affected crops include rice; banana plantations, groundnuts sesame, sorghum, millet, and soybeans among others in Ywaya, Pabali, Toodora and Latowang villages in Anaka and Purongo Sub-Counties.
The human – wildlife conflict in the area has also left more than 10 people dead and over 20 with permanent disabilities they sustained while attempting to defend their gardens against wild animals’ invasion.
Ataro Teopista, an affected farmer in Pabali village told #N24Newsroom that she procured a five million shillings’ salary loan and injected into 10 acres of sesame and groundnuts is counting losses after the wild beasts overran her crop fields.
Another farmer, Felix Onencan who was expecting to reap over 100 million shillings from over 500 acres of rice and soybean is also counting unbelievable losses after elephants raided his gardens in Agung village.
Florence Anena and Christine Abalo, both widows from Pabali B village told URN that the stray elephants destroyed their rice and groundnuts gardens causing famine and unprecedented economic detriment to their families.
According to local authorities, over 200 households are in dire need for food relief following the seasonal disturbance by the uncontrolled wild animals in the area.
The affected farmers and local council authorities say they have severally petitioned Uganda Wildlife Authority – UWA to contain the marauding animals from the park to lessen the human wildlife conflict but in vain.
The communities also have tried to no avail deterrent methods such planting peppers, use of beehives, trained community scouts and digging trenches along the park boundary as wells as clustering crops together.
However, the affected farmers have now started to collect signatures to petition parliament to demand lawmakers to intervene by sending a committee to assess the level of catastrophe caused to them.
Last week, Uganda Wildlife Authority – UWA disbursed over four billion shillings to the communities bordering the park in districts of Masindi, Buliisa, Kiryandongo, Oyam, Pakwach and Nwoya in revenue sharing.
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