Archive · 3 Oct 2026
UP Farmers Try Turmeric to Reduce Elephant Crop Losses
Elephants sometimes eat crops that farmers need to sell or eat.
In parts of Uttar Pradesh, farmers are trying to grow more turmeric because elephants seem less interested in it.
About 100 farmers have received training to grow turmeric better.
WWF-India says the harvest increased by 85% in one year.
But farmers also need buyers, so the programme is working on ways to collect, process and sell the turmeric.
People are also receiving alerts when elephants are nearby.
The goal is to help farmers earn a living while allowing elephants to keep moving through the area.
The article says no single solution will work everywhere or forever.
Around 100 farmers in Uttar Pradesh have been trained in improved turmeric cultivation, which elephants are less attracted to than paddy, maize and sugarcane.
WWF-India says turmeric yields increased by 85% in one year after farmers adopted improved practices.
The programme is developing buyer links and a processing and drying unit to help farmers sell their turmeric.
WWF-India reports that from 2021 to 2025, the area of crops damaged by elephants fell by 86% and crop-damage incidents declined by 47% in Katarniaghat.
The wider effort includes community volunteers, training and AI-enabled cameras that have generated more than 650 elephant-presence alerts.
- Who
- Around 100 farmers, WWF-India, local communities and Forest Department response teams.
- What
- Farmers are diversifying toward turmeric, alongside other measures intended to reduce crop losses and manage human-elephant encounters.
- When
- The turmeric intervention has been underway for about two years; crop-damage comparisons cover 2021 to 2025.
- Where
- Katarniaghat and other parts of Uttar Pradesh’s Terai Elephant Reserve.
- Why
- To reduce farmers’ vulnerability to elephant crop damage while supporting elephant movement through the landscape.
- Farmers trained
- Around 100 farmers have been trained in improved turmeric cultivation.
- Reported yield change
- WWF-India says turmeric yields increased by 85% in one year.
- Crop-damage area
- WWF-India reports an 86% decline in the area of crops damaged by elephants in Katarniaghat between 2021 and 2025.
- Damage incidents
- WWF-India reports a 47% decline in crop-damage incidents in Katarniaghat between 2021 and 2025.
- Elephant alerts
- AI-enabled cameras have generated more than 650 automated alerts about elephant presence.
- Community response
- The programme supports 150 Gaj Mitra volunteers across 20 teams; around 1,600 community members and other stakeholders have received training.
- Processing support
- The article says the Forest Department has committed funds for a turmeric processing and drying unit.