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Farmers in Odisha’s Ganjam district say repeated crop raids by wild boars have made paddy cultivation unviable in several villages.
Many farmers have switched from paddy to kewra, declared crop holidays, migrated for work or begun spending nights guarding their fields.
Blackbuck, monkeys and langurs are also damaging crops, though farmers in Ganjam continue to protect blackbuck because of local beliefs.
State data shows compensation has been paid for wildlife-related crop losses, but farmers say prevention measures such as fencing remain limited.
In Odisha’s Ganjam district, K Bhimaya Reddy of Nakaram village has given up paddy cultivation on his 2.02 hectares of land for the past five years because wild boars repeatedly destroy the crop.
Like Reddy, several farmers in nearby areas of Rangeilunda block have switched to kewra, or screw pine, on fertile and water-rich land near the Bay of Bengal, instead of growing traditional paddy.
“Crops being destroyed by wild boars has been a problem for the last few years. As soon as the plant grows, herds of wild boars devour them. In many cases, we can’t recover the cost of plantation,” said Ch Sudhkar Reddy, a farmer in Dankalpadu in the same block.
Frustrated by frequent crop raids by wild boars and what they say is a lack of action by the Forest Department, several farmers from five to six villages declared a “crop holiday”, said social activist N Dambaru Reddy. The wild boar problem was not confined to Rangeilunda, but affected farmers across Ganjam.
“As the population of boars has increased many times over in the area, we sought vermin status for the animal, but it was not approved. With little hope of a sustainable future in farming amid the damage by animals, several families in the area have migrated to other states for better opportunities for their children. Some others have chosen to plant kewra, which flowers five to seven years after planting,” Dambaru said.
To save their crops from marauding animals, farmers often lay live wires by hooking them to nearby electricity poles. But the practice is dangerous. Apart from wild boars, other animals such as elephants, leopards and spotted deer, and sometimes people, are electrocuted after coming into contact with the wires.
At least seven to 10 people have died due to electrocution in Ganjam district over the past five years, some locals alleged.
In areas such as Bhanjanagar, Polasara and Khallikote, farmers spend nights in the fields in makeshift shelters. “Our nights are spent chasing away the stray animals,” said Trinath Pradhan of Gunduribadi in Ghumusar North forest division.
The blackbuck, or Antilope cervicapra, is another animal that causes crop damage in Ganjam district. Despite the losses, farmers do not harm the blackbuck, whose only habitat in Odisha is in this district. “Farmers believe it is a precursor of prosperity and don’t harm the animal despite the crop destruction,” said Amulya Upadhaya, president of the Ganjam District Blackbuck Protection Committee.
Some residents of Bhetanai village, near Aska, have voluntarily set aside more than 30 hectares of land for blackbuck grazing. “Earlier, our forefathers cultivated green gram and black gram in the area. They later left it for grazing by the blackbuck, an endangered species,” said Nirakara Bhat, a doctor.
“Even though farmers have demanded compensation for crop loss caused by other animals, they have not sought ex-gratia for losses caused by blackbuck,” said Pramod Kumar Panda, Range Officer, Aska.
Vishwanath Neelannavar, Regional Chief Conservator of Forests, Berhampur, said the government had provided compensation to victims for crop losses. According to the Wildlife Odisha 2025 report, published by the State Wildlife Organization under the Forest, Environment and Climate Change Department of Odisha government, the state paid Rs 25,086.09 lakh in compensation for crop losses caused by wild animals, including elephants, over the 10 years from 2015-16 to 2024-25.
During this period, crops spread over 63,273 hectares and belonging to 471,460 farmers were destroyed by wild animals, the report said.
Farmers in neighbouring Kandhamal district face a different problem: monkeys attacking crops. Narendra Mallick of Barikumpa village in Khajuripada block had decided to abandon his two hectares of land, where he grows vegetables, because of the increasing langur population in the region.
In Ganjam, some farmers are also turning to technology to protect crops. Several have adopted solar-powered wild animal repellent machines and solar fencing to reduce damage from wild boars, monkeys and stray cattle, particularly in farms near forest fringes and vulnerable rural areas.
Subash Pradhan of Nandik village in Ganjam district’s Hinjili block said damage to his standing vegetable crops from wild boars and monkeys had reduced after he installed a solar-powered repellent machine.
“We have promoted the use of solar-based technology in farming systems under the ongoing Resilient and Inclusive Initiatives for Sustainability and Empowerment, or RIISE, project,” said Sushant Kumar Nath, senior scientist and in-charge of Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Berhampur.
The three-year project, run by the World Food Programme and Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology, began in 2023-24. It is being implemented in 29 villages across four blocks — Chikiti, Digapahandi, Hinjili and Jagannath Prasad — Nath said.
The Integrated Tribal Development Agency ITDA, Phulbani, has also stepped in to help farmers in Kandhamal. It installed solar fencing in fields to keep animals away. “We have installed solar fencing in 16 patches in different blocks, covering around 12 hectares,” said an officer of ITDA Phulbani.
Farmers can save standing crops such as vegetables by using wire-mesh fencing, said P Murali Mohan, Project Manager, ITDA. The fencing was done with financial support from the Odisha Livelihood Mission and ITDA, he said.
This article is part of the series Conflict in the Backyard. A version of it was published in the cover story, Conflict in the Backyard, in the May 16-31, 2026 print issue of Down To Earth.
