Electric fencing has eased the lives of farmers in Wangling in Langthil Gewog of Trongsa. Enclosing the entire fields in the village, the District Agriculture Office replaced solar fencing with electric fencing in April this year. Farmers say the solar fencing installed over five years ago is worn out and could not protect their crops against wild animals.
Wangling falls within Jigme Singye Wangchuck National Park, a national protected area. It is not uncommon for the farmers to lose their year’s hard work to wild animals. They say the solar fencing helped them to some extent in the past, however, during cloudy and rainy days, they are forced to sacrifice their sleep to guard their crops against wild animals. Today, the six-kilometre electric fence came as a respite.
“Earlier, we have to make temporary huts to guard the paddy. We spend three to four days collecting bamboos and materials for constructing it. We are grateful as we don’t have to do that now,” said Sangay Dorji, a farmer in Wangling.
“We grow maize, wheat, millets and other crops. So, compared to the past, we have better yields now,” said another farmer.
The effective fencing is also encouraging farmers to revive their land left fallow.
“Now after getting electric fencing, we are clearing our land covered in bushes to cultivate again,” a farmer said.
“Many fields were left fallow here. So, with fund support from the Green Climate Project, we deployed machinery and prepared terraces for them. Some seventy acres of their fallow land was revived,” said Damanti K Sunwar, the Agriculture Extension Officer for Langthil Gewog.
With over 20 households, farmers in Wangling grow varieties of crops and cereals. However, they only farm for self-consumption today. But with support like this, they are optimistic that it won’t be long before they also venture into commercial farming which will improve their livelihoods.
Passang, Trongsa
Edited by Sonam
