Elephants and Sustainable Agriculture in Kenya

Elephants play an important role as “ecosystem engineers,” meaning they create and maintain critical habitats for other species. However, in sub-Saharan Africa, elephants sometimes eat or damage farmers’ crops, resulting in human-elephant conflict or “HEC”. What’s more, climate change – extreme and often unpredictable weather events – poses additional threats to agriculture production.

By the year 2050, humans will need to increase agricultural production by 70 percent to meet the demands of a growing population. Achieving this in the midst of today’s rapidly changing climate is unlikely without transforming agricultural practices. In some parts of the world, scientists have begun to implement Climate-Smart Agriculture, a cutting-edge method that involves strategies to increase crop production while building resilience to extreme changes in climate. Can Climate-Smart Agriculture also help mitigate the conflict between farmers and elephants in Kenya?

Join researchers in the Tsavo Conservation Area in southeast Kenya and work with local farmers to implement sustainable agriculture methods. Support farmers’ livelihoods while ensuring that humans and elephants are able to peacefully coexist.