The Agriculture department in association with the Forest department is preparing to launch a comprehensive action plan to curb wild animal incursions into farmlands in Wayanad, a district known for recurring man-animal conflicts. This is the first time that the Agriculture department is launching such a project.
Many farmers living on the fringes of the forest are keeping their land fallow due to the increasing wildlife attacks and crop raids. The project aimed to address the issue and make the fallow land cultivable, said Agriculture department sources.
The department would launch a project under the Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY) next year to curb wild animal incursions into farmlands, said the sources. It will be executed at a cost of ₹3.88 crore. Sixty per cent of the project cost will be borne by the Centre, while the remaining will be met by the State government. There was a plan to install solar or hanging fencing on a 130-km stretch on the forest fringes as part of the project, added the sources.
The Principal Agricultural Officer will be the implementing officer of the project, and it will be executed in select grama panchayats in the three constituencies in the district in the first phase.
Meanwhile, officials have identified the land for the purpose, and a team of officials consisting of Assistant Directors of Agriculture, Forest range officers, and grama panchayat officials will inspect the identified sites before November 5. They will submit the final draft before November 12.
The plan was to complete the project by the end of March, the sources added.
