CASHEW farming is a significant agricultural activity in Liwale District, Lindi Region. It is a primary income source for most of the residents.

Liwale, with a population of 136,505, covers an area of 38,380 square kilometers. Over half of this area is forest, covering 27,965.4 square kilometers, including the Selous Game Reserve, which occupy 25,587 square kilometers.

The presence of protected areas surrounding the district, poses a significant challenge of Human Wildlife Confliction (HWC) whereas out of all the 76 villages, 64 of them experiences the problem.

Liwale District Commissioner Goodluck Mlinga said apart from damaging farms and crops, elephants have been eating cashew apples, thus becoming intoxicated.

Mlinga said currently, the district has an increased number of elephants that enter farms. He said after being drunk, the big animals can hardly be chased away of the far as they become more aggressive, threatening the lives of villagers.

“When elephants enter into a cashew farm, they prefer the apples because they are rich in nutrients, juicy, and sweet. Villagers had recently reported to find a drunken elephant in one of the farms; the wild animal was chased, but couldn’t leave. Officials from the wildlife department had to take the elephant back to the reserve,” explained the DC, adding the natural sugars in cashew apples make them sweet and appealing to elephants.

Cashew apples can be eaten directly or used to make a variety of foods, including juice, jam, wine, vinegar, chutney, pickles, candy, syrup, and dried fruit. Cashew apple juice is rich in vitamins. The taste and nutrition make cashew apples a rewarding food choice for elephants when they come across them.

Kitogoro Village Executive Officer, Miraji Zuberi, stated that the situation has now become worse especially during this cashew harvesting season. He said it has become common for villagers to encounter elephants when they go to pick cashews in the farms.

“I have been receiving many reports of elephants entering farms, these reports are forwarded to relevant authorities for further actions. Wildlife officers from Tanzania Wildlife Management Authority (TAWA) and Tanzania National Parks (TANAPA) have been assisting us in returning them back to the national park,” added Zuberi.

“History shows that in the past, elephants were not eating cashew apples, but once they tasted them, they became regular consumers. The bad thing is, elephants become intoxicated when they ate many of them; once drunk, they become aggressive and cause a lot of trouble as they even walk onto the roads. They have learned that cashew apples are good food,” the village leader narrated.

He added: “Elephants are now coming closer to our homes. We plan to start practicing collaborative farming so that it becomes easier to conduct patrols.”

Mitigation efforts

In response, the government, in collaboration with stakeholders including the German Development Agency (GIZ) has been taking a number of measures to reduce HWC as well as promoting co-existence.

GIZ is implementing the Mitigation of Human Wildlife Conflict in Tanzania project in the Ruvuma Landscape while in Liwale District it is executed in 11 villages namely Turuki, Kitogoro, Mtawatawa, Mtawango, Nanjegeja, Chimbuko, Mkutano, Ngumbu, Nahoro, Naluleo and Kimbemba.

Statistics from TAWA shows that in the 2016/2017 farming season, there were 833 incidents of wildlife entering human settlements and farms. In 2017/2018, the incidents increased by 164, reaching 1,510. In 2019/2020, these incidents dropped from 1,510 to 1,426.

However, in 2020/2021, the situation worsened, with 1,706 incidents recorded. The problem has continued to escalate, reaching 2,304 incidents in 2021/2022 and 2,817 in 2022/2023. 

Aloyce Assenga is the Assistant Conservation Ranger One from TAWA’s Liwale District office, he said: “We have been conducting patrols by going into the forest to monitor the animals. Patrols are also conducted outside the park whereas our officers have been responding to calls from villagers whenever the elephants and other destructive animals enter their farms.”

According to him, all these activities are conducted in collaboration with the community especially Village Game Scouts (VGS) who have already been trained on handling elephants. VGS were trained at the Community Based Conservation Training Centre (CBCTC) in Likuyu Sekamganga with funding from GIZ. 

He said VGS are stationed at 16 TAWA stations across the distric and have been equipped with items like cold bombs, torches, and motorbikes to ensure a quick response.

Assenga added that human-wildlife conflicts are longstanding and were originally managed by the Wildlife Department within the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism before the establishment of TAWA.

He said TAWA has partnered with GIZ to continue educating communities on environmental conservation as well as teaching them how to use beekeeping and other technics to scare away elephants. The organizations ‘innovative project aims to ensure that communities co-exist with the resources around them.

According to TAWA, the significant increase in HWC in 2018 prompted the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism to develop a National Strategy for Managing Human-Wildlife Conflicts (2020-2024).

Azirongwa Mwinyimvua, Liwale District Administrative Secretary said: “We are thankful to GIZ for the support they have been providing to us in mitigating human-wildlife conflicts. They have been offering training on various methods to manage elephants. The government needs partners like GIZ to ensure both humans and animals remain safe.”