By Lizzie Webber | Chief Operating Officer
Trunks & Leaves has been involved in Udawalawe for decades. Among conservation and sustainability practitioners, rural communities are considered as an integral part of the landscape and sometimes referred to as "frontline" communities because of their proximity to natural ecosystems. In popular perception, these communities are viewed as a threat to wildlife due to their livelihood and subsistence practices. Trunks & Leaves, however, view them as our closest allies! They live alongside wildlife and steward the land in many vital ways. As a non-profit concerned with protecting wildlife, we believe that conservation is not a zero-sum game. People and nature co-exist with one another; hence, we must build relationships and work together with these frontline communities.
Why communities need help
Recent events and government policies in Sri Lanka have resulted in the worst economic crash in the country’s history. In 2021, an import ban on synthetic fertilizers and pesticides was sanctioned by the government, forcing farmers to go organic. This resulted in lower crop yields, with some having to forego farming altogether this year, as organic fertilizers take time to make.
The snowball effect of this crisis resulted in long lines for fuel (for transport) and gas (for cooking) which created a shortage of goods in the market. Additionally, as the country cannot afford imports, products like butter and milk powder became unavailable. Inflation and the cost of living have significantly increased, and the situation is dire. Many families have been subsisting on the little vegetables they grow in their backyard. The declining economy in Sri Lanka has made life very difficult for the constituents in this area of Udawalawe, especially because 85% of the population surrounding the wildlife corridor, near the Udawalawe National Park, are farmers while the rest are laborers and daily wage earners.
We tend to think of farming as predominantly male work, but both men and women work in the fields. Some families rely solely on the women farming, like one family we met where a single mother of three carries out the labor herself to feed her family since her husband passed away.
What we’ve done
Many relief efforts are happening around Sri Lanka; however, none specifically focused on farming communities affected by human-elephant conflict (HEC). Trunks & Leaves decided to provide dry ration packs to households in need. We originally created a target of $6000, and with the help of the GlobalGiving community, set off to provide dry rations packages. Our team has been preparing these packs and each $30 pack would support a family of five for approximately a month. These packs include essentials for Sri Lankan families: rice, flour, lentils, spices, household groceries, etc.
“This year has been terrible, we had no fertilizer or pesticides, and hence we didn’t cultivate anything. There is not much help from anyone towards our areas. We appreciate your (Trunks & Leaves’) initiative and hopefully go further in helping others in our area as well.” – Farmer
At the time of writing, our GlobalGiving community has been so supportive that we’re now reached our updated $9000 target! The team is halfway through delivering rations to the next 60 households after country-wide fuel shortages limiting our use of the lorry. By the end of August, we anticipate that we will have provided help to 120 households in the Udawalawe area. With $10,000 we can deliver dry rations packages to 300+ households, and we hope to raise more funds to help more families in this crisis.
We plan to continue these relief efforts with the help of your donations! Moreover, we wish to expand this relief work beyond Udawalawe and reach out to other 'human elephant conflict'-affected communities that are also in need.
Your donations are what propel us to continue this project, so we would like to extend our sincerest thank you!
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