Tusk-Friendly Tea

It’s not uncommon for migrating elephants near India’s Kachibari village near the Bhutan border, to wander onto farms, causing damage to crops and posing a danger to people. But Tenzing Bodosa, a 34-year-old organic tea farmer, recognizes that his farm lies in the migratory path of elephants … and rather than deter the animals, he takes steps to ensure their safety.

Bodosa’s approach has earned him certification as the world’s first certified elephant-friendly farm by Wildlife Friendly Enterprise Network, a global community dedicated to the conservation of threatened species. 

While elephants, of course, can cause damage on farms, farms also pose a major risk to the elephants that migrate from India to Bhutan from October to December, Bodosa explains. “Poaching always remains a major threat to the animals, but the tea gardens also pose another challenge in the route of migratory elephants, and often the baby elephants fall into the ditches, injuring themselves. Farmers also use electric fences to keep the elephants away from the produce, but the wires kill them.”

Instead, Bodosa created a buffer zone — part of an elephant corridor — between his tea fields and the forest, planting bamboo, star fruit, and other plants that elephants love. “I feel happy and mesmerized to see a herd of elephants resting in my tea garden when I come for work during the morning hours,” Bodosa says. “Hornbills, wild pigs, deer, and peacocks are also a common sight in my farm. I am proud to have played a small role in their conservation.”

Bodosa, who’s part of the Bodo tribe — the region’s forest people — has instructed his employees to let passing elephants roam in peace in order to reduce any injuries or deaths that the elephants might suffer while being chased away. Staff stay away for their own safety, as well.

The number of elephants in India has been declining, and the country has lost an estimated 20% of its population in the past five years. The current estimated total number of elephants across the country is about 17,000, down from about a million a decade ago. 

Bodosa is also committed to organic farming, eschewing the use of chemical fertilizers which, he says, “are strictly against my conscience and work ethics.” Instead, he uses pest-resistant plants to act as a deterrent, as well as a neem-oil spray. And he encourages other farmers to adopt a similar approach to wildlife conservation and organic farming, offering workshops and travelling to other farms. To date, he’s trained more than 30,000 farmers from neighboring states. He also works with local non-profits dedicated to conservation and organic principles.

Though Bodosa originally hadn’t wanted to follow in his father’s and grandfather’s footsteps and become a farmer, he nonetheless started his own farm almost 20 years ago. He set up his own tea processing unit to create a product he could export to the U.S. and United Kingdom to maximize farm income. Today, his farm and his elephant-friendly approach is gaining attention and accolades. Each year, more than a hundred travelers visit from around the world to spend time at his eight-room eco resort, with treehouses overlooking the elephant corridor. “We give them an opportunity to taste our organic tea,” he says, smiling. And also, accompanied by his staff, to enjoy some elephants.