The Role of Alternative Crop Cultivation in Promoting Human-Elephant Coexistence: A Multidisciplinary Investigation in Thailand

In areas of high human-elephant conflict, cultivating crops that are less attractive to
elephants can be a viable strategy for coexistence. Farmers in these regions often grow crops like
pineapple, which are palatable to elephants and attract them into human-dominated landscapes. This
study, conducted in Ruam Thai Village, adjacent to Kuiburi National Park in Thailand, evaluated
the socio-economic factors affecting farmers’ interest in alternative crop cultivation and assessed the
impact of elephants and environmental threats on plots containing pineapple and alternative crops.
Our findings revealed that 70% of households (N = 239) rely on pineapple cultivation as their primary
source of income. However, 49% of interviewed pineapple farmers reported that their cultivation
was not profitable, largely owing to the high costs of agro-chemical inputs. The majority (91%) of
farmers experienced negative consequences from living near wild elephants, and 50% expressed
interest in cultivating alternative crops. Farmers who frequently experienced elephant visits, felt
they could coexist with elephants, and perceived both positive and negative consequences from
them were more likely to be interested in alternative crop cultivation. Elephants eliminated over
80% of the pineapple but less than 6% of any alternative crop species across all test plots. Using a
crop scoring system based on ecological, economic, and social factors, we identified lemongrass and
citronella as the most suitable alternative crop species for the study site. This multidisciplinary study
highlights interventions needed to reduce barriers and increase motivators for local farmers to adopt
elephant-friendly agriculture as a sustainable human–elephant coexistence strategy.