Nepal’s farmers face crop raids from growing macaque populations
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Farmers in Nepal’s mid-hills are struggling with increasing crop losses due to growing populations of rhesus macaques, wild boars, and Indian crested porcupines.
For generations, these communities have carefully built terraces into steep Himalayan slopes to farm maize, millet, rice, and other crops. However, more animals are venturing onto farmland, stripping crops that families rely on for food and income.
Nepal’s National Trust for Nature Conservation (NTNC) counted over 20,000 macaques in areas with high conflict, estimating the total mid-hill population exceeds 104,000. A study found that cultivated crops make up about 49% of the macaques’ diet, meaning farmland is a regular food source, not just a backup when forest resources are scarce. This is causing around $327,000 in annual crop losses across surveyed households, and some farmers report losing half of their maize harvest to monkey raids.
The problem is compounded by rural migration, as younger people leave for opportunities elsewhere, leaving fewer people to protect the fields. Researchers suggest reforestation efforts from the 1970s, which used fast-growing Australian pine, may have reduced the availability of natural food sources for macaques, driving them to farmland. Possible solutions include planting native fruit-bearing trees to provide alternative food sources, improving access to compensation for crop losses, and implementing community patrols.
