Ntelamo Batubaja, a self-subsistence small-scale farmer in Kambe, Zambezi Region, says elephants have continued to cause losses in his vegetable garden since 2020.

Batubaja says Thursday night while they were asleep, a herd of elephants destroyed his cabbages, chilli, bananas, and sweet potatoes, amongst others.

Attempts to scare them away did not work.

Unemployed Batubaja says his garden is the only source of income for the family and they cannot afford a fence at the moment, as required by the Ministry of Environment, Forestry, and Tourism and the Salambala Conservancy.

Batubaja says he cannot just fold his arms and watch his family starve while he is surrounded by fertile land.

He says that over the years since 2011, he has been surviving on his garden and has managed to sell his surplus produce to villagers.

Batubaja noted that the cabbages were almost ready for sale, but his dream has been shattered as he has to start afresh.