WildCrop Shield

Environmental Conservation for Wildlife and Community Enterprise (ECOWICE)

WildCrop Shield

Protecting crops and wildlife through AI cameras, climate-resilient agriculture, and village financing in Tanzania.

Ruvuma Region, Tanzania

TZA

Nonprofit

In Tanzania's Selous-Niassa Wildlife Corridor, human-wildlife conflict devastates smallholder farmers, who lose 30-40% of their crops annually to elephants and other wildlife. This affects 70,000+ people across 50+ villages in this region alone, with damages exceeding $0.5M yearly. This conflict creates a destructive cycle: crop losses drive food insecurity, forcing farmers to expand cultivation into wildlife habitat, which increases encounters and damages. In response, communities resort to lethal methods, with over 20 wildlife poisoning incidents reported annually. Meanwhile, wildlife kills/injures approximately 10-15 people each year in the corridor. Climate change exacerbates this problem as erratic rainfall drives wildlife into agricultural areas seeking water and food. Nearly 95% of corridor farmers lack early warning capabilities to protect crops, and traditional deterrents (fires, noise) prove increasingly ineffective against habituated elephants. Globally, similar conflicts impact 500+ million people across Africa and Asia. The challenges are particularly severe in biodiversity hotspots, where decreasing wildlife habitat overlaps with agricultural expansion. Our solution addresses three critical gaps: lack of reliable wildlife detection systems, insufficient knowledge of climate-resilient, wildlife-resistant crops, and inadequate financing for agricultural transitions that enable coexistence.

WildCrop Shield will be an integrated wildlife-compatible agriculture system combining technology, climate-resilient farming, and accessible financing. Our hardware will deploy 60 AI-enabled cameras across 12 villages to detect approaching wildlife. These solar-powered devices will use machine learning to identify crop-raiding species, transmitting alerts through a local mesh network that will function without internet connectivity. The system will connect to our mobile application where farmers will receive real-time wildlife warnings, report sightings, access weather predictions, and monitor disease outbreak information. Agriculturally, we will introduce wildlife-resistant crops (Chili peppers, garlic, onions, sesame, soybeans, passion fruits and millet) that deter elephants while maintaining productivity during climate variations. We will establish poultry farming units in half the villages, creating a closed-loop system where wildlife-resistant crops will become poultry feed, providing alternative income. The financial component will feature village-based revolving funds managed by local committees, providing micro-loans for farmers transitioning to wildlife-compatible practices. Loan repayments will ensure sustainability while performance-based incentives will reward successful wildlife coexistence. This three-pronged approach will create a self-reinforcing system enabling farmers to reduce wildlife conflicts while increasing climate resilience and household income.

WildCrop Shield will directly serve 300-400 smallholder farmers across 12 villages in Tanzania's Selous-Niassa Wildlife Corridor, where families survive on less than $2/day and face chronic food insecurity. These farmers, primarily women (60%) who manage household food production, currently lack effective means to protect their crops from wildlife while adapting to climate change. These communities are severely underserved: they have no access to early warning systems, limited knowledge of wildlife-resistant crops, and virtually no financial services for agricultural transitions. Traditional deterrents like watchmen or noise-makers are labor-intensive and increasingly ineffective. Our solution will transform their lives in multiple ways: First, the early warning system will reduce crop losses by 30-40%, directly improving food security for approximately 2,000 people. Second, wildlife-resistant crops will provide reliable harvests even during erratic rainfall, building climate resilience. Third, poultry farming will create new income streams ($100-150 additional monthly income per participating household), particularly benefiting women who traditionally manage small livestock. The revolving fund will provide crucial financial inclusion, giving many farmers their first access to agricultural credit. Additionally, reduced wildlife conflict will enhance safety, with fewer injuries and deaths from wildlife encounters, improving overall community wellbeing.