Arya News - Farmers in Dawakha, Bhutan, are testing a new “Universal Hybrid Fence” that combines electric wires with ground-level mesh to keep wildlife out of fields, cutting installation time and cost while reducing crop damage.
PUNAKHA – For 62-year-old Dorji of Dawakha in Toedwang Gewog, nights once meant standing guard over his crops, shouting and banging tins to scare away wild animals. Today, he no longer has to.
A 4.8-kilometre Universal Hybrid Fence (UHF) now surrounds 185 acres of farmland belonging to 51 landowners in Dawakha, giving farmers greater confidence that their crops will be protected from wildlife.
“My paddy fields have remained safe from wildlife damage since the fence was installed. I am grateful for this gift,” Dorji said.
Other farmers in the village shared similar experiences, saying the fence has brought relief by reducing the need to constantly guard their fields.
A 50-year-old resident said the electric chain-link fencing installed previously had helped reduce wildlife intrusion and protect crops.
“However, with the introduction of the new hybrid fence, I am hopeful that the stronger combination of electric fencing and chain-link barriers will provide better protection and, over time, help resolve the human-wildlife conflict faced by farmers in the community,” he added.
The UHF is being piloted in Bhutan as a new approach to human-wildlife conflict under the JICA-supported Community-Based Human-Wildlife Conflict Management (WiCoMP) project. It combines portable electric fencing with chain-link fencing, creating a barrier designed to deter a wider range of animals, particularly monkeys, which have remained a persistent problem despite other fencing methods.
The UHF uses steel posts and poly wire instead of wood and galvanised iron wire. Wire mesh runs along the ground, while U-shaped stakes help prevent animals from digging underneath or dislodging the fence. The upper section carries three to four electric poly wires charged with current.
The design is intended to balance effectiveness, durability and cost. Its material cost is nearly half that of conventional chain-link fencing, and its installation requires less labour, making it potentially suitable for remote farming communities where materials such as water, sand and stone are difficult to transport.
Human-wildlife conflict is estimated to cost Bhutanese farmers about 28 percent of their harvest, posing a threat to livelihoods and food security. Agriculture contributed about 14 percent of GDP in 2023. While electric and other fencing methods have helped reduce damage from animals such as wild boar and deer, monkeys continue to cause significant crop losses.
The WiCoMP project, launched in May 2025 through collaboration between the National Plant Protection Centre, the Department of Agriculture and JICA, promotes community-led approaches to reducing such losses.
Dawakha has the largest UHF installation under the project, following a 2.3-kilometre fence installed in Nyalakha village in Rubesa Gewog, Wangdue, and an 800-metre fence in Pangserpo village in Drujeygang, Dagana.
Beneficiary farmers installed the fence in Dawakha following training from JICA experts and the National Plant Protection Centre.
The fence, however, is yet to face its biggest test. Although installation was completed several months ago and no wildlife damage has been reported so far, the September-to-November harvest season will be critical in determining how effective the UHF is in protecting crops.
If the pilot proves successful, JICA plans to develop the UHF as a model for human-wildlife conflict mitigation and replicate it in farming communities across the country.
The fence’s long-term success, however, will depend not only on its ability to keep wildlife out but also on how well communities maintain and manage it.
Following the handover, the project will support Dawakha in forming a community committee, developing bylaws, and establishing arrangements for the fence’s sustainable maintenance and management.
The UHF was formally handed over to the Dawakha community on September 7 by the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock and the JICA Bhutan Office.