By Katie Thompson | Progam Director
Communities living alongside the Kruger landscape continue to face increasing human-elephant conflict, with crop losses impacting food security and household incomes. Through the Distillation Program, Elephants Alive is supporting nature-based solutions that help protect livelihoods while promoting coexistence with elephants.
We are pleased to report that basil planting has commenced in participating communities. Basil was selected as a coexistence crop because elephants naturally avoid it, while it also provides a valuable raw material for essential oil production. These initial plantings are an important step toward establishing sustainable income-generating opportunities linked directly to conservation.
In parallel, the solar-powered mobile distillation unit and its component parts are being assembled, tested, and prepared for shipment to South Africa. Once operational, the unit will allow communities to process basil and other botanical crops locally into high-value essential oils, creating additional livelihood opportunities, particularly for women and youth.
These activities mark significant progress toward the project's goals of reducing human-elephant conflict, strengthening local economies, and demonstrating a practical model for long-term human-elephant coexistence.
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