Food for Thought
In a world where human population is growing and elephant habitat is shrinking, raising families (both elephant and human) is an uneasy dance between conflict and coexistence, especially when both sorts of families have been living in the same area for many years. Pressure is building from all directions, and there are no easy answers! Yet the rural, impoverished farmers we spend time with are doing all they can to keep the peace with these majestic wild, endangered elephants. It’s humbling to see how much effort goes into feeding any family, and the true cost of keep both humans and elephants safe.
Whether you say a prayer of thanksgiving before you eat or not, somehow to “just eat” without some sort of acknowledgment to the incredible amount of labor that went into your food ignores the reality of what it takes to feed anyone, anywhere. For those living in areas of conflict (here, specifically elephants and drought), growing or foraging for enough food is a daily act of courage.
She may look solemn, but off-camera her gentle smiles led me throughout her farm. Before I got back in the tuk tuk, she asked for a photo in front of her sesame seeds. ONE SEED, so much work. The whole world in one seed…