Jhapa, June 14 -- Farmers in Jhapa are gradually turning to rubber cultivation as repeated crop losses caused by wild animals, particularly elephants and monkeys, make traditional farming less viable.

In Buddhashanti Municipality-3, near the Adarsha Namuna Community Forest, many farmers have shifted from cultivating paddy and maize to growing rubber, which they say is far less vulnerable to wildlife damage.

Sitaram Bastola, a local farmer, abandoned paddy and maize cultivation around 12 years ago and began planting rubber on approximately 10 katthas of land.

"When I used to grow paddy and maize, elephants and monkeys would never let me harvest the crops. That is when I started rubber cultivation," Bastola said. "Now, I earn between Rs3...