Guwahati, Aug. 14 -- As World Elephant Day focuses on the growing challenge of protecting elephants while reducing conflict with people, an experiment in Assam is pointing to a practical solution: changing what farmers grow in areas frequently visited by wild elephant herds.

The approach, being promoted by biodiversity conservation organisation Aaranyak in parts of Udalguri, Baksa and Tamulpur districts, encourages farmers to replace crops such as paddy and maize that attract elephants with crops that are less palatable to them.

The idea is simple but potentially significant for communities living on the edges of elephant habitats. Wild elephants often raid paddy, sugarcane and other conventional crops close to human settlements, result...