Help Sri Lanka’s Farmers and Elephants Survive the Drought
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Help EleBalance Bring Water to Farmers Facing Extreme Drought in Sri Lanka
The seven farmers EleBalance is supporting in Sri Lanka are facing a severe drought crisis. Extreme heat and a prolonged absence of rainfall, attributed to El Niño, have left their farms struggling to survive.
Across all seven participating farms, water sources have become severely depleted, and wells that once supplied irrigation water have dried up completely. Orange trees are suffering from intense heat and moisture stress, fruit is shriveling on branches, and crops are being lost before they can be harvested. If these orange trees die, an important part of the farms' elephant deterrent barrier is also lost.
Farmers have reported elephants passing near their farms approximately twice a week, driven by acute food and water scarcity in surrounding natural habitats. As the drought continues, supporting these farming communities and promoting human-elephant coexistence becomes increasingly urgent.
We need your help to get water where it is needed most.
The drought is taking a devastating toll
EleBalance's recent field reports document the growing severity of the crisis:
- Wells are running dry. Primary water sources on several farms have completely dried up, leaving farmers without their usual irrigation supply.
- Orange crops are being lost. Farmers have reported premature fruit drop, fruit drying and shriveling on branches, and severe heat damage.
- Future harvests are at risk. Persistent moisture stress has prevented flowering and bud formation across the participating farms.
- Trees are dying. One farmer has already lost four orange trees completely to the drought, while remaining trees are under critical heat stress.
- Families are struggling to access water.
Without practical water-management solutions, more orange trees may be lost. The loss of orange trees would eliminate the protection they provide to keep elephants away from crop raiding and human-elephant encounters. The orange trees play an important role in EleBalance's broader efforts to support farmers and promote human-elephant coexistence.
Our goal: Get limited water to the right places
We are raising funds to help EleBalance improve water distribution and manage scarce water resources more effectively across all seven farms.
Our priority is to make every available drop count through practical, locally appropriate solutions that improve water access, reduce waste, and protect the remaining orange trees.
Donations will support:
- Improving water distribution: Providing essential equipment to move available water where it is needed most.
- Strengthening water access and storage: Supporting water tanks, pumps, piping, and related infrastructure.
- Reducing water loss: Encouraging efficient irrigation practices, including watering during cooler early-morning and late-evening hours to minimize evaporation.
- Protecting soil moisture: Supporting organic mulching and other practices that help soil retain moisture during extreme heat.
- Helping farms recover: Providing appropriate fertilizer and agricultural supplies for the next growing season as resources allow.
What your donation can provide
Each of the seven farmers needs additional water tanks, piping, irrigation equipment, and water pumps to help alleviate the current shortage.
Every contribution brings us closer to improving water access and helping these families protect their farms.
Why your support matters
These farmers have invested years of work into cultivating their orange trees. Losing those trees threatens their future production, along with the protection they provide from elephant crop-raiding and human-elephant conflict.
Please donate if you can and share this campaign with your friends and family. Every contribution, no matter the size, will help EleBalance bring much-needed water-management support to these seven farming families.