Education programs and strategies for alternate crops will also be studied and provided. For example, traditional Cambodian religion encourages farmers to grow bananas and sugarcane for people to offer to the Goddess Yey Mao, to protect them. This project educates the farmers on alternative crops less appealing to elephants. In 2005, a pilot site for growing chilli was established with harvests already being sold in tourist spots. However, in order to improve harvests to a level where there is sufficient chilli to provide an income, wells need to be constructed as rainfall in Cambodia is seasonal. Though expensive, wells will not only improve the agricultural yield, but improve living conditions for the very poor families in the area.

Recently it was discovered that Taro, a tuber used in soups & desserts with its leaves fried as vegetables, appears to be unpalatable to elephants and brings a good price in the markets of Cambodia and Vietnam. This project will assess the suitability of planting this crop in human-elephant conflict (HEC) areas. This project will also manage and advise on HEC events, providing short term emergency advice, as well as longer term mitigation strategies. Local farmers will be provided assistance to prevent and actively deter elephants in a humane manner, and specific training will be given in early warning and inter-plantation contact systems, as well as compiling HEC event report forms for central database deposition. Printed t-shirts will be provided to members of these guarding groups, to ensure they feel like part of the team. This will be combined with simple awareness raising initiatives throughout the year for local farmers and their families.