Arugam Bay Panama village Chena cultivation: slash-and-burn dry-zone farming and wildlife coexistence?

Panama is an ancient farming and fishing village situated 15km south of Arugam Bay, bordering Kumana National Park. Generations of villagers practice traditional Chena (slash-and-burn rain-fed agriculture) during the Northeast Monsoon (November to February). Farmers clear small scrub plots to cultivate drought-resistant crops like finger millet (kurakkan), maize, sesame, and pumpkins. To protect ripening harvests from foraging wild elephants and sounders of wild boar, farmers construct elevated bamboo tree huts (Madu) where they keep overnight watch, using noise-crackers, bright flashlights, and shouting to deter wildlife without harming them.