Chilli Farming

WRITER: EMMA ROBINSON PHOTOGRAPHY: CONSERVATION SOUTH LUANGWA

he hot season in South Luangwa is also the best time to start planting hot chilliies. Christine Banda, a chilli farmer in Mfuwe since 2017, shares this tip she picked up in a chilli farming training workshop run by Conservation South Luangwa (CSL). South Luangwa is a well-known safari destination. In October, temperatures here soar to over 40°C in the shade and its abundant wildlife concentrates along the Luangwa River, one of Africa’s last free-flowing rivers. The Luangwa River forms the majority of the park’s boundary on the eastern side and elephants regularly cross the river, entering the nearby villages in the Game Management Area. This brings them into conflict with people. CSL’s Human-Wildlife Conflict (HWC) mitigation team was established in 2007 to address the growing problem of human-elephant conflicts.

The HWC team at CSL set up the chilli farming scheme in 2008. Crop damage by elephants has a significant impact on farmers who live in the villages surrounding the national park; however, chillies can be grown safely in areas of high conflict with wildlife. Elephants might try a sample of a chilli bush, but they won’t finish eating a whole field of chillies, meaning farmers will be able to harvest and sell the majority of their crop.

In October 2020, over 200 new chilli farmers in four chiefdoms were trained how to grow chillies (Capsicum frutescens) by the HWC field officers. Over the years, HWC Project Co-ordinator, Mr. Billy Banda, has trained thousands of farmers in Zambia’s Eastern Province.

Christine Banda, (pictured), from Maili village in Kakumbi chiefdom, started growing chillies in 2017; she wanted to diversify from maize, sorghum and rice which elephants would destroy. She also experienced conflict with hippos who would graze the plants when they were at seedling or intermediate stage. In 2020, she sold 59 kilograms of dried chillies to CSL.

There are two major challenges in growing chillies—planting early will help reduce damage by termites—the other problem is too much water. Prolonged heavy rainfall and flooding reduced the 2020 crop to just 4,000 kilograms, a quarter of the amount harvested in 2019.

CSL is committed to buying all the chillies a farmer who has been trained under the scheme can harvest. Many of the farmers use the proceeds of their crop to buy food and to pay for school fees for their children. CSL sells the chillies through an agent in Lusaka for use in hot sauces and other products.

The HWC team is now expanding an alternative crop scheme and will be working with farmers to grow turmeric, ginger and lemongrass. These can all be grown and harvested where elephants exist. Our aim is a sustainable future for people and wildlife in South Luangwa. ■

For more information on CSL and the HWC mitigation work please visit www.cslzambia.org

During these trying times, we are encouraging Zambian Citizens and Residents to take advantage of our substantially reduced rates and to experience the magic of the South Luangwa National Park.

River front tents with aircon - Self Catering Chalets - Air conditioned rooms - Solar powered Eco tents - Spacious camp sites (with power points) - Self catering Kitchen - Game drives - Walking Safaris Full board options - Bar facilities - Extensive bar menu