In a Climate of Uncertainty, Kenyan Farmers Turn to Peppers

REUTERS

In this arid stretch of Kajiado County, Kenya, where worsening heat and drought have been tough on livestock farmers, Arnold Ole Kapurua is experimenting with a hot new crop: chilis.

Ole Kapurua, 29, a farmer and agronomist, now grows 2 acres of the fiery pods — and is training other farmers to do the same — as a way to protect their incomes in the face of harsher weather linked to climate change.

“With time we realized that we weren’t making good money as our livestock income stagnated,” he said. “During drought we lost our herds to hunger and diseases while during the rainy season we lost some to floods, making us live on a lean budget.”

But after a bit of research, “I realized that chilis had climate-friendly features,” he said.

Although some farmers still rely entirely on livestock in the region, a growing number are now concentrating their energy on farming chilis, which can be grown with limited amounts of water, said Samuel Ole Kangangi, another new chili farmer.

Over the past five years, more than 100 farmers in the region have begun growing chilis, most after trying other crops, including maize and beans, that didn’t cope as well with drought and brought in little money. Well-managed chili farms can produce an ongoing harvest over six months, with an acre producing up to 2 tons of peppers a week, Ole Kapurua said.

That level of harvest can bring as much as 80,000 Kenyan shillings ($800) a season, he said.

Solomon Simingor, another farmer in Kajiado County, said a farmer with at least 2 acres can earn as much as three times more with chilis than with cattle, in his experience. To provide enough water to keep their plants irrigated, farmers in the region are turning to building small dams to catch water in the rainy season. Mulch around the plants — usually grass or plastic — also helps hold onto limited water and keeps down weeds.

Paul Rangenga, who has been advising farmers on taking up the crop and who runs a produce company, said chllis can provide a workable alternative for herders dealing with worsening drought stress.

“Chili farming is a long-term form of investment, and the risks involved are minimal, as the crops are drought-resistant and well-adapted to arid regions,” he said.