Climate-Smart Agriculture Rapid Appraisal with farmers
Hot Pepper, Amity Hall, Jamaica
Scotch bonnet peppers (otherwise called ‘hot peppers’, ‘bonney’ or ‘Caribbean red peppers’) are a variety of chili peppers, which are usually fairly round or slightly elongated in shape. These peppers are also related to habanero peppers, and are often red or yellow when ripe, but may also be green or brown when reaped. The name ‘scotch bonnet’ refers to its shape, resembling a tam o’shanter Scottish hat.
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Crop Rotation with Corn
As with other crops, crop rotation is a beneficial practice for scotch bonnet peppers to reduce pests and diseases, and for soil nutrient balance. It is not recommended that scotch bonnet pepper crops be grown repeatedly in the same area. Corn and other selected legumes are recommended barrier crops for scotch bonnet peppers, as it does not host the broad mite (which is a pest that often affects the scotch bonnet crop). In contrast, it is recommended to avoid growing scotch peppers close to tomatoes, beans, cowpeas, coffee, potatoes (sweet or irish), papaya, guava, mango, citrus, or avocado, as these crops are often hosts to the broad mite.
Synergistic practices are those practices that when implemented together interact with each other to produce a greater positive effect on the crop and the agroecosystem than they would have when implemented separately:
- Use of organic inputs (compost, bio-fertilizers, natural repellents etc.)
- Live barriers /fences in contours with leguminous bushes / hedgerows / fruit trees
- Integrated Pest and Disease Management (intercropping with marigold, traps, and scouting)
PROFITABILITY INDICATORS
- Practice cost: 600,000 JMD/ACRE
- Payback period: 4 Months
- Net Present Value: 4,148,653 JMD/ACRE
- Cost-benefit Ratio: 1.6
- Biodiversity: 15,243 JMD/ACRE/YEAR
- Carbon: 19,279 JMD/ACRE/YEAR
Food Security
- Increases the availability of food for consumption
- Contributes to diversification of farm income
- Reduces the need for pesticides which can lower overall production costs
Adaptation
- Allows medium- to long-term bio-physical and chemical soil characteristics reducing incidence of pest and diseases
- Optimizes nutrient availability and use while protects soil health and fertility
- Reduces proliferation of competitive plants (weeds) hence reduce the use of agrochemicals such as herbicides
Mitigation
- Contributes to the interruption of the biological cycles of pests and diseases, thus reducing the carbon footprint under conventional crop management with synthetic pesticides
- Allows medium- to long-term acummulation of above and below-ground biomass enhancing soil carbon stock
- Enables a more efficient use and replacement of soil nutrients hence reducing the use of synthetic fertilizers
Water Efficient Irrigation - Drip Irrigation
Hot pepper does not thrive under drought conditions and irrigation is essential to produce consistent yields of high-quality hot pepper in the drier periods of the year. Irrigation is the application of water to plants to address crop water needs brought about by rainfall deficit so that there is optimal plant growth. The crop water needs of hot pepper averages about 500 mm of water per plant for the entire production period. Where rainfall is adequate, that is, above 1,300 mm annually, the planting of hot peppers should be timed to benefit from rainfall because often the highest yields are obtained under rainfed conditions supplemented by drip irrigation. Irrigation water is mainly supplied to the crop by sprinkler or overhead irrigation or drip lines. The critical moisture periods for hot peppers are: 1) during the seedling stage, 2) at transplanting and the week after, 3) just before flowering and 4) during fruit set and development.
Synergistic practices are those practices that when implemented together interact with each other to produce a greater positive effect on the crop and the agroecosystem than they would have when implemented separately:
- Mulching
- Rainwater harvesting
- Minimum tillage
- Greenhouse/Shade houses
PROFITABILITY INDICATORS
- Practice cost: 550,000 JMD/ACRE
- Payback period: 3.5 Months
- Net Present Value: 3.553,350 JMD/ACRE
- Cost-benefit Ratio: 1.8
- Biodiversity: 15,243 JMD/ACRE/YEAR
- Carbon: 19,279 JMD/ACRE/YEAR
Food Security
- Drip irrigation maximizes crop yield
- Increases the possibility of producing high volumes of produce
- Reduces farmers’ expenses by promoting efficient use of water, reducing irrigation costs
- Contributes to the diversification of incom
Adaptation
- Proper management allows localized water application maintaining adequate moisture in the root zone making efficient use of water
- Compared to other irrigation systems, maintains leaf surface dry hence reducing the risk of diseases incidence
- Reduces soil erosion caused by water and improves nutrient use efficiency
Mitigation
- Makes more efficient use of irrigation water reducing energy associated to its transportation to the farm (tanks in trucks), hence minimizing greenhouse gases emissions (GHG) per unit of produce
- Localized availability of water for plants promotes healthy and vigorous crops thus reducing the need for constant application of synthetic pesticides and the linked carbon footprint
- Prevents leaching of nutrients from the soil compared to other irrigation methods
