Elephant Pepper Farm

Rural farmers in the Zambezi Valley have discovered a natural elephant deterrent to help protect their crops. Chillies not only deter elephants from crops, but also serve as a lucrative cash crop for the farmers.

The Elephant Pepper Development Trust was established to promote chilli pepper production by the communal farming community in areas of Southern Africa where conflict exists between wildlife and farmers. EPD advises farmers on natural resources conservation and sustainable utilisation of such resources in relation to the management of conflict with wildlife.

The first seeds of the Elephant Pepper brand were sown in the communal lands of the Mid Zambezi Valley, where chillies are grown as a deterrent to elephants that raid food crops in the area. Five years on, with over 450 communal growers, chillies are now used to produce the Elephant Pepper brand, which in turn supports the survival of both the rural farmers and the elephants.

The product range include:

• Zambezi red;
• Chilli jam; and
• Chilli relish.