Growing chilli walls reduces devastating monkey attacks on farms while providing farmers with an additional source of income.
In trials done on unprotected farms in Mseruka village in northern Zimbabwe that are 100 meters away from bushland and are frequently attacked by monkeys, elephants, kudu, and bush pigs just 15 per cent of maize grown inside the chilli walls was destroyed compared to 83 per cent destruction in unwalled chillis. Thanks to being high-yielding and having high market value chilies also supplemented farmer incomes earning them Sh90 for every kilogram of chilli they produced.
Not only can chilies not be eaten by monkeys, but they also consider the spice’s smell unpleasant and this keeps them from venturing past areas surrounded by chilli buffer zones. This is especially the case for chillies with a high capsaicin content such as Cayenne and Habanero — the chemical that gives chillies their spiciness.
For farmers living close to forests in Kenya monkeys remain one of their biggest pests.
Joyce Furaha who lives along the Arabuko Sokoke forest in Sokoke Ward, Kilifi County practices mixed small-scale farming of maize, cowpeas, bananas, green grams, and cassava among others.
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”When the maize reaches its milky stage, monkeys invade the farm and can wipe out the entire crop,” Joyce said.
To keep the monkeys away she and other farmers in the area have resorted to ever-changing methods which the monkeys outwit thanks to their supreme intelligence.
“Sometimes we erect scarecrows at different points of the farm which keeps them from entering the farm for a while before they realize they are harmless. We also use tapes that produce a buzzing sound when the wind blows, tie metals to trees that rattle when the wind blows, and scare away the monkeys. The dogs are also handy in keeping off monkeys, we tie them at two points on the farm and they bark when they see the monkeys.
Whenever our boys are out of school, they also enjoy using the dogs to keep watch of the farm and run after any monkeys. At times, we are also forced to employ adults to keep watch and scare away monkeys,” she elaborated.
According to reporting done by the Center for International Forestry Research, one of the majour pain points for farmers when it comes to preventing monkeys from raiding their farms is the cost. This involves the use of farm guards to chase the monkeys away and/ or putting up electric fences which are too expensive for farmers. Live fences are also not as effective because monkeys which are highly intelligent and adaptive often use trees that surround the fence to go over the fence and into farms. The Arabuko Sokoke forest in Kilifi is protected by the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) and is fitted with electric fencing, however, the monkeys easily get out of the forest through its trees and mainly target maize which is a main crop in most of the county.
Meanwhile, the use of live fences made from spiny and thorny shrubs while effective, requires regular maintenance and for small-scale farmers to dedicate significant portions of their prime farming land to grow plants with no economic benefit to them.
Chilli walls give farmers an answer to both conundrums in that they are relatively cheap to grow and also supplement farmer incomes.
An effective chilli wall should be 1.2–1.8 meters tall and be grown on an area of the farm where there are no tall trees. It should also cover the entire section of the farm because monkeys are adaptable so any gaps in the fence can provide easy access points for them.
To add to the potency of the live chilli wall and before it grows, you can tie dried chilli strings or bundles close together, i.e., 30–60 cm apart to an existing fence. Chili loses its potency over time, so dried chilies should be refreshed every few weeks or when you notice their scent is fading.
From growing chillies a farmer can further safeguard themselves from monkeys through:
Grinding the chillies that are rotten or unmarketable and mixing them with ground garlic and water then spraying the mixture around the farm. This releases capsaicin in the chillies and puts out a strong smell that irritates the monkeys as well as squirrels, and other wild animals.
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Making the monkeys a ‘treat’ of chilli powder rice balls. According to research done by the Department of Agriculture at Jammu & Kashmir in India where farmers suffer frequent monkey attacks, this is prepared by boiling rice and mixing it with crushed groundnut seeds, red chilli powder, and coconut oil. These rice balls are strategically placed at points where the monkeys enter the farm. Once they taste the treats their tongues are ‘burnt’ and they run off looking for water. If you can help it, there should be no water available for them anywhere near the farm.