How Proper Space and Water Help Pepper Farms

I am always amazed when I see raw talent and skills from some of the farmers in my neighborhood.

If you've watched my video, it'll be easier to understand what I'm about to share with you.

What I just showed you is another example of a farm that is growing hot peppers in Ghana and really making it work.

So often on farms around the world poor farming practices mean that crops don’t quite reach their full potential. But bad habits can be changed and in this case it starts with the spacing between the pepper bushes. By growing them apart from each other the air is able to flow freely between the plants.

So when the morning dew on the leaves of the plants dries quickly, fungi which don’t like to grow in dry conditions like those found on dry leaves of plants are less likely to attack the peppers.

Also, by having the plants spaced apart workers are able to walk between the rows of plants without damaging the stems of the plants.

The black pipes you see on the ground are part of the hot pepper farm’s great secret, something called drip irrigation. It delivers water directly to the root zone of each plant, as opposed to hot pepper farmers who splash water on the whole plant in hopes that it will absorb. This can be extremely damaging, because it washes over the top of the leaves and can attract pests.

Besides the benefit of preventing diseases and drawing in pests, drip irrigation is also very water efficient. This is particularly important in Ghana during the dry season, as water can cost a lot to bring to the farm.

These drip irrigation systems allow farmers to get the exact amount of moisture that their plants need so they can produce a heavy yield of large and healthy fruits.

The pepper crop is receiving the perfect amount of moisture to develop into huge peppers.

Harvested when at their best, the shiny firm skin of the fruits shows excellent crop quality.

So long as the farmer is careful in picking the fruits during harvest, he or she will reap a lot and although nothing is guaranteed in agriculture, it's pretty close to most likely being a profitable year for the farmer of the right things are practiced.