Sustainable Pepper Production

Shade trees and live poles

Soil conservation

Benefits of Iive poles

• Live poles provide natural shade.

• They prevent soil erosion.

• They provide organic matter to the soil.

• They maintain the humidity level in the farm, so there is less

need for irrigation during the dry season.

• Live poles last for a long time, compared to dead poles.

Note

• Plant native species, such as Cassia.

• Plant live pole trees at least one year before planting pepper.

• At least half of the poles on the farm should be live poles.

• You need to prune them regularly to maintain the adequate

shade level.

Not recommended species

• Ceiba, as it easily falls with the wind.

• Erythrina and Glyricidia, as they attract pests of the pepper.

• Paulownia, as it is an exotic species.

• Dead wooden poles can fall easily with wind, and will deteriorate over time.

• It could also cause fungal diseases to pepper.• You would need to use plastic net for shade. • Demand for dead wooden poles could cause

deforestation.

Holes made between the rows for burying organic waste

Do not spray herbicide, as it would damage the roots of the pepper close to the surface.

Weed manually, and put the weeded plants into the holes for organic waste

• Plant Crotalaria pallida aiton or Pueraria phaseoloides for ground cover.

• It would prevent soil erosion, reduce weeds and enhance nitrogen in the soil.

Integrated Pest Management (IPM)• Instead of using chemicals, use biocontrol agents, such as Trichoderma (against phytophthora),

Metarhium (against nematodes) and Streptomycin (against fungal diseases).

• Plant Marigold as natural insect repellent.

• Intercropping with coffee will reduce the problem of nematode.

- for the environment - (Page 1)

No deforestationDo not cut down trees or burn forest to create pepper farms. Farm which burned forest cannot be certified.

Widlife protection

• Do not hunt wild animals or keep them in captivity. • Let them be free in the natural environment.

Prohibited chemicals• Do not use pesticides that contain

Carbosulfan as active ingredient.

• Carbosulfan is prohibited under the SAN

Standard.

Waste management• Do not throw away waste in the farm. • Do not burn waste. Burning waste produces

toxic fumes.

Separate plastic waste to be collected by the waste collector.

Compost organic waste to make organic fertilizer.

Sustainable Pepper Production- for health and safety - (Page 2)

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)Sprayer needs to wear the following when spraying chemicals.

• Mask with chemical filter (It needs to have a chemical filter. Dust musk or carbon filter is not enough.)

• Goggle• Overall (long sleeves and

long trousers) • Gloves• Cap• Boots

• The sprayer is exposed to the toxic chemicals.• Chemicals could enter through the skin, nose,

mouth and eyes.

Chemical storage

• Do not store chemicals in the house, such as kitchen and bedroom. • Storing chemicals in the house would affect the health of your family.• Your children may take the chemical and drink it by accident.

• You can use locally-available materials, such as an old chicken cage, old cabinet, suitcase and metal drum to make a small storage.

• Place the storage outside the house.• Ensure that inside is covered with plastic so that spilled chemical would not be absorbed.

• Make sure that the storage is locked with a key.

Buffer zone

• Pepper is planted right next to the houses• When pepper is sprayed, the housing area gets contaminated.

• Spraying is allowed only up to the border of the buffer zone.

Buffer zone Buffer zone

Spraying allowed only here

• Establish buffer zone of 5m in the farm area that is close to the houses, public road, adjacent farm, river, stream and forest.

• Mark the buffer zone border with red tape.• Spraying is not allowed in the buffer zone.

Safety during harvesting

Two-leg ladder is not stable, and could easily lead to accidents during harvesting.

Four-leg ladder is much more stable, and could prevent accident during harvesting.

Record keeping

Keep records of the following:

• Fertilizer application (date, product, quantity)

• Chemical application (date, product, quantity)

• Paid workers (date, number, salary)

• Pepper harvested (quantity)

Keep regular records of farm activities help you to analyze your production and plan for the improvements.