Save The Children - Chilli pepper, a natural Elephant repellent

A report from the Save the Childen team in Zimbabwe about an innovative use for the chilli pepper

Elephants have caused a lot of concern in Binga and Nyami Nyami as they destroy crops in the fields. Traditionally farmers blew horns and played drums to keep away elephants from their crops. Unfortunately, these methods of scaring away elephants are no longer effective as elephants have got used to the noise.

A chilli peper demonstration

Farmers have resorted to methods that endanger their lives in an effort to protect their crops from elephants. These include attacking elephants using catapults, spears and stones. A safer alternative would have been to install electric fences, had it not been expensive to install and to maintain.

Shallin Razawu-Chikoto & Diego Matsvange of Save the Children’s Food Security and Livelihood programme in Zimbabwe travelled to Zambia in December to learn on how chilli pepper can be used to prevent destruction of crops by elephants.

Chilli pepper project is a welcome development in Nyami Nyami where it has received overwhelming response. The project is still to go to Binga. The pilot programme will benefit 990 households and is expected to expand two or three fold.

Chilli is planted as a hedge around the fields because elephants shun its pungent smell and can detect it 500 metres away. Chilli’s advantage is that besides protecting crop fields and vegetable gardens, it is also a cash crop.

Chilli mixed with elephant dung can also be molded into bricks known as “Chilli brickettes” that burn for almost 18 hours.

Elephants detest the smell of their burnt dung worse still when it is mixed with chilli.

Alternatively chilli is grounded then mixed with grease. It is then put on sisal strings that are hanged on the fence around the field. This method deters elephants for approximately two months.

Burning chilli peppers to scare away elephants

Burning chilli peppers to scare away elephants


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