Bell pepper, also known as sweet pepper or Capsicum, is a popular and important vegetable crop in west Africa. This species of pepper is not as popular in western Africa as Chili pepper. It belongs to the same plant family (nightshades) as tomatoes, eggplants, and potatoes.
Bell peppers come in a variety of colors, including green, red, yellow, orange and even purple, each color has a slightly different taste and nutritional value profile.
Moreso, Bell Pepper is an excellent source of vitamins A and C, as well as fiber and antioxidants. They are low in calories and fat, making them a great addition to any healthy diet. They can be eaten raw or cooked, and are often used in Salads, stir-fries, soups and stew. It can be roasted, grilled, or stuffed with a variety of fillings, such as cheese, rice, or ground meat.
Generally, bell pepper is a versatile and nutritious vegetable that can add flavor, color, texture to a wide variety of dishes.
It is grown in most west Africa region countries as Nigeria, Ghana,Burkina Faso, Senegal, and Mali. The economic impact of bell pepper in terms of its contribution to local economies and its potential for increasing food security and reducing poverty and malnutrition.
Increase Local economy: Bell pepper is a high-value crop that can generate significant income for smallholder farmers. In Nigeria, bell pepper is one of the most important vegetables that increases their export earnings or income. According to the international Trade Centre, Nigeria exported $50 million worth of bell peppers in 2020, making it the second-largest exporter of the crops in Africa. It is also an important crop for domestic consumption and business enterprise as smallholder farmers sell off the crops in local markets.
Food Security: Bell pepper is a nutritious plant that can improve food security in West Africa. It's essential for good healthy living. It is a versatile crop that can be grown in a variety of agro-ecological zones, making it a good option for small scale farmers. Bell pepper cultivation is easy to manage and farmers can diversify their streams of income.
Poverty Alleviation: Bell Pepper has the potential to reduce poverty in west africa by providing smallholder farmers with reliable sources of income. The crop requires relatively low inputs and can be grown on small plots of land, making it accessible to small-scale farmers to operate with limited resources. By earning income from bell pepper production, farmers can improve their livelihoods and reduce their reliance on subsistence agriculture.
In all these contributions, Bell pepper farmers in Nigeria are faced with challenges of post-harvest losses, as there is an urgent need for a post harvest technology innovation or a cooling storage system that can serve for storage, preservation, and distribution of pepper.
This is the case, where cold chains are expanding their shores to see that the nutrient and the life self of the vegetables are retained, to enable smallholder farmers who depend their livelihood on bell pepper cultivation to make more profit.
The storage temperatures for green bell peppers is from 7 to 13 °C, depending on the variety and the maturity stage. The main aim of storage is to limit water loss from the crops due to transpiration which in turn causes shriveling, tissue softening, physiological disorders and fungal disorder. These factors can reduce produce quality and marketability.
To sustain the economic impact of bell pepper production in Africa, there is a need to invest in safe storage cooling units suitable to extend its shelf life to remain fresh as harvest in the Market.