ST. THOMAS, US Virgin Islands — Charles Leonard, a St. Thomas farmer in the hills of Bordeaux, is adding a little spice to the US Virgin Islands with recent harvests of fiery Scotch Bonnet peppers.

L eonard started working with Fintrac in September 2006 as part of the company’s efforts to increase local farmers’ incomes and introduce new agricultural technologies to St. Thomas. As a direct result, “My yields increased at least 300 percent,” Leonard said.

Leonard and other farmers in the program are adopting techniques from Fintrac’s projects in Central America, Africa, and elsewhere in the Caribbean. Fintrac Entomologist Dr. Richard Pluke is leading the effort to customize a technical package for St. Thomas’ rugged terrain, high temperatures, irregular water supplies, and high labor costs.

Fintrac advised Leonard on how to cultivate his soil, build raised beds and use drip irrigation. With the program’s guidance, Leonard also planted sorghum around the crop as a live barrier for pests, particularly aphids. He also followed Fintrac’s seedling production and transplanting techniques, which included higher density plantings and the use of trichoderma, a biological agent that protects plants from soilborne disease.

Two other St. Thomas client farmers recently completed greenhouses with Fintrac assistance, providing an opportunity for significantly increased yields — three to four times open field production levels — and better pest control. In 2008, Fintrac plans to provide similar assistance to farmers on St. Croix.