They are 3 major causes of farm failures, we have curated free solutions to them, do these and get great rewards from your farm. Farming has long been perceived as a high-risk venture, filled with uncertainties like weather, pests, and market fluctuations. This perception has discouraged many from pursuing agriculture as a career or investment. The risks involved in Agricultural investment are not unfounded; indeed, these factors can impact agricultural productivity. However, the extent of this risk can often be mitigated through careful planning, modern technology, and effective risk management strategies. While farming does involve risks, it also presents great opportunities and rewards. In this blog post, we will explore the common misconceptions about farming risk and discuss strategies for mitigating these risks while maximizing returns.
Common Risks in Farming and Solutions
When it comes to crop production, they’re common risks involved that make investors shy away. They’re:
1. Weather: unpredictable weather conditions are one of the risks of crop farming. Most farmers depend on rain as the major source of Farm Irrigation, this dependency means that crop production suffer loss when rainfall delays. More so, they’re certain crops that don’t thrive in the abundance of rain, in this case crop production also suffer loss. With the unpredictable weather condition like rainfall, farmers experience inconsistency in income, loss of investment, and even loss of interest.
Solutions
The solution to unpredictable weather condition is not to lose interest in farming, rather it is to garner innovative knowledge that will keep you afloat, and help you forge ahead. Examples:
A. Implement Farm Irrigation: Depending on rainfall to water your plants might be feasible in rainy season, however it will not suffice throughout the months of the year. Implementing an Irrigation System gives you control over the water supply into your farm. This allows you the advantage of all year round farming.
B. Adopt GreenHouse Farming: The innovative idea of Greenhouse farming is such that it allows farmers the opportunity to grow food all year round. Greenhouses give protection over your crops, so you’re able to grow all kinds of crops, in any weather condition. As a Greenhouse Farmer, an inflow of income is guaranteed because your customer base is maintained and you have an advantage over your competition by providing out of season crops.
C. Crop Rotation: In the case where Farmers are unable to afford Greenhouse, practicing crop rotation in conjunction with irrigation can guarantee a consistent inflow of income. This practice is simply identifying what crop best thrive in what weather and making informed switch when necessary.
Conclusion
Farmers can stay afloat in the unpredictability of our weather, through making informed decisions and adopting the innovative idea of Irrigation and GreenHouse
2. Pest and Diseases: Just as humans can get sick, our crops also can get sick. However, the immunity of a human being determines how often he/she can get sick and how fast they can recover, the same analogy applies to our crops. Pest and diseases in crop production are absolutely controllable, if it weren’t true, how then have we all been eating? Farmers are discouraged by the loss they’ve experienced through pest and disease attacks, in addition to the increasing cost of pest and disease control chemicals, they might have lost interest in farming.
Solutions
A. Practice Organic Farming: Organic farming simply means the farming practice of ensuring that farm inputs are from organic sources and not chemically manufactured. The implication of chemical farming in the aspect of crop pest and diseases is that, the chemicals weaken the immune system of the crop, as well as killing the life in the soil. Just as chemotherapy as a cancer treatment kills both the good cells as it tries to kill the cancer cells, the same analogy can be said of chemically formulated farm inputs. As they kill the pest and diseases, they also weaken your soil life, kill the good microbes and reduce the God give ability for your plants to protect itself. Therefore, farmers keep being dependent on these chemicals and synthetic fertilizers and it’s sincerely an endless loop. One of the first measures to take when it comes to pest and disease control in our crop farm is to drastically reduce the use of chemical substances. Adopt organic measures of fertilization and pest control.
B. Improve your Soil Life: Life in the soil is the definition of soil, for soil without microorganisms is merely dirt. The life in your soil is what determines the health of your crops. When humans eat organically, their immune system gets stronger and their body can fight off flus, diseases, and infections by it self. The same thing can be said of our crops, when the crops are supported with organic input the soil life increases and the crop develops having all the over 42 nutrients it needs to grow. This way, the crop have strong disease and pest resistance
C. Use a Good Seed Variant: Cultivating a good disease and pest resistant seed variant will contribute to your success. Seeds are an important determinants to your farming success, if you start with a good seed, and you have a good soil, and a consistent access to water supply, then you the essential things you need to experience success while mitigating risks.
D. Good Farm Practice: To mitigate farming risks and enjoy great rewards, farmers need to have a good Farm practice. Example; giving attention to your farm, fertilizer application, pruning, watering, and being mindful of pest and disease emergence so as to tackle it early. Having a good farming practice in place ensure consistency in result and gives no room for loss.
3. Market Fluctuations: The highest contribution to post harvest loss is the irregularities in market supply. Due to the perishable nature of food crops, and the brief shelf life, most investors are unwilling to venture into farming. And most times, because buyers understand the desperate need of farmers to sell off their farm produce before it goes bad, they underprice the and this often results to farmers not receiving rewards commensurate to their efforts
Solutions
A. Market Feasibility: Patience is one of the important virtues every farmer must cultivate. Before you venture into any form of crop production, patiently study the market dynamics. Understand the demand nature of the crop, the pricing, and the retailers. Know how the market changes per time.
B. Create a customer base before harvest date: Unwillingness does not exist in the dictionary of a farmer who wants to make a fortune. You must be willing to put in work when it comes to the area of building a customer base. They’re different selling point you can approach to make good contacts for your off taking. Examples;
•boarding schools •hotels •restaurants •malls •market women •farmer’s market
This is the point where you have to push forward, gather as much ready to buy customers as your phone record can handle, build a customer interaction platform and consistently post about your business.
Conclusion
Farming is such a great rewarding business venture, it only requires patience and knowledge. A farmer who is patient and loves gathering knowledge is one who will reap the benefits. More so, just as any other business venture, failure is expected. However, It is a stepping stone to an even better future. The risks involved in farming are true, just as any other business venture. If you persevere, the rewards greatly outweigh the risks. By understanding the risks, implementing effective management strategies, and leveraging available resources, farmers can build resilient and a sustainable business.
At Afritropic
We are committed to supporting farmers in navigating these challenges and achieving their goals through our Farming and Agro Services.
We are suppliers of Greenhouse Materials, Irrigation Systems, and Quality Hybrid Seeds
Get In Touch with Us!
Office Phone
+234 905 388 5364
+234 905 388 5365
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[email protected]
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Office Location
Off Amadu Bello Way, Mabushi. FCT Abuja. Nigeria
Plot 130 Okpanam Road Asaba Delta State
