Over the years, we have always had the perception that farming is something for the less educated as there are few options for them to explore, but is that true? The answer is no… we have always thought that the white collar jobs are the sure bet and for the educated, and there is some truth in this, if you aren’t a professional in an area it would be really difficult to maneuver around it and thrive in that profession, but here is the beauty of farming, you don’t have to have a formal training to practice farming, you just need to get a professional when you want to start farming, this professional will take you through what you need to do so as to get your desired results and run on with it.
What do you need to be a good farmer? I would say an investors’ mindset, in most we always associate investment with assets but we fail to look at farming as an investment plan. Fruit farming to be precise is a very lucrative investment because, when you plant fruit tree seedlings you only need to water them at the beginning and once they stand on their own they hardly require you to water them for months, and once the trees mature they will give you fruits without you going to work on the farm.
So, once we understand that fruit farming isn’t tiring as we would expect, there comes in a different approach, the modern day farmer is at an advantaged point because not only are the fruits consumed locally, they are also consumed internationally and with the modern day technology a farmer can get themselves buyers or a buyer outside the country at a click of a button.
Fruit farming is a win to all stakeholders, for the farmer, (s)he gets the fruits and sells them, for the environment; the fruit trees provide oxygen, improving air quality, climate amelioration, conserving water, preserving soil, and supporting wildlife such as birds of the skies. So on top of having an income generating investment, fruit farming will also see you consume fruits in the process of farming and that saves on your expenses and in that process you will consume some of the fruits from your farm, so nutrition wise you also benefit.
So what do you need to start fruit farming?
- Availability of land,
The bigger the piece of land the bigger the investment so does the profit, however, that shouldn’t discourage you from fruit farming if you don’t own a piece of land or if you own a small piece of land. You can start with what you have or find an alternative which is leasing a bigger piece of land for probably 10 to 20 years.
- Availability of water,
Every fruit seedling requires water when it is tender but the beauty is you don’t necessarily need to have a borehole, dam or a river in you piece of land, you can make use of the modern day drip system which is made of a plastic bottle and an adjustable drip tap, that way once you fill the bottle with water you regulate the flow of water so one bottle will last for 3 days, and therefore you are typically required to be in the farm twice in a week, how efficient is that?
- Identify the soil type
Soil identification is very crucial when it comes to fruit farming; because they soil type helps you know what fruits can grow well in your farm and what do you need added in your farm so as to have a great harvest? Sometimes we tend to think that we should put a lot of manure in our farm so as to get a very good harvest, what we forget is that adding too much manure can lead to nitrate leaching, nutrient runoff, excessive vegetative growth and, for some manures, salt damage.
- Quality certified seedlings
It is human nature to want a product at a cheaper price; after all you are reducing your expenditure right? Unfortunately this analogy doesn’t apply everywhere, when you go for low quality fruit seedlings, you don’t get the yield you are looking for, you will get a low yield and sometimes you will not even get a yield as your seedlings will not mature. So the higher the quality the better the yield and the more you get the best and much from it.
- Organic inputs such as manure
Good planting is very key in fruit farming, organic inputs are very essential in fruit farming, they are key determinants of the type of yield you get and they even determine whether your fruit tree will be strong or weak.
- The right partners i.e. agronomic advice
Having the right partner is crucial, they walk with you from preparing to farm, planting and caring for the fruit tree seedlings until they mature into being fruits and finally the right partners helps you secure a market for your products. Therefore making your fruit farming easy and enjoyable. Oxfarm Organic Limited is here for you, we go an extra mile to see you happy and satisfied.