Here are free tools and tips to improve your agribusiness enterprise.

Is farming a business?

Yes it is a profitable business if done the right way. My farm is my business. The agribusiness entrepreneur plans and organises all the factors of production - tools, labour, equipments, pesticides, seeds and money necessary for the production ready at the appropriate time.

Just like other businesses - construction, commerce or processing of agricultural products; money goes in and money goes out. Agricultural work starts at the beginning of the season and one cannot stop the field work before the harvest.

Farming involves planning, dedication and tact.

Updates coming soon!


Adapted from

Farmer Business School Workbook,
Published :

Deutsche Gesellschaft fur International Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) BmbH

www.GIZ.de

Authors: Olayinja Osinubi; Annemarie Matthews with contributions from Caroline trimborn, Stephen Adeogun


Supported by:

The Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development

The Global Programme Green Innovation Centre's for the agriculture and food sector.

where is the school?

What do you need and Use to do agriculture as a business?


1. Land: Might be Own land, Rented or leased Land or share cropping.
2. Knowlede: Good agricultural practices,
Knowlede of the market , Quality seeds and inputs.

3. Labour : Self, Paid workers

4. Inputs: Seeds, insecticides, fungicide, fertilizer, irrigation system, mulching film, Simple test kits ( soil PH )

5. Tools and equipment : Machete, hoe, tractors and implements, power tiller, Knapsacks, power sprayers, brush cutters, Soil Augers. etc

To do successful business, the Agricultural entrepreneur finds out the prices of all inputs and produce at different markets. This allows the farmer to plan production and to make decisions on the sale of produce.

I remember growing about 500 broiler birds in JANUARY! what's was I thinking? who was I planing to sell to? which celebration was ahead self?

Make wise decisions by determining who will buy your products even before starting out.

KNOW YOUR MARKET !!!!

I get to receive calls from people from all works of life; most especially the youths who are interested in making it BIG in FARMING. Here is my personal findings:

1. Some think Agriculture is a GET RICH QUICK SCHEME!
2. Some think all knowledge related to crop production and livestock rearing can be gotten from the Comfort of the room.
3. Some think Agriculture has changed drastically as not involving any form of EXTRA EFFORTS or LABOUR.
4. Some just have the wrong notion that so long as they plant any seed in the field or keep a livestock, they must make profits.

Not true. Lots of things come to play!

Before starting out too far, let me share some basic truths with you.

a. Until you return from the market I. e after sales of your produce, you can not be sure that you have made a profit.

b. Your Success in your chosen agribusiness is premised on 2 (two) variables:

DEPENDENT (Good management practices ) or

INDEPENDENT VARIABLES (Cost of farm inputs, cost of sales of produce). You do not have control over these independent variables but the market does!

Therefore, You only have control over the dependent variables. I. e The summation of decisions you took and didn't take too (what input to buy, where to buy, when to apply them and what quantity to apply to get good results.

Knowing your market involves:
1. The location of the market (Primary, Secondary)
2. Who needs the produce and is willing to buy at ANY RATE.
3.The quality of produce that is demanded by the market.
4. The price of the produce compared to other markets.
5. What time of the year does the produce become scarce and command good money?

Add yours too!

know your market

Agricultural Calendar to plan the production.

It is very important for you to personally develop your own agricultural calendar. Please note that agricultural calendars for two locations can not be same. This is in view of changing weather conditions in various locations.

Planning an agricultural calendar enables adequate deployment of resources needed for the Agricultural production per time. I.e executing the necessary farming operation per time.

For good yield, you as an agricultural entrepreneur must execute all operations PER TIME.

Example 1:

Take a Cassava plantation field
The list of farming operations are:
Land preparation,
Buying inputs,
Planting,
APPLYING fertilizer,
1st weeding,
Insecticides spray,
2nd weeding,
Harvest and
SELLING.

YOUR TASK?
Plot these operations again the time (month) of the year where know you will perform all this task.

Considerations :
1. Rainfall pattern
2. Availability of fund
3. mass harvest time
4. Stem for new field development
5.
6.
7.
8.

Dependent on individual characteristics.

Determining your farmland size

Why is it necessary to know your actual farmland size? So that you will not be short changed in your business. As proper accounting is essential, knowing the exact land area is equally important to determine your productivity.

Productivity = Total output/land area cultivated

In order word: Productivity equals Yield per hectare or per acre , as the case might be.

Determining your farmland size? ??

Whence we all lease land or buy land, We are too anxious to commense farming that we usually neglect confirming ourself the EXACT AREA/DIMENSIONS of the intended land.

Why? the one who is beguelling the land to us has told us verbally that the farmland is so and so acre. And we believed!

===Measure the field with a measuring tape.
===1 hectare is 10000m2 ( 100m x 100m)
===1acre is 4000m2 (100m x 40m)

That way you know precisely your land size and you can better evaluate your profit and losses index.

Nice thread Op.. following and learning seriously. Keep them coming op.

Houstency:
Nice thread Op.. following and learning seriously. Keep them coming op.

I'm glad someone is learning something here.

Management practices that increases farm yields.

1. Use of Improved Varieties

2. Fertilization

3. Associate Crops

4. Mulching to Conserve moisture

5. Reduce losses in Storage

6. Raise animals


Details coming. ..

1. Use of Improved Seeds.

It is pertinent to use improved seeds nowadays Inorder for you to have good yield.

Do you know that there is a CLEAR DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SEEDS AND GRAINS?

Seeds are specially cultivated, monitored and selected to be sold to farmers who intend to grow grains. eg. Maize, millet, soyabeans, Okra, etc. They are usually pre-treated but then I'll advise that you too equally do some seed dusting with Apron Star and others.

Grains are those produced by every farmer, sold to open market and bought in the open market like mile 12, Ketu market or Oja-Oba in my village. Your own farm produce is a grain.

Buy only seeds from approved and government licenced seed companies.

Note: Not necessarily IMPORTED. Our indigenous Seed Companies are performing wonders. Patronize them!

Unfortunately, Some of the popular brands are not even registered with Nigerian Seed Council. Very sad.

Is crop farming the only type of farming?

nextman:
Is crop farming the only type of farming?

no sir. That's an input

Fertilization.

The use of fertilizers is unavoidable if you must make good profits. Knowing the crop needs determine the type of fertilizer to be applied.

It could be organic or inorganic. It could be in granule form or in liquid form. Liquid fertilizers could be foliar fed or root fed.

Jettison fertilizer application at your own risk!



Rule of thumb for granule fertilizer application
1. Never apply granule fertilizers too close to your crop.
2. Always cover the fertilizer with soil to avoid being washed away by surface run-off.
3. Too little or too much fertilizers is tantamount to TOTAL LOSS.



Rule of thumb for foliar fertilizer application.
1. Read and Follow the application instructions to the last.
2. Never spray when temperature is too hot. Spray when temperatures is low - early morning and late evening.
3. Apply foliar fertilizer when the soil is moist.
4. Sprayer used must produce perfect mist . Therefore,adjust your sprayer to produce tiny mist before use.

following keenly.

Raise animals.

I'm aware interest rates on savings account is 3.5% in Commercial banks. Fixed Deposits attracts up to 12%.
Loan from Commercial Banks attracts about 20-30% ( including all rates and fees). It is too cheap to lock your money in the bank. But it is expensive to borrow from the bank.

What I'm I driving at? Hows that related to raising animals.

There are various systems of rearing animals:
=Free range
=Semi Intensive
=Intensive.

D epending on which ever system you chose to operate. "You cannot" or "You are not expected to loose money" if you operate it using integrated system.

e.g Excess Cassava harvest is processed to animal feed, their dung and feace are used to manure the land to grow Maize and Cassava. Saving you money from purchase of inorganic fertilizer.

or excess grown vegetables are to fed to your goats, weevil infested maize is used to grow fodder for cows , or cabbage is deliberately grown to feed Snails. e.t.c



There are various strategies to converting animal raising to better investments than keeping in Fixed Deposits or saving accounts.

1. Young animals like cow, dwarf goats, ram and dogs are bought and kept to grow, reproduce and increase their progeny. ( long term)

2. Animal fattening (cow, ram, goats) (short term)


Cavert: All farm animals must be kept in secured places. The fear of cattle rustling and general theft may discourage one.

50% - 100% profit are attainable

Use of Improved Varieties.

Agribusiness by Proxy.

As an entrepreneur, you are the one who conceptualize the business. You own the drive and energy to move the enterprise forward to success.

Your absence or presence is a key determinant to successful agribusiness.

Running your agribusiness by proxy is a recipe to failure!

This is because the proxy does not possess that passion and drive of the owner. The understanding of the proxy manager is equally limited.

Way out? Spend on training the proxy manager. Spend money on training them in mind set restructuring, re-orientation and on knowledge ( Agronomy or best practices )

High yield Investment?


Is Agriculture a high yield Investment?


Is Agriculture, Agribusiness a money spinner?

Does Agriculture hold the key out of Nigeria Economic Problems?


Yes or No?


No: Press Share

Yes : Press Like

following...

great post. we are learning.


to the last questions... NO, agriculture isnt the solution to our recession, rather its manufacturing combined with tighter monetary policy

High yield Investment?
Is Agriculture a high yield Investment?
Is Agriculture, Agribusiness a money spinner?
Does Agriculture hold the key out of Nigeria Economic Problems?
Yes or No?

Irrigation

Planting all year round is a strategy to explore.

Agriculture

Good things only happen when planned; bad things happen on their own. It is always cheaper to do the job right the first time.

Why did you abandon this page?? Whyyyyyyy.. so much to learn.. please do not be discouraged

fummylolah:
Why did you abandon this page?? Whyyyyyyy.. so much to learn.. please do not be discouraged

more to come.

Check here too:

https://www.nairaland.com/3484249/why-agribusiness-sector-lucrative-yet

Agricultural Calendar?

This suffice as a calendar or record of agricultural events/farming operations recorded in clear terms how one does or schedule doing, and implement the carrying out of all tasks at particular times in the year.

All the key/strategic activities carried out on the field per time of the year.


To be continued. ..

Following... pls keep it going.

How Nigerians can have more and better food?

1. Buy and plant only seeds and not grains.

2. Buy and plant only improved varieties of seeds. Any F1 class.

3. Fertilization. Use fertilisers heavily for you to recoup your investment. Else. You are on your own. If you are not ready to invest in fertilisers, why buy hybrid seeds.

4. Plant Associated Crops. E.g maize intercropped with melon or beans, water melon intercropped with cassava.

5. Use mulching to conserve moisture.

6. Reduce losses in storage. Store your farm produce in cribs, barns and silos. Use recommended pesticides following the right dosage as prescribed.

7. Improve management of money to purchase food. Grow your own food.

How?

You could grow cassava to produce Garri, fufu or cassava flour ( elubo) which will last you the next six months. In fact processing some farm produce to food is a way to avoid farm losses when the produce prices becomes exceptionally low.

8. Raise animals: Your farm animals converts your farm waste products into useful protein in eggs and meat.

9. Diversify cropping: Must you grow only conventional crops grown in your area? Try out new crops. Try soya bean, try planting sesame, try carrots, try ginger, try garlic, try potatoes, try pineapple even if its just for your personal consumptions.

Other possibilities :

A.Produce crops that will rippen early or that resist to drought.

B. Make provision for irrigations. There is a right irrigation accessory to suite your need.

C. Establish fish pond. Why. Grow shrimps or tilapia (have high regeneration rate). Try out something new. While learning new tricks