What are the best agriculture business ideas for villages? What are the best agro-allied business ideas or opportunities for big towns and mega cities? Which business can one also start in the agriculture industry and succeed? This article will put these questions to rest.

Do you know that Agriculture business ideas are the most lucrative businesses in the world? Apart from the low-cost of start up and running the business. Agricultural business turn out a huge profit of up to 100%. With the increase in unemployment. Young people are now embracing agriculture which was erstwhile considered a dirty business reserved only for the poor.

The trending challenge and impact of rural-urban migration have continued to generate great debates since the last three decades. Urban employment problems are a result of the phenomenal growth in urbanization. The inability of these urban centers to be able to utilize or absorb the urban labor that was created through the process of urbanization.

Approximately 50% of Nigerians are urban dwellers. At least 24 cities have populations of more than 100,000. Those moving from rural to urban areas constitute certain classes, categories and strata of the society that are basically plagued with certain social and economic problems in which poverty ranks highest and most fundamental.

Agricultural business can be started with little or no training. You do not need a special degree to start though you may need to spend some time learning about the intricacies of the business. So without wasting your time, this article will highlight in details. Some lucrative business ideas and opportunities you can engage in in towns or villages rather than remaining unemployed.
Top 40+ Low Cost Agriculture Business Ideas for Villages

1. Urban Agriculture or Crop Cultivation business ideas

Urban agriculture is the practice of cultivating, processing and distributing food in, or around, a village, town or city. Agriculture in addition can also involve animal husbandry, aquaculture, agro-forestry and horticulture. Agriculture contributes to food security and food safety in two ways. First it increases the amount of food available to people living in cities and secondly. It allows fresh vegetables and fruits and meat products to be made available to urban consumers. Urban and peri-urban agriculture are generally seen as sustainable agriculture.
2. Rabbit Rearing

There is no law prohibiting the keeping of rabbits in Towns and Cities. A backyard can serve as a good source of additional income, food and employment; thus reducing poverty, hunger and idleness. Rabbit do not compete with humans for food, as kitchen leftovers, cut grasses and formulated or compounded feed can sustain them. Rabbit keeping does not require much capital for investment and maintenance. As little space is needed, most rabbits could be kept in the backyard or in the abandoned sheds. And it’s a very lucrative business ideas you can invest in.
3. Start Selling Fresh Fruits

Without any doubt, this is a business ideas that should be checked out. With a little professionalism and good public appearance or hygiene, you can make money in this business because a lot of people who live in most of our highbrow area, like to eat fresh fruits especially if it is neat. Some people even prefer it served chilled.

So if you have blenders and an extractor, then you are bound to make a lot of money. A lot of people are tired of all these artificial juices in the market and I bet, they will pay and still thank you for giving them the natural source of vitamins which is needed in this age of fast foods and artificial flavors.

4. Foodstuff Retailing or Grocery Service

In today’s busy and sophisticated world, convenience has become a real business opportunity. Foodstuff like rice, beans yams plantain, potatoes, onions, pepper, oil etc. These items can bought in bulk, cleaned and packaged in specific portions and sold direct to end users. Many people who are unable to find time to shop will be relieved to know that they can just make a phone call and the groceries are delivered. Get a list of people you know who may patronize you. If you can get them to pay up-front, then you are better up with cash flow.
5. Fish Farming

Over the years, quite a few people have made fortunes from fish farming, as the population is swelling and protein needs are far outstripping the available supply. Food is always a winner in any country or environment if done well. Fish farming is a sure bet business if you put the right structures in place. More and more people are turning to fish for its low cholesterol protein.

All you need to do is to get a space, buy or construct tanks, buy finger links for between N10 to N20 and feed them for 4 to 6 months, then sell from between N500 to N1,500 depending on weight and size. The breed of fish to train is your choice to make. You can choose to specialize on Catfish, Tilapia, Trout, Salmon, etc.
6. Herbs, Flowers Framing and Gardening

Walking through a grocery store, a herb store, a health food store and even in gardening sections of home centers, you will find herbs in their dry forms to be used by consumers. Using the right equipment in your home garage or shed or by building a green house, you can start and raise both herbs and plants to resell to larger outlets and to the consumer as well.

Plants are the basis for all landscapes, homes, gardens and even for brightening offices. You will pay pennies for packets of seeds and make way more when selling starter plants. The more space you have, the better you are going to do. If you really have the space in your landscape and outdoor garden, creating gardens where you will grow plants and drying them out will add so much to your inventory and you can make great amounts of money selling dried flowers to retailers, wholesalers and even to flower shops themselves.
7. Livestock Feed Production

A lot of people are going into livestock farming like fish farming, pig farming, poultry farming and a whole lot of others. As a smart investor, you can start producing feed for people to feed their animals. However, you must ensure that you carry out a lot of research and come up with a product that is rich in nutrients and would promote quick growth and good health of the animals.

To start a livestock feed production business, you will need a grinding machine, mixing machine, weighing machine, customized packing bags and raw materials for production. Raw materials might cost you about $1,000 while the machines can be purchased for about $9,000.

The production process is not so difficult. The ingredients required are mainly, maize, soya beans, fish bone, sorghum, groundnut, blood meal, wheat, rice shaft, additives etc. All these can be sourced from the market, any animal consult outlet, or any agricultural product shop around.
8. Setup a Small Poultry Farm

Technology has enabled many to operate profitable poultry, yet make it free of odor that a neighbor next door will not know you operate a poultry farm. This is a business you can start from one room, car park or from that abandoned property near you with 50 to 500 birds, which cost between N100,000 to N500,000 depending on the cash at hand.
9. Mushroom Farming

Mushrooms are natural phenomenon that can give you much money. The untapped potential of these fungi is so much that if you invest on the venture, your room can no longer be your bank. Mushrooms are rich in vitamins, protein and minerals; they are favored over meat or even fish by some people, considering the nutritional value and superior health implications. There are two main broad categories of mushrooms; the edible and the non-edible (which is poisonous).

The deliberate mushroom cultivation is therefore essential to eliminate the imminent threat of mistakenly gathering the dangerous type. The start-up requirement are mushroom shed or house, sawdust, Polythene bags, Spawns/mushrooms seeds, Urea/nitrogen fertilizer, Lime, water, ceiling machine, weighing scale, extra hands, Refrigerator.

Mushroom farming is similar to quail egg farming and not many people know that this business brings up to 500% profit. If you have a clean space in your home, you can start your own mushroom farming business today and start selling mushrooms to hotels, exporters and pharmaceutical companies in the next 21 days.
10. Frozen Chicken Production

Many Nigerians have come to depend on imported frozen chicken for quite a while now and this is in detriment of local poultry industry and the subsequent health implication because of the long voyage from Europe or wherever, the imported product are usually preserved with chemicals, some of which are said to be injurious to health.

A lot of people prefer not to go through the stress of slaughtering and preparing live birds because frozen chicken can easily be stored and used at will, thereby saving time; and many people think it is cheap too. Start-up requirement are space, knives, tables, basins, heat source, stove heater, soap, hand towel, extra hands, freezer and generator .You need to go directly to the chicken farms to source for your live birds cheaply You can also position yourself to supply small hotels, restaurants and eateries.
11. Grass cutter Farming

Grass cutter is the second largest rodent in Nigeria and it is endemic to Africa. It breeds successfully in captivity and is capable of reproducing twice a year with litter size varying from two to six. They are primarily vegetarian and can be raised to maturity entirely on fresh grasses. They prefer plants with high moisture content and soluble carbohydrate. Field studies reveal that they do not burrow so they may be caged or reared in a fenced pen on the ground.

Grass cutter is worth considering for use in husbandry in the humid forest where poor grazing and harsh environment limits the performance of conventional livestock. Ranching of grass cutter as a backyard mini livestock would therefore improve the lot of the peasant farmers, provide an alternative source of animal protein, create job opportunities for urban dwellers.
12. Buy Charcoal from the rural areas and resell in the cities

Do you know that you can make 100% profit if you buy your charcoal from the farm or production site and sell to the retailers; a bag of charcoal (32 to 35kg bag) is being sold for N450 to N550 from the farm, while the retailers sell to the final consumer at N1000 to N1,5000 per bag. All you need to do is to buy the charcoal from the farmers and bring it down to the major cities like Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt and resell to the retailers.

But it is advisable to find out if they have an association in your vicinity, joining the association will allow you to operate with peace of mind. Alternatively you can sell to exporters as a large market exists in EU, USA and ASIA with prices ranging from $170 to $300 per ton (FOB Nigerian Port), depending on mode of packaging. The charcoal industry is a multi-billion dollar industry and a money spinner for interested investors.
13. Snail Farming

Snail meat has been severally affirmed as a most safe and nutritious delicacy. In these days of increased coronary implications and other health implications. Snail producers are certain to hit it big because many people are shunning away from beef or red meat. It is also pleasing to note that snail production venture could be kick-started with a little initial capital.

The best period to commence snail farming is the rainy season. You can also start about 50 to 60 snails to have a good knowledge of how snail breeding works. Make sure you go for a fully matured and big nails as they are sold in bunches of 20 pieces and the prices ranges from N1,800 and N3,000 per bunch. It is better to buy the big ones so that you can expect them to hatch after about 35 days on location. About N10,000 should get a new entrant started in the business
Low Cost Agriculture Business Ideas for Villages
14. Coconut Juice Production

From fresh chunks of meat to milk, creams, and powders, the flavor of coconut is a distinctive addition to hundreds of sweet and savory recipes. If properly packaged roasted and sliced to pieces with sugar, you can sell for between N20 to N100 depending on the quantity and the level of packaging.

You can make good money buy selling in wholesale to retail outlets and supermarket, but make sure your product is well branded, with your company’s name and contact. With a good marketing plan, you are sure to make a lot of money with this business.
15. Production of Weed Killer

Another major problem confronting every farmer in Africa, especially in Nigeria, is the problem of getting rid all the unwanted crops (weeds) from the farm, which successfully compete with crops and exhaust the soil nutrients. The cost of weeding takes between 50 –60% of the total cost of farming but the good new here is that, there is a formulation of chemicals which is crop and environment friendly.

Herbicides market is a virgin in Nigeria- meaning that if an investor produces 20-30 tonnes daily, he will still sell all. No single investor can meet the herbicide demand in Northern Nigeria alone, not to talk of other zones.

16. Bee Keeping and Honey Production

Honey is manufactured in one of the world’s most efficient factories, the Beehive. Bees may travel as far as 55,000 miles and visit more than two million flowers to gather enough nectar to make just a pound of honey. A litre of pure honey now goes for between N1000 to N2000.

You can sell your Honey to high net-worth individual, busy executives who prefer to take pure honey than sugar, I know some honey dealers who are ready to give out their honey at a ridiculously low prices, all you need to do is to package it for the local or international market.

source : http://www.letstalkagric.com.gh

I have this thing for agriculture and am sure this will help me thanks op