What is Vegetable Farming?

Vegetable farming is the growing of vegetables for the purpose of consumption by human beings. Vegetable growing is a practice that began in several parts of the world more than ten thousand years ago.
Initially, humans could only grow vegetables via manual labour, but as civilization came, livestock were domesticated and used to plough the farms, for vegetable plantation.

In the recent time, nearly all vegetable farming processes are mechanized (especially in the advanced countries of the world), and specialist farmers tend to cultivate the vegetables and crops that are genetically disposed to doing well in their environment.
In Nigeria, vegetable farming is one aspect of farming with the ability to generate income and profits year round.
As it is, vegetable farming is one of the easiest agricultural engagements a farmer can venture into and the demand for edible vegetable is year round, creating a veritable stream of income for the would-be farmer.

Different Kinds/Types of Vegetables

To so many Nigerians, vegetable is Ugu, tete, bitter leave, efo, ewedu and nothing else. That would be wrong.
We have various kinds of vegetables.

We have Leaf vegetables, root vegetables, fruit vegetable, pod vegetables, seed vegetables, flower vegetables and bud vegetables.
All these vegetables have their different benefits and nutrients, as well as some common features and nutrients.

Every vegetable with strong colouring contain vitamins, often very much. Green (in vegetables) indicates Vitamin B9, C or Pro-Vitamin A. Red or orange in vegetable signals Pro-Vitamin A.
Leaf vegetables such as cabbage, chard, lettuce, spinach, sorrel are usually low in energy and rich in Vitamin B9. They usually contain high levels of Pro-Vitamin A and as Vitamin C.
Root vegetables such as radishes, beet, carrot etc. usually have few calories. Instead they have much fibre, and some contain high levels of Pro-Vitamin A.
Seed vegetables such as flageolet beans are higher in calories (60-90 kcal/100 g). They are also very high in fibre, iron and magnesium.
Pod vegetables such as wax beans, mange-tout, green beans, runner beans, peas and fruit vegetables are low in calories. They supply fibre, Vitamin B9 and Vitamin C.

Flower vegetables and bud vegetables such as artichokes, broccoli, cauliflower etc. are low in calories but high in fibre.
A glance look at the list of vegetable would look like the following list
NOTE; don’t worry if you don’t understand some of their names, as stated bellow. If you’re tired of reading those vegetables’ names, just move to the next section of this article.

The types of vegetables includes;
• Okra (you know this, don’t you?)
• Arugula
• Onion (you know this too)
• Asparagus
• Carrot (everyone knows this)
• Green, Purple, White
• Plantain
• Bell Pepper
• Avocado
• Tomato
• Bamboo Shoots
• Beans- see Bean List
• Artichoke
• Winter Melon etc.

To start your commercial leafy vegetable business in Nigeria;
There are certain factors to consider;

Vegetable Market development:

A farmer must consider the fact that most vegetable crops are highly perishable, and he would therefore first need to develop suitable markets for his produce, even before he starts vegetable cultivation.
Most startup vegetable operations for the most part flop because of the absence of market development and marketing skills.
For a vegetable grower who is keen to succeed, there is the need to first develop a line of middle men who will ensure that his produce get to the selling point on time.

Vegetable Site selection:
Once the market for the produce has been well thought out and developed, a farmer must then embark on proper field selection. When considering sites for the purpose of cultivating vegetables, the farmer must take into consideration field topography, soil type, and water availability and quality.

Topography has to do with physical attributes of the farm site and takes conditions such as contour, soil depth, water and air drainage, and, the presence of rock out cropping and trees into consideration.
Soil type refers to the physical composition or properties of the soil while water availability refers to the ease to which water can be accessed.
Vegetables usually need more water than most other agronomic crops do, and this should be accounted for during site selection. Only fields that have easy access to an abundant water source should be considered for vegetable production.

Crop selection:

Another important factor to consider when going into commercial vegetable farming is crop and variety selection. The greatest limiting factor to successful vegetable production from a pest stand-point is the high incidence of disease outbreaks. There is therefore a great need to cultivate mainly disease resisting species, to greatly increase the chance for success.

Source
www.africabusinessclassroom.com/vegetable-farming-nigeria


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Broccoli is a vegetable that loves sun and cool season, for now it is the number one best vegetable in the world. It is rich in vitamins, such as vitamin A and minerals; folic acid, fiber, iron and potassium. Broccoli farming is lucrative because after harvesting the main head it will keep producing smaller side-shoots for several months.

Nigeria is not known for Broccoli farming nor other exotic vegetables such as; Cauliflower, Celery, Beetroth. Yet the consumption is increasing even within the locals and so we are missing plenty money. Broccoli is sold only in few places such as super malls, online stores and foreign fruits and vegetable sellers in big cities; Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt etc.

You can plant broccoli in your backyard garden in a container or go into commercial broccoli farming. It can be done successfully with the guidelines in this post. The most important thing is to know the right variety to cultivate
https://www.enibest.com.ng/all-posts/agriculture/broccoli-farming-in-nigeria-step-by-step-guide/

How to start commercial vegetable farming in Nigeria
https://businessplan.com.ng/start-commercial-vegetable-farming-nigeria-vegetable-business-plan/