₦airaland Forum

stagger:
Well there is room for learning by experience. Maybe he can discover something that will add to the body of knowledge. I have personally done experiments with maize that have provided me with a protocol that is not in any textbook or online resource.

I am also learning here.

iykbethany:
Please sir how can I contact u I have an agricultural project I want us to work on

As an entrepreneur, I’ve always looked for ways to invest in the agricultural sector because agriculture offers more than just business opportunities. It's a way to create jobs, generate wealth, and contribute to food security. 

I ventured into agriculture many years ago to create jobs, create wealth and food security so iykbethany farms is a project that is very important to me, but the journey hasn't been easy at all. There have been trials and errors along the way and I have been documenting everything so others can learn from the process, my mistakes and struggles.

I already have other farms for banana, plantains, oil palm and pineapples but one other venture that really caught my eye was greenhouse farming due to its immense potential to improve crop yields and maximize the use of limited land.

 Here is a link to my journey with Malaysian Supergene Oil Palm Seedlings: https://www.nairaland.com/8190065/sowing-future-journey-1000-malaysian#131594024

The Decision to Venture into Greenhouse Farming
The idea to invest in greenhouse farming came from my observation of Nigeria's agricultural sector.
Agriculture remains a critical part of our economy, yet many farmers still rely on traditional open-field farming, which is vulnerable to weather fluctuations, pest infestations, and inconsistent crop yields. With greenhouse farming, I saw an opportunity to leverage controlled environments to optimize crop growth, especially for high-value crops like habanero peppers.

Initial Setup and Consultation
The first year I ventured into agriculture, I went into Plantain and cassava farming without consulting any professional so the project failed woefully. So these days I do a lot of research and I consult widely. Since greenhouse farming was a new venture for me, I knew that consulting an expert was critical to ensuring the project's success. So I turned to a greenhouse expert I met on Nairaland. After several discussions, I hired him to oversee the construction of the greenhouses and other necessary infrastructure on the farm.

The project plan included:
Setting up two greenhouses: One dedicated to habanero peppers (Habanero F1) and the other for bell peppers (Hercules F1 red and Abbey F1 yellow).

Constructing a water tank stand: This would support two large water tanks that were crucial for the irrigation system.
However, it wasn’t long before we encountered a significant setback.

Unfortunately, the tank stand collapsed on the very day we filled the tanks with water. It turned out that the contractor used inferior materials, specifically low-quality metal, for the structure. As a result, the tank stand could not support the weight of the filled tanks, leading to its collapse.

Damage and Financial Losses
When the tank stand collapsed, the two water tanks were severely damaged, leaving them unusable. This resulted in unexpected financial losses, as I had to buy two new water tanks.

Moreover, the entire tank stand had to be reconstructed from scratch but this time I used manual labour and I decided to use blocks and cement. 

The total damage and reconstruction costs included:
The cost of buying two new water tanks.
The expense of reconstructing the tank stand with stronger, more reliable materials—this time, I opted for a tank stand made from concrete blocks and cement instead of metal.

Lessons Learned from the Setback
While the setback with the water tank stand was a major hurdle, it also taught me several valuable lessons about managing a greenhouse farming project. As an entrepreneur, it’s essential to not only focus on the potential profits but also to be mindful of the process, quality of materials, and the people involved in the project. Also, I have found out that water tank stands made of block and cement are stronger than those made of metals. And it is cheaper as well. 

After completing the greenhouse construction, I decided to hire a farm manager/agronomist to help oversee the operations. I will never repeat the mistakes I made years ago when I planted cassava and other crops without proper supervision. So I found someone from UNIPORT who had the knowledge and skills I was looking for. Since he’s still a student at Uniport, he requested free furnished accommodation on the farm, along with cooking utensils, to make it convenient for him to manage the farm while continuing his studies.  

This is a pilot project so I am still learning and documenting the whole process. 

Phase 1: Seed Germination and Nursery
- Raised 1,000 seeds each of red and yellow bell peppers and habanero peppers- Germination occurred after 7 days- Nursery duration: 28 days before transplanting

Phase 2: Farm Preparation
- Cleared the farm
- Created ridges
- Installed irrigation system
- Opened holes for planting
- Applied manure and NPK 15.15.15 fertilizers

Phase 3: Transplanting and Greenhouse Setup
- Transplanted seedlings into two greenhouses:   
- Habanero F1   
- Bell Pepper (Hercules F1 red and Abbey F1 yellow)
- Set up:   
- Binding wire (upper and lower lines)   
- Staking rope

Feeding Pattern
- Week 1: Plain water
- Week 2: Nitrogen application
- Week 3: Calcium nitrate application
- Week 4: Potassium nitrate application

Conclusion
Greenhouses are a valuable tool for improving agricultural productivity in Nigeria, especially for crops like habanero peppers and bell peppers. By providing a controlled environment, greenhouses help farmers overcome the challenges of traditional farming, such as unpredictable weather and pests. The structured approach to farming, from seed germination to transplanting and feeding, ensures high yields and quality produce.

Most Nigerians do not know that the reason foodstuffs are expensive is because of insecurity in the North. Northern Nigeria is our food basket but sadly bandits and terrorists are attacking farmers on a daily basis. In some Northern states, farmers cannot access their farms without paying hefty ramson to bandits and there is no guarantee you will come back alive even after paying the ransom.
If the government can tackle insecurity, food prices will drop dramatically.

Please follow us on Facebook, Pinterest, TikTok and Instagram, our handle is @iykbethanyfarms on all social networks.

#iykbethanyfarms

iykbethany:
My manager used the same spacing. He said we can expect the same yield gotten from 10x50 to be the same with 10x30.

The guy is a uniport student who has managed some other farms before we recruited him, so I believe him.

Since you are an expert I also believe you but even if the spacing is wrong I don't want to stress myself thinking about it, I'm already going through alot. I nor wan get High blood pressure bro.

This is a pilot project bros, and I expect some mistakes here and there, and that's why I'm documenting everything.

This aluu project is not that big, our main farm is in imo state where we have over 100 farmland dedicated to different cashcrops Oil palm, banana, plantain, cassava, yam, maize, cucumbers, pineapples, etc.

We are experimenting with pepper and tomatoes this year, and by next year, we hope to go into large-scale farming of these two if we have the funds.

This is what they looked like as at 2 days ago.

EkopSparoAyara:
Please is there anyone here who sell things like maize offal, palm kernel cake, groundnut cake etc?

okoroemeka:
does the dead ones have knots on the roots to indicate nematodes?did you apply anything harsh recently like fresh chicken manure or urea fertilizer?and what I suspect is that the greenhouse is doing its job far too well,because the major reason of greenhouse use is to trap heat and create a tropical microclimate for warm weather crops to grow off season,and with the average temperature hovering at 32c/33c,it will be higher inside the greenhouse by 3-4%,and if planted outside aviod spraying anytime from morning to afternoon,only in the evening or night,this is what maybe the causes that might point to a solution,but in vegetable farming prevention is better than cure and if a problem comes to this stage of crops dying off there is little you can do but hope the mortality will be minimal,increase the irrigation and if planted in greenhouse to open the sides if possible for better airflow and ventilation,the current outside temperature is a killer on its own,ithen consider crops in covered nylon houses

Johnn74:

okoroemeka:
for sometime now we have been thinking how best to utilize the space that is left open in a pepper farm for more than 80 days before the pepper foliage covers the space,we did a small test with watermelon and it proved to be perfect,we harvested the first batch melon in 65 days,not only does it utilize the space to maximize production it also uses effectively the manure and fertilizer applied to the pepper,hot pepper been a low/medium feeder at vegetative stage uses less nutrients and the rest are washed down beyond the root zone., furthermore we discovered that pruning watermelon to one single vine and one fruit per crop gives a very large fruit that is sold from #2k upwards and that is what makes the space utilization possible
We scaled up to 2000 hot pepper and 2000 watermelon in the same land, growing and fruiting in perfect unity.

shol9044:
Drip irrigation.
This is one reliable vendor https://sunraygroup.com.ng/agro/

okoroemeka:
for sometime now we have been thinking how best to utilize the space that is left open in a pepper farm for more than 80 days before the pepper foliage covers the space,we did a small test with watermelon and it proved to be perfect,we harvested the first batch melon in 65 days,not only does it utilize the space to maximize production it also uses effectively the manure and fertilizer applied to the pepper,hot pepper been a low/medium feeder at vegetative stage uses less nutrients and the rest are washed down beyond the root zone., furthermore we discovered that pruning watermelon to one single vine and one fruit per crop gives a very large fruit that is sold from #2k upwards and that is what makes the space utilization possible
We scaled up to 2000 hot pepper and 2000 watermelon in the same land, growing and fruiting in perfect unity.

odeku457:
Good day Sir. I will like to ask if by growing tomatoes and using this strategy planting watermelon alongside really works too.

Thanks

MostIncredibleDFirst:
Your tenacity and perseverance is very commendable. I hope you make great success from your farming investments.

iykbethany:
We're getting ready for season 2.

Mranonymous50:
Did you finally rescue the dying habanero crop from last year? How did you do it? Or did you you lose them?