Jhon Nick explains how starting small farming is not as hard as you may think. This is the first of a two-part article series.
What is small farming? How do you define small farming? It is defined as the growing of fruits, vegetables and other edible plants and flowers in a very limited area.
It may be your backyard or balcony or any small strip of land you own.
You can grow such types of products even in pots or buckets or any other container you have.
Farming can be a long and hard process, but when you start small, it’s not so difficult. If you have less land to work with, then you will have to plant more densely which means that you need to buy more seeds.
How to start a small farm? initial arrangements:
Starting a farm in today’s world can be a daunting task. You may need to take care of your crops, animals, seeds, and livestock.
But the good news is that it is not as hard as you might think. You only need to guide yourself about the importance of your idea. It may be livestock or green farming. Here are a few tips to get you started in small farming.
- Before starting your farm, make sure that you have the necessary resources for running your business.
- You will need finances for buying seeds and livestock, land for planting crops and raising animals, water supply for watering plants and cleaning animals’ etcetera.
- Decide what type of farming would suit your needs the best – whether it is large-scale commercial farming or small-scale backyard farming?
- Choose an area with fertile soil rich in organic matter where sunlight can reach all land.
To be successful in business, you need more than a great idea. You need the drive to do whatever it takes to succeed. So, here are some ideas to get you started:
- Start small and work your way up. Don’t quit your day job or pour all your assets into the venture until it proves to be profitable. Set up a small operation first, so you can test the market.
- Utilis technological advancements that make small farming easier and more efficient. Some examples include drip irrigation systems, no-till farming techniques and micro-hydroponic food production units that produce quality food for less money than traditional soil methods.
- Be an innovator when it comes to finding ways to cut costs and boost profits in any possible way. Look for unique ways to improve efficiency and utilize smart business practices.
- Advertise your products in creative ways that will grab people’s attention, but are not too expensive or difficult to implement. Large-scale billboards in high traffic areas might have proved effective for big companies, but small farms don’t have the resources for such a campaign. Instead, try advertising on social networking sites or hand out flyers at local farmers markets or events where people are gathered for the same purpose.
- You can start with a small plant nursery from which you can earn money even if you have no experience at all with plants and gardening.
- You can start a business with your home poultry (chickens, ducks or geese), selling eggs and meat. The cost of the equipment is very low, so it is easy to get started with this type of business.
- If you have a small amount of land, then you can start a vegetable garden where you can get fresh vegetables for yourself and sell them in your local area or at the local farmers’ market in order to make extra money. This is one of the most popular ideas in our present days because we all want healthy food but it is hard for us to find a lot of spare time for gardening and growing plants and vegetables during our busy lives.
- Use the permaculture principles for building a sustainable small farm. Plant some fruit trees and berry bushes.
- Grow some high-yield crops such as potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, beets, and tomatoes.
- Plant some cover crops and pasture grasses. Keep laying hens to get fresh eggs and meat later on.
- Have composting bins in order to recycle manure and kitchen scraps into valuable fertilizer.
- Growing flowers that attract lovely honey bees and other pollinators.
- Planting of fruit trees and berry bushes within your garden or orchard area in order to attract birds that are natural pest controllers.
- Another best idea of small farming for beginners is to invest in a couple of milk goats if you find enough resources. Because it will give you double benefits in the form of milk and meat.
- Make sure that you have tools that will help you carry out the above tasks like spades, hoes, rakes etc.
