“A plan is of little value unless it serves as a guide for action within changing conditions. Therefore, if plans are to be effective and helpful as a guide, they must be evaluated continuously and revised to fit current and expected future conditions (looking at the outcome and progress).”
Success in Farming just like any business venture or monetized venture is greatly dependent on a well thought out plan. Among the Key factors that should be considered carefully during the planning stage of the farming operation are Selecting Enterprise, Marketing Strategies and ‘Site Selection and Land Preparation’. Agriculture is as dynamic as the rest of the economy. Today, personal preferences and family goals, no matter how strong, are modified by the profit maximization objective. There are, however, certain limitations in maximizing income. Within these limitations, each farmer must try to make the highest profit from the resources he controls including land, labor, and capital. Each farmer must try to determine an enterprise, a business or the enterprise mix which makes most efficient use of his limited resources. There is no one best combination of enterprises that will work best for all farms, even in a particular area. The exact enterprises and the relative intensity of each is an individual farm problem. This write up serves as a guide to facilitate your farming venture.
1. SELECTING AN ENTERPRISE
When choosing a new enterprise or a Farm business for example Egg Production or Poultry Farm respectively it is important to use market outlook as the rule of thumb; availability of market, stable commodity price and transparent value chain in order to achieve maximum effect. So the first step when selecting an enterprise is knowing what, how, when and where to produce – Market Research!
Market Research: Research current and potential markets to identify trends, competitors, needs, and buyers. Be sure to take time to collect data. Obtaining good data serves as the foundation for the creation of an effective strategy. The better the information, the better your strategic plan will be. For example, if you are considering raising pastured pork, you will need to research whether pastured pork is currently available in your area, how much it sells for currently, how many potential customers eat pork, how much they value pastured pork over other pork options, etc.
With proper Market research little details like:
- Most liked Variety (Taste/Trend).
- Self Life after harvest (In Store).
- Transportation Handling… Especially for Vegetables will be taken care of/addressed.
Profitability Analysis: Some call this Gross Margin Analysis or Cost Benefit Analysis. Which ever way you call it. This is an equally important aspect of Enterprise Selection during the Planning Phase of Farming.
Cost Benefit analysis is simple assessing Possible income against Production Costs to see if the enterprise is profitable. GMA guides the farmer in setting prices looking at his or her Unit Cost of Production.
Costs of Production will be listed down and total obtained per acre; The Costs are Buying Inputs, Labor, Transport, Hiring Land and other costs. Now this takes us back to Market research; it is important you know the possible or average yield a desired crop variety can give you per acre so that you can use it to calculate Income.
Profit = Income – Total Cost of Production.
Case; Maize Unit Cost of Production.
Assuming the:
- Cost of Production; Hiring Land, Labor, Buying Inputs etc is Ush720,000/=
- And Yield per acre is 960kgs
- The Unit Cost of Production will be 720,000/960 equals to 750/= per Kg.
- What 750/= means is that the farmer will only get profit if he or she sells at a Price greater than 750/=.
With this analysis done, you should by now have an enterprise or business selected! So you set Marketing Strategies in Place.
2. MARKET DEVELOPMENT AND STRATEGIES.
It is important to note that most agricultural markets are “perfectly competitive,” meaning (ideally) that a homogeneous product is produced by and for many sellers and buyers, who are well informed about prices. The market is characterized by free entry and exit, with producers obligated to be price takers.
This simply means creating awareness about the Product you will be bringing to the Market in 3 Months or so. Yes, It is so important that you let your potential Buyers know about the Enterprise; Quality, Variety and Quantity.
Examples of Market Strategies could be Contract Farming, On Farm Marketing, Online Marketing etc. Selecting a Strategy is greatly a farmer’s choice and they come with varying limitations. So after identifying Possible Buyers/Marketing Strategy in this case the farmer can know go ahead and begin the Production Phase of the Enterprise while keeping in mind the Terms and Conditions of the Marketing Strategy; For example, for a farmer to sell to an organic market he or she needs to be registered and certified member and stick to production using organic inputs. Using Inorganic Inputs will compromise the Market!
3. SITE SELECTION AND LAND PREPARATION
The most effective means of reducing potential problems during farming is by proper site selection and one of the most important stages in Crop Production, Timely Land Preparation.
Site Selection
The following should be considered when selecting a land/site for farming.
- Gentle slopes
- Deep Fertile and well drained Soils
- Accessibility
Avoid the following.
- Water logged areas
- Ant Hill (Source of Termites)
- Too many trees/Heavy Shading.
- Too sloppy areas.
- Very sandy soils.
- Soils with too much clay.
- Valleys
The Importance of Observation when selecting a site.
Observation is an important skill or approach when selecting a site for farming. Observation simply means seeing and deducing or analyzing. So the farmer is urged to keep records or know the history of the site he or she is about to select.
For example if you are aware that the site you are about to select for bean production floods when it rains; with such an observation, the farmer either looks for a favorable land or opens up water trenches in the site to improve drainage/control flooding.
Also, Observation has been used by farmers to assume or predict soil fertility especially looking at the color. This is misleading because not every dark has all the nutrients required for plant growth. However, instead of observing the soil color we urge the farmers to base on the following as signs of soil fertility.
Vegetation cover and plant growth vigor; the presence of Guinea grass and Commelina on a site shows high soil fertility and Spear grass is associated with soils having poor fertility. Fertile soils also have healthy vegetation with dark green leaves.
Soil Moisture/Water retention capacity; Soils that form balls and crumble on slight pressure show soils with good drainage. Which is not the case with clay soils.
Soil depth; a fertile/good agricultural should be at least 30cm deep, that is the top layer that can support crop growth. Deep soils hold enough nutrients and water for crops to grow well.
Land Preparation
The timing of land preparation is extremely important. Land preparation should begin either at the end of the harvesting period or at least 3 weeks (21 days) before planting to allow breakdown of organic matter. Land should be ploughed at least twice in some cases followed with harrowing to obtain a fine seedbed.
Where the field has a known history of bean pests such as pod borers, bean fly and beetles, complement ploughing with harrowing to kill the surviving eggs, pupae and adult pests.
If the site is very bushy, first clear land by slashing down all plant parts and leave them on the ground, or plough in the plant residues using appropriate equipment and burry them (Deep Cultivation). Farmers are advised to reduce burning of plant residues.
If the field was previously covered with weeds like Amaranthus spp, which produce a lot of seeds, then the land needs to be prepared early in the season.
Importance of timely land preparation
Timely land preparation will help soil to conserve moisture; improve the water-retention capacity, water-infiltration capacity and increase soil fertility and allows soil to cool before panting.
Lastly, how you decide to open the land could vary depending on where you want to grow from, as below.
| Advantages | Disadvantages | |
| Tractors | High acreage per unit timeProper Turning of the soil | Disturbs Soil StructureHigh Cost of Hiring |
| Ox Plough | More available Soil structure less disturbed | Lower acreage per unit time |
| Hand Hoe | Very affordable | No proper turning of soil |
| Chemicals | Effective in clearingSaves time | Harmful to humans.Requires Skills |
| Slashing | Cheap | No Proper root Penetration |
| Bush Burning | CheapNo skills needed | Kills Soil Micro Organisms |
We want to wish you the best during your FARMING VENTURE.
Please Share the Post to your WhatsApp Groups.
Thank you!
SMART AGRICULTURE UNIVERSE 
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[…] “A plan is of little value unless it serves as a guide for action in the face of change.” Therefore, if plans are to be effective and useful as a guide, they must be constantly evaluated and revised to match current and anticipated future conditions (looking at outcome and progress). Success in farming just like any business venture or monetized venture is highly dependent on a well thought out plan. Among the key factors that need to be carefully considered during the planning phase of a farming operation are Enterprise Selection, Marketing Strategies and “Site Selection and Land Preparation”. Agriculture is as dynamic as the rest of the economy. Today, personal preferences and family goals, no matter how strong, are modified by the goal of profit maximization. However, there are certain limitations in maximizing income. Within these constraints, each farmer must try to make the most of the resources he controls, including land, labor, and capital. Each farmer must try to determine the enterprise, business or mix of enterprises that makes the most efficient use of his limited resources. There is no best combination of enterprises that will work best for all farms, even in a particular area. The exact enterprises and the relative intensity of each is an individual farm problem. This entry serves as a guide to facilitate your farming venture. 1. ENTERPRISE CHOICE When choosing a new enterprise or farm, for example, egg production or poultry farm, it is important to use the market perspective as a rule; market availability, stable commodity price and transparent value chain in order to achieve maximum effect. So, the first step in choosing a company is to know what, how, when and where to produce – Market Research! Market Research: Research current and potential markets to identify trends, competitors, needs and buyers. Don’t forget to take your time collecting data. Obtaining good data serves as the basis for creating an effective strategy. The better the information, the better your strategic plan will be. For example, if you are considering raising pastured pork, you will need to research whether pastured pork is currently available in your area, how much it is currently selling for, how many potential customers are eating pork, how much they value pastured pork relative to other options. for pork, etc. With proper market research, the small details such as: Most preferred variety (taste/trend). Self-life after the harvest (in the store). Transport handling… Account/address will be maintained specially for vegetables. Profitability Analysis: Some call this Gross Margin Analysis or Cost Benefit Analysis. Whatever you call it. This is an equally important aspect of enterprise selection during the agricultural planning phase. A cost-benefit analysis is simply an assessment of the possible revenue against the cost of production to see if the enterprise is profitable. GMA guides the farmer in pricing by looking at his unit costs of production. Cost of production will be stated and total received per acre; The costs are the purchase of inputs, labor, transportation, hiring of land and other costs. Now this brings us back to market research; it is important to know the possible or average yield that your desired crop variety can give you per acre so that you can use it to calculate income. Profit = Revenue – Total cost of production. Case; Maize Unit Production Costs. Assuming: Production costs; Engagement of land, labor, purchase of inputs etc. is Ush720,000/= And the yield per acre is 960 kg The unit cost of production will be 720,000/960 equal to 750/= per kg. What 750/= means is that the farmer will only get a profit if he or she sells at a price higher than 750/=. With this analysis done, you should have a company or business selected by now! Thus, you put marketing strategies in place. 2. MARKET DEVELOPMENT AND STRATEGIES. It is important to note that most agricultural markets are “perfectly competitive”, meaning (ideally) that a homogeneous product is produced by and for many sellers and buyers, who are well informed about prices. The market is characterized by free entry and exit, while producers are obliged to set prices. This simply means creating awareness of the Product you will be bringing to market in 3 months or so. Yes, it is so important to let your potential buyers know about the enterprise; Quality, variety and quantity. Examples of marketing strategies can be contract farming, farm marketing, online marketing, etc. The choice of strategy is largely the farmer’s choice and they come with various limitations. Thus, after identifying the possible buyers/marketing strategy in this case, the farmer can know to proceed and start the production phase of the enterprise, keeping in mind the Terms and Conditions of the Marketing Strategy; For example, for a farmer to sell in an organic market, he or she needs to be a registered and certified member and adhere to production using organic inputs. Using inorganic inputs will jeopardize the market! 3. SITE SELECTION AND LAND PREPARATION The most effective means of reducing potential problems during agriculture is the correct selection of the location and one of the most important stages in crop production, the timely preparation of the land. Site Selection The following should be considered when selecting a land/site for farming. Gentle slopes Deep fertile and well-drained soils Accessibility Avoid the following. Surfaces with water seepage Ant Hill (Source of Termites) Too many trees/Abundant shading Too sloppy areas Too sandy soils Soils with too much clay Valleys The importance of observation when choosing a site. Observation is an important skill or approach when choosing a farming site. Observing simply means seeing and inferring or analyzing. Thus, the farmer is urged to keep records or know the history of the location he chooses. For example, if you are aware that the place you choose to produce beans floods when it rains; with such observation, the farmer either looks for favorable land or digs water ditches at the site to improve drainage/flood control. Also, Observation was used by farmers to guess or predict the fertility of the soil, especially by looking at the color. This is wrong because not all dark has all the nutrients needed for plant growth. But instead of observing soil color, we urge farmers to rely on the following as signs of soil fertility. Vegetation cover and vigor of plant growth; the presence of Guinea grass and Commelina at the site indicates high soil fertility, and spear grass is associated with soils of low fertility. Fertile soils also have healthy vegetation with dark green leaves. Soil/water moisture holding capacity; Soils that form balls and collapse under low pressure indicate soils with good drainage. Which is not the case with clay soils. Soil depth; fertile/good agricultural production should be at least 30 cm deep, which is the top layer that can support crop growth. Deep soils contain enough nutrients and water for crops to grow well. Land preparation The timing of land preparation is extremely important. Land preparation should begin either at the end of the harvest period or at least 3 weeks (21 days) before planting to allow organic matter to break down. The land should be plowed at least twice in some cases followed by harrowing to produce a fine bed for sowing. Where a field has a known history of bean pests such as pod borers, bean flies and beetles, supplement with tillage to kill surviving eggs, pupae and adult pests. If the site is very bushy, clear the ground first by cutting off all plant parts and leaving them on the ground or plow the plant remains using suitable equipment and bury them (Deep Cultivation). Farmers are advised to reduce the burning of plant residues. If the field has previously been covered with weeds such as Amaranthus spp, which produce a lot of seeds, then the ground should be prepared early in the season. The Importance of Timely Land Preparation Timely land preparation will help the soil conserve moisture; improves water holding capacity, water infiltration capacity and increases soil fertility and allows the soil to cool before planting. Finally, how you decide to open the land can vary depending on where you want to grow from, as below. AdvantagesDisadvantagesTractorsHigh surface area per unit of time Proper soil turning disturbs soil structureHigh hiring costOx PlowMore availableSoil structure less disturbedLower surface area per unit of timeHand Very affordableImproper soil turningChemical effective, inefficient time for quick clearing. Proper Root Penetration Bush Burning Inexpensive No Skills Required Kills Soil Microorganisms We wish you all the best during your AGRICULTURAL SUPPORT. Please share the post in your WhatsApp groups. Thank you! Source link […]
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