The Secret To Becoming A Successful Absentee Farmer

Your footstep is a step to profit – Be An effective Absentee Farmer

Most of us, particularly middle income urban dwellers, relish the opportunity to engage in some form of agricultural venture. We work, save or mobilize some investment and embark on a ‘sweet dream’ journey of making it big in farming. Yet all we do is, become unsuccessful absentee farmers.

So, Are you an Unsuccessful Absentee Farmer?

• Do you mobilise your personal funds and with little or no experience and research set off with the idea of creating additional income streams from agriculture as a side job?
• Do you engage a family member in the village or a farm manager or caretaker who you consider a more experienced hand to oversee all operations?
• Do you tend to treat the farm managers or caretakers as though they were some fund managers with a ‘magic wand’ to turn your funds into profitable farm produce? – You pump in the money, stay in the city and expect to make a good harvest.
• Do you sit in the comfort of your office or home in the city, preparing mouth-watering financial projections about your farming venture without any knowledge of what will go into the overall day-to-day operations of the farm, pests and other diseases to look out for, weather patterns and all other risk factors expecting the caretaker (whose knowledge on proper farming practices remain rudimentary at best) to magically figure out the operational details whiles you sit aloof comfortably and provide the finances needed?

If you answered YES to any of the questions, then your result will almost always be the same – Investment gone down the drain adding to the old narrative of agriculture being a very risky venture.

Why You Are Likely to Fail

Here are some of the main reasons why your farm may fail when you are an absentee call-in farmer;

• Lack of proper research and plan
• No knowledge and skill gap assessment of farm managers or caretakers to ascertain areas of improvement for higher productivity. Simple mistakes can be the difference between success and failure.
• Lack of a clear monitoring plan that draws out critical times when you need to get out of the city into the fields to ensure progress
• The farm manager has NO INCENTIVE to improve! Most farm managers receive only
  a small monthly stipend for their work and nothing more (even if things go very well).
• When things go wrong (as they usually do), the farm manager may not have
  contacts with experts who can help them find solutions.

Read also: Detailed Steps on How to Plan and Start a Farm

Let’s Make Farming Profitable

It is still possible to have a day job and still have a profitable farming venture. Just as you achieve progress on your day job with an adequate level of effort including time and other resources, farming is no different.

A few pointers for success. 

1. Have a Plan 

Research your farming venture, and have clear and accurate targets based on well-calculated inputs including actual farm size, inputs required, irrigation and labour needs and overall operational activities matched against well-delineated timelines.

2. Have a Risk mitigation strategy

Understand all the risks to your operations and have a strategy to safeguard your investments. This may include among other things looking for professional support from the extension or veterinary officers to support your farm manager or caretaker.

3. Go to Your Farm

Make it a point to visit your farm regularly. Regular monitoring is key to the successful implementation of any initiative. Farming is not different. Go to your farm, interact with workers, immerse yourself in the activities and better understand what is happening. This helps in the early detection of problems, and knowing what to do at any particular time.

4. Be a good employer

PAY ATTENTION HERE – You can only achieve success if those who work with you buy into your vision for your farm. Understand competitive labour rate offerings and create an equitable and fair pay structure that rewards success. On top of covering farm costs and a monthly stipend, you need to create a profit-sharing or bonus arrangement with the farm manager/caretaker and key staff. Invest in further training of your staff to introduce them to the best farming practices. Remember – You are in this together, and the progress of your farm should positively impact their livelihoods as well.

Conclusion

Every investment is risky and an investment without proper planning is a bad one from the start. Agriculture holds huge potential for income generation and can provide a healthy return on investment when nurtured appropriately. Understand your farming venture and know how the value chain works, pay attention to the day-to-day operations and even if you engage in farming as a side hustle ensure you give it the necessary attention.

GO TO YOUR FARM! YOUR FOOTSTEP IS A STEP TO PROFIT!!!

I hope you learned something new. If you have any experiences do share them with us in the comment section.

Featured image source: Civil Eats