Generating Income out of Small Farms in Africa

This article was written by Allan Daka, and we find it very interesting and useful for our readers and those who wish to go into farming as a business venture.The article discusses means and ways to generate income out of a small farm.

Many have a wrong belief that money can only be made on a big and sophisticated farm.Small

Onion small farm in Accra, Ghana. ©2011 EnterpriseAfrik

farms have potential to give one a lot of money. In  fact they have an advantage over big farms in that running costs are low and affordable.

Below I discuss a few things you can do to make money on your small farm.

1. Ensure that there is a house and other basic infrastructures on your farm.The house can be made  cheaply using poles, mud and grass. This house will be used by a caretaker.The house can be made  on a budget of  $ 100 -or less if you do it yourself.

2. Ensure that there is enough water on the farm for use in irrigation and other such activities. Dig  a well or make a small dam.

3. Grow vegetables. Vegetables are easy to grow and are easy to sell.Such vegetables as rape and  tomatoes sell easily on markets.You do not need complicated irrigation equipment to do this.  A simple bucket can do the trick.

4. Keep village chickens. Village chicken, unlike their hybrid cousins, have a lot of advantages. Firstly,  they are resistant to many diseases.Secondly, you can easily keep them on a free range basis. This  means you do not need to spend a single dollar on buying feeds for them! However this makes them grow  slowly but if you are patient enough, you reap the rewards. Thirdly, on African markets, village chickens  fetch a higher price than  hybrid chickens.People love them for their taste.

5. Keep fish. Fish farming is not as complicated as many people think.All you need is a good source of water.If your small farm has a river, a stream or is swampy, you can easily create ponds for keeping fish.

Digging of ponds is no rocket science, but it is a good idea to consult fish farming experts in your  area for guidance.They will be glad to assist you.After digging the ponds, stock them with fish and in about  five months time, your fish will be ready for harvest.

There are many other activities you can do on a small farm but the above are good enough to help you make a living from your small African farm.

Small Scale Farmers in 12 African Countries Warn their Governments over GMO Seed Companies

Dar-es-Salaam - A GROUPING of small scale farmers in 12 African countries has asked governments to be wary of agribusiness giants who want to bring in Genetically Modified Crops under the disguise of support to small holder farmers.

The grouping, under Eastern and Southern Africa Small Scale Farmers’ Forum (ESAFF) said in Dar es Salaam on Monday that there was threat that genetically modified (GMO) crops pose for indigenous plant species, organic harvests, small farmers, and the health and welfare of everyone.

ESAFF Regional Chairperson Elizabeth Mpofu said it was important to educate everyone about genetically modified crops and, more importantly, how to fight big billion dollar companies like Monsanto that are hovering like hawks ready to swoop in for the kill.

She warned about the ruthless practices of corporations which acquire patents, sometimes illegitimately, to crop genes and end up controlling the farmers who grow them.

“Our seed has stood the test of time and can be used to produce bumper harvest,” she said.

She said there should be something to relieve the economy of farmers towards escalating seed prices.

ESAFF also said small scale farmers should push for the governments in Africa to allocate more money into the agriculture sector by honouring the 10 per cent budget allocation to agriculture as of their Maputo 2003 declaration.

They said that since small scale farmers are the biggest producers in member countries, they should be included in decision making processes at policy level on land rights, access to inputs, farm equipments since they feed nations.

In Tanzania, the sector experienced a 35.5 per cent increase in funding from 666.9bn/- the previous fiscal year to 903.8bn/- in the current 2010/2011 national budget.

The ESAFF triennial general summit starts in Morogoro today with Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Seychelles, Madagascar, South Africa, Lesotho, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Malawi while Mozambique has applied for membership.

The objective is to bring farmers together to share about the challenges of new agriculture caused by internal and external factors.

The ESAFF chair said some of these include the food price increase, climate change, land grabbing, market access and also the growing concentration of agriculture input supply to few global agrochemical companies.

“There is a trend that shows that Monsanto, Syngenta and DuPont are using these initiatives to colonize Africa from seeds to super marketing. This will mean that small scale farmers will lose their right to seeds and the whole productive chain,” she said.

ESAFF Board member from Tanzania, Mr Elias Kawea, argued that it is also known that, these agrochemical companies are promoting non conventional seeds (GMOs) and imposing them through various programmes made as rendering solutions to the African hunger situations.

Their proposition to African governments is that all these initiatives must include the decisions of the real practitioners of production of small scale farmers.

Source: Daily News Tanzania

African Government must Invest in Small Scale Farming

© Afrikafarms

With famine in Africa and food prices at record highs, Africa governments must invest in small scale farming. They Must find away to educate small farmers about more efficient, sustainable agriculture practices.

African must have a New Vision for Agriculture on the continent, which should bring together Public and Private Sectors to transform the small farming in our communities for a long term sustainability.

The UN Special Rapporteur on the right to food, Olivier de Schutter, is promoting agroecology, the study of how agriculture can best fit within ecosystems and efficiently use of natural resources, a push he says has been well-received by governments and agencies around the globe.

The new focus on boosting small farmers is fueled by record-high food prices and renewed attention to hunger with more than 12 million people in the Horn of Africa suffering from drought and famine.

 As the global population estimated to reach 9 billion people by 2050, requiring a 70 percent increase from current food production,  small scale farming should be seen as the long-term solution to hunger, and job creation.

©2011 Afrikafarms

How to Make your Own Compost

Composting is nature's way of breaking down materials, be it on the forest floor or in your bin. Anything natural such as leaves, fruit, vegetables, wool or paper will slowly rot and decompose over time thanks to the help of myriad organisms, bacteria, fungi, and insects. It might sound gruesome but what remains is a rich, nutrient packed substance, which looks similar to soil, that your garden will love. While composting isn’t particularly hard to do, experts agree that it isn’t an exact science either as there are numerous variables that can lead to either a slimy pile of goo or a heap of dry chippings that aren’t breaking down – neither of which you want. Here’s our foolproof guide to getting it right.

There are plenty of good reasons to compost. Estimates have shown that around 30 per cent of household waste is compostable, although most of it ends up in the bin. By collecting your food scraps, you dramatically reduce the size of your rubbish bag each week and help to reduce the amount of household waste ending up landfill. Composting also gives you a constant supply of chemical-free fertiliser, which your plants will thank you for. Better still, eschewing commercial compost of the type found in your local garden centre means you’re not buying peat. Thanks to the national appetite for compost, 94 per cent of Britain’s ancient peat bogs have been destroyed or damaged, and as a result, some of our most important eco-systems have been lost forever. While nothing can ever really compensate for that, by creating your own compost, you’re both helping to protect boggy eco-systems and making a new one, as many species will be attracted to the food and warmth available in your heap. Even city dwellers can get involved in composting. The ‘dalek’ style bins are ideal for smaller spaces and can be moved around easily and work just as well on concrete they do on grass. These are also the kind of bins that councils provide so you can get them cheap. Even if you only have a balcony, you can still compost and give away the fruits of your labour to friends with gardens or who are trying their hand at container planting and growing their own.

The easiest way to start is by ‘cool composting’. For this, you’ll firstly need to buy a compost bin or set up a suitable spot in your garden. There are different kinds of compost bins on the market, ranging from ultra basic such as the plastic ‘dalek’ style, to more technologically advanced galvanised steel with a lockable lid. If you have an allotment or a large garden, you could invest in, or build, a New Zealand box (an open air wooden tub with slatted sides). Choose a nice sunny spot with plenty of heat and light, and place your heap or bin on a patch of soil or concrete. Once your compost site is sorted, all you have to do is regularly top it up with the right sort of waste and watch the natural decomposition process take place, giving it a gentle helping hand when necessary. You can be as lazy or as active as you like. The more you manage your compost, however, the faster it’ll be ready for the garden.


Source: The Ecologist