Farming Is A Business

AGRICULTURE

Farming Is A Business.

If I had a penny for the number of times someone said, ‘I have
decided to start a farming project,’ or “Farming is where all the money is,’’ I would be the next Jeff Bezos!

For a booming enterprise that is currently raking in 6.5 % in Gross Domestic Product in Zimbabwe, some aspects of horticultural farming continue to make it to be perceived as a way of life or rather a way of sustaining human life.

Farming As A Business

From an enterprise that went
from simple exchange or bartering of goods without the attachment of any monetary value to becoming an industry that generates millions in revenue for a country and single-handedly sustains the complete livelihood of some families, surely there must be more to it than just initiating a farming project without a plan!

It is quite easy to start but the planning, the record-keeping, the management of finances and cash-flow becomes the most grueling exercise in terms of keeping up with the business. Most farmers are good at gathering information on production techniques and putting it into action, but without financial management and without proper business models that focus the future financial prospects of the farm, no business decisions can be made.

Like it or not, a farmer is an entrepreneur with an actual vision and mission to accomplish a set goal.
A farmer is a business owner with a skill set and ability to initiate, manage and utilise resources such as inputs required, land, labour and capital to make a profit and keep the business afloat. A farmer is a risk taker that stands to lose all his investments just as any other business owner. It is quite evident that the analogy and the idea of farming being a wealth generating enterprise is very well understood by the masses and that alone is the main driver of all the farming start-ups we see taking place. So, what then leads to failure in sustaining farming business enterprises?

Record-keeping for a farm manager allows them to make sound decisions that can in turn influence the purpose and the future of the farm business based on its current performance. It puts the farmer’s ambitions into better perspective and prevents the farmer from being overzealous with their expenditure, more like biting off more than one can chew. Record-keeping also allows for the farmer to realise his errors, improve and make better decisions regarding their production.


Start small and grow from it. Did you know in 1886 when Coca-Cola started, they only sold approximately 95 Litres of Syrup and grossed USD$50 after Spending about USD$76 in marketing. Yet today the company is worth billions. Do your due diligence as a farmer, come up with a business plan, a production plan and a financial plan. Set goals and follow through on them. Set Production guidelines and do not cut corners on how to achieve your goals. Farming is a business, because farmers invest, capital, land, labour, and time and then they put a price to their product with the
hope of making an income, with that in mind, let’s treat it as such!


Annette Mutetwa – Agronomist
+263 780 371 923
annettemutetwa48@gmail.com

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