Why Farmers Should Consider Commercial Farming

Commercial farming is the growing of crops and rearing of animals using advanced technology and techniques for profit. The practice is increasingly being taken up by farmers who wish to switch up their farming technique, by taking up the lucrative venture. 

To be successful in agribusiness, a farmer does not necessarily require a large piece of land, thanks to options like land leasing and contract farming. Below are five factors farmers can consider when starting out commercial farming; 

• Market Availability 

When demand for a product is high, increased production should not worry the farmer because markets become readily available. A farmer who has taken dairy farming can substitute the product for either milk production or beef which in turn can be transformed into other products like cheese or sausages for local and international markets. 

• Increased Urbanization 

To ensure maximum quality production, access to resources like machinery, electricity and water supply may result to communities and surrounding areas to benefit from infrastructure that can quickly ensure ferrying of products and equipment is efficient. 

• Value Addition for Farmers 

If you were to attend an agricultural show in Kenya, you would leave feeling very proud of the kind of products our farmers produce and imagine all the money they make. Unfortunately, the situation is different and painful for farmers especially small holder farmers who are short changed by brokers. 

With commercial farming, either through leasing of land to increase production or enter an agreement through contract farming, the benefits for these farmers are far much better because their commodities get to their consumers directly and at better prices. 

• New Technology 

The new era of agriculture has led farmers to appreciate new technologies to conduct farming. This has seen the use of drones to irrigate and analyze crops over large areas of land. New technologies have also become a safeguard for farmers when they have excess produce, to manage their harvest by getting into dried foods, fruits and products which are viable in the markets for consumption. 

• New Crop Demand 

A farmer who has been growing sugarcane for years has to wait till the sector has stabilized, for them to start seeing returns while that who is growing stevia and harvesting the crop every 3 months is likely to have a wider profit margin in a year. 

Therefore, a farmer who understands the market and crop demand is likely to transition to a fast-moving crop to get profits.