7 Major Challenges In Farming And Their likely Solutions

Farming is one of the most sustainable businesses that you can think of adopting since the market for farm products is readily available, imagine we have to eat everyday, so surely the demand is forever.

However farming activities can be a challenging and here we talk about the most common challenges that farmers face in their day to day running of the farms and how they solve them.

7 Major Challenges In Farming And Their likely Solutions?

1. Limited Access to Information and knowledge

Many farmers start without first seeking the right and enough information about the projects they choose to do hence making a lot of avoidable mistakes and losses.

New Farmers need a lot of information right from land preparation, seed selection, varieties, plant spacing and procedure, management basics and a lot of information.

Solution

You need to get all the necessary information through:

• Attending trainings and workshops
• Consulting experts and fellow farmers
• Using Google search and YouTube videos
• Use of social media groups and pages plus blogs on sites
• Buying farming booklets

2. Pests And Diseases Attacks.

This is a very big problem to farmers allover Africa. pests are both in crops and animals, Pests including insects, diseases, weeds and man.
These attack crops and animals and reduce on the yield and value.

Solution

You need to prevent pests and diseases by ensuring proper agronomic practices like:

• Mulching
• Weeding
• Crop rotation
• Spray in time
• Spray the right genuine chemicals

3. Labor And Management Issues

Most new farmers might not have the full time to be at their farms hence it becomes a challenge when the people who are employed don’t know and appreciate exactly what to do.

Most farms that fail in Africa its because of the poor workers they have on ground and less supervision by the farm owner. you must be in charge of your farm.

Solutions

• Employ trusted and technical people
• Take your workers for trainings
• Supervise your farm regularly at least once a week.
• Have a full time manger for your farm
• You can think of using prisoners

4. Poor Quality of Inputs

Most input dealers nowadays are focused on just making money and not actually considering effectiveness and quality of the products they give to farmers.

They end up selling fake and expired inputs to farmers like seeds, pesticides and others hence a major challenge to farmers allover Africa.

Solutions

• Buying from only reputable sources and dealers
• Buying from the main outlets of Companies like Bukoola or East African seeds
• Check the product labels very well before buying
• Avoid buying repacked products like fungicides
• Consult an expert before buying any product like seeds and chemicals.

5. Climate Change and Unstable Weather

This is a major problem with the climate change effects allover Africa and has greatly affected the farmers in their daily practices. it may seem like an issue beyond our control but we must learn to be productive amidst such unfavorable conditions.

When it shines too much ,it’s a very big problem and sometimes when it over rains it’s a problem. we are having delayed rains and prolonged drought seasons.

Solutions

• Have water available at the farm, at least have a water source like a deep well or dam
• Plan for irrigation such that your plants can survive the long droughts
• Adopt best agronomic practices like making ridges, water conservation and harvesting

6. Access to Reliable Market

This is one of the most common challenges of farmers in Africa where they cant access reliable and consistent market for their products which also comes along with price fluctuations of most farm products.

This would be number one challenge if you asked farmers. They cant find the market and they are cheated.

However this challenge is sometimes caused by the fact that farmers cant produce consistently to supply the available global demand

Solutions

• Forming and joining groups of farmers for collective production and bargaining.
• Taking products to the market directly and avoid middle men.
• Doing enough awareness and marketing about our products, this can be done on social media and exibitions and local markets.
• Conduct Market research to understand if the enterprise you are doing has ready market in the target area of location.

7. Theft At Farms

This is a common challenge to framers mostly those with fruits and animals like chicken, there is insecurity at the farms and this affects the farmers operations.

We have had very many stories where farms have been attacked and items taken and you can imagine how this would hit hard the struggling farmer.

Solutions

• Having security measures at the farm
• Having a spy in your workers
• Fencing off your land
• Having dogs at the farm

Conclusion

Before you start farming as a business, you must be ready to prevent and control these major challenges that almost every new farmer is likely to face.

Contact us now to guide you professionally how best you can have a successful farm.

Comment with any other challenge that you face at your farm?