Ways You Can Earn Money Through Agriculture on Your Land
You inherited land and you’re confused about what to do with it? Or you were fortunate enough to get in on a good deal on land and you’re worried if you can profit from it. As someone who lives in Ghana, it’s more like a given to have heard about the endless monetary possibilities from agriculture that come from unused land or even a small farm.
Hearing about it is one thing, and having tested and proven tips in guiding you to earn money through agriculture on your land is another. We’ve put together a list of realistic strategies for all of you enviable landowners out there to make money through agriculture on your land. Keep in mind that depending on your location, land size, and other factors, some of these ideas may be more practical than others.
READ ALSO: From dreaming to doing: tips for setting up your own farm.
Let’s start.
Lease your land for farming
The cost of cultivation, knowing what to plant and when it’s ideal to do so, the type of machinery, and expertise to manage all these are enough to scare a lot of landowners away from getting into farming or anything agricultural.
If you’re part of these landowners who don’t want to go through all this ‘stress’ but still want to make money off your land through agriculture, leasing your land for farming is your best bet. Why? Because farmlands after their purpose can always be repurposed for something else with ease. This is a result of how the soil is managed due to how trees and crops improve soil stability, reduce surface water run-off, and prevent erosion.
Imagine leasing your land for mining or sand winning purposes and going back to it after the period. You would probably have to spend as much as you took for the lease to restore the land for any purpose other than what it had been used for. So lease your land for farming, make substantial money doing so, and get the land back in good or even better condition after the period.
Grow local demanded produce
Going into actual farming is still an option. As much as it may not be the most attractive option to you, it’s well proven to provide revenue (this is well elaborated in our last post). Nonetheless, before you do this, make sure to perform a detailed market survey research to determine how you are going to sell your produce, where you would be selling them, and who will be buying them.
Simply walk to your local market and find out the most demanded produce and how you can contribute to filling that void. This will help you in choosing the type of crop to grow which will already have the demand for it even before harvest.
Start a blog for your farm
Good publicity never hurt any business. As much you may have found your target market and realised the demand for your crop, starting a blog to publicise your farm can help you expand your farm. You will reach other prospective buyers other than just your local market and increase revenue as a result.
The extra prospective market will also assure you of selling all your harvested produce because let’s face it, you don’t have any contract with the local market that obligates them to buy. So what if they don’t buy your produce as expected? The extra prospective market will be there for you.
Lease part of your land to individuals looking to build a community garden
You may live in a neighbourhood where recreation is big deal, as it should be. You could be making money off your land by renting parts of it to the community to develop the community garden it so deserves.
Residents can use community gardens to help develop, create, and sustain community places. Due to the nature of this, your land would be maintained, you will get paid while enjoying a place of recreation, as well as making your contribution to the community.
Convert your land into an agriculture campsite
People are always in search of the next ‘vacation spot. Be it for a change of scenery, adventure, or disconnection from the digital life to reconnect with nature. Transforming your land into an agriculture campsite can be the get-away spot many urban dwellers in your region may be looking for. And that could be the revenue heaven you may have been looking for as well.
To transform your land into an agriculture campsite, you may need to invest in some simple bathroom facilities campers may need, water and electricity supply to the campsite, and some tents. Think of this expense as an investment creating a sustainable business that will render good revenue.
Organise a farmers’ market on weekends
Creating the opportunity for consumers to buy from farmers directly is always an idea consumers will love. This is because many consumers tend to believe market men and women or any other third party overcharge for farm produce. When there’s an avenue to avoid these middlemen, consumers will always take it.
Speak to farmers in your region, and pitch the idea to them about how they can sell a portion of their harvested produce to a ready consumer market for a small fee, and you should have a space full of farmers with fresh produce. Make sure to create as much publicity as you can. You don’t want a situation where the farmers end up just meeting themselves at the event with no customers to sell to. That will be the end of the farmers’ market.
Open your farm to the public
Up until much later in my educational life, there were many simple agricultural equipment and processes I hadn’t witnessed in real life. Even some crops. If you have a farm and you’re looking to make money from your land, simply organise an open-day activity that allows the public into your farm to check out some simple farming activities and charge a reasonable fee.
It could be the mating season for your pigs, manure application on your farm, or even harvesting of your roots and tubers. This creates and offers a safe space for adults and kids to see and interact with crops and animals up close; creating the farming experience. You may even make more money from this than your actual farm.
READ ALSO: How to Become a Complete Farmer Digifarmer
Ways to earn money through agriculture on your land may be numerous but these means above will help you with the revenue flow while maintaining your land for the long haul. If there are any agricultural land revenue means you think we left out, kindly comment and we shall be sure to include them.
