Today, it is becoming a serious challenge in Nigeria with the growing population of about 160 million from 6.5 billion of the world’s population, that less than 20 percent of the growing population is rich while the rest are poor. People need to ask themselves, which of these categories they belong.
Are you frustrated with your levels of earning, tired of being bossed around or afraid of being sacked anytime? Do you want to be self-employed? Do you need extra or part-time business that would increase your income? Then plan yourself out of employment.
Recently, the Nigeria Immigration Service in March 2014 exposed the high rate of unemployment in the 36 state capitals of the country with FCT Abuja 52,000 applicants applying for 4,556 job opportunities in NIS. With this situation on ground, it is a high time to embrace agriculture to reduce unemployment and also grow the economy bearing in mind that government can’t create all jobs needed in the system and that is why government is encouraging citizens on self-employment.
According to animal farm consultant and Managing Director, Jovana Farms, Prince Onebunne, you can make use little space in your backyard for animal farming. Many, who are into it, are making millions quietly and boosting the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
“At Jovana Farms, we encourage people to start small-scale farming because of its enormous capacity to touch lives. Large scale farming has also its own advantage, but it’s capital intensive and the risk aversion nature of our people has made it difficult for entrepreneurs to venture into it hence the high cost of food.
Onnebunne said, those who started it have achieved tremendous financial success from this relatively low-profile but forward thinking venture. Many of these small scale animal farming businesses have emerged because of the country’s sluggish economy that has compelled unemployed persons to look inwards.
Furthermore, “if one has any available space at the backyard, then you don’t have problem starting a small-scale farming. From mushroom, vermiculture and duck farming to raising grasscutter and snail; all these are passive money spinners. Nigerians can augment their income from backyard farming.
He said, currently, there is a wide gap in the food supply chain; the demand for vegetables and bush-meat in cities is high and growing as fast as the urban population. Besides, one can start raising mushroom, grasscutter and vermiculture for profit.
Developed countries like USA, UK, and Russia, as well as other developing countries like China, Mexico, and Brazil etc., earthworm culture, popularly called vermiculture is being widely practiced in small-scale and commercialized manner. Earthworms are very essential to agricultural development.
Daily household waste are either left or disposed together with all other wastes. If households can actually manage their waste well. They can make lots of money through the sale of worms to fish and poultry farms and production of marketable organic fertilizers to crop farmers”.
“Other opportunities are in mushrooms and antelope farming, it has become imperative to adopt mushroom cultivation for sustainable agricultural production and for the economic prosperity of the farmers. This stemmed from the fact that Nigerians are becoming health conscious by avoiding the consumption of red meat that is loaded with cholesterol. Mushroom is medicinal and very cheap to produce, the demand for healthy mushrooms are high within the region.
What investors need, is the knowledge to maximize the potential and tap into the market. Besides, rearing grasscutter, snail and earthworm is one of the most practical and versatile animals one can raise. They are cheap and easy to handle. To raise grasscutter, one requires at least N60,000. These include the cost of 1-male and 4-females grasscutters and their cage. You don’t buy food for them as in fish, poultry and pig farming because they feed mainly on grass. Snail farming is sustainable when done in an integrative system; snails eat wide varieties of food making them inexpensive to rear. One snail can breed up to 120-300 snails in a year depending on the specie. Jovana farms organizes nationwide sensitization training seminars on the practical ways of making it through small scale farming.
Source: Vanguard
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