Many individuals who are willing to step into organic farming are confused or have many doubts. Today we will look into 8 pro tips that will assist any newbie organic farmers for kick starting organic farming journey like a pro.
Organic farming advantages are not hidden from anybody, but we all experience hesitations before starting something new, similarly our farmer friends may also feel hesitant in starting organic farming. Farming is known as one of the oldest noble professions. But with time, farming is somewhat going out of fashion.
In India, young generation is seeking other processions to make better lively hood. This is creating a void that needs to be filled for smooth economic progression of the country. For this, some innovation and opportunities are required to attract the new generation. However, many youngsters in rural areas is also taking farming as a regular profession and consider it as a full time career.
This positive view of agriculture has increased with the changing global scenario and rising food insecurity. Sudden hit of pandemic worldwide and ongoing war between Ukraine and Russia has increasingly spiked the demand for organic food. Here are eight tips for guiding you through the right patch for starting your organic farming journey.
- Know the Basics of Organic Farming
Learning the basics can truly make a difference for achieving your goal. To start with organic farming first step forward should be to understand the basics. It can help you in knowing the key basics and terms that you will encounter while performing day to day tasks.
It is also viable to interact with people who are already in the organic farming industry. Take part in farm training programs and visit farmer-meet-up. It will help you know other farmers experiences and what challenges they faced during their initial years. This could prove to be an added advantage and assist you in smooth organic farming journey.
- Overviewing your site
Your site can play a major role in making your venture successful. Same goes with organic farming, as your location will help you determine how well your prospect will succeed. Various factors like availability of regular water source for irrigation, soil quality and local biodiversity will help you in coming up with a constrictive plan to have a better quality yield.
Other factors may include proximity of local market from your farmland, irrigation process and local weather conditions also play a vital role in successful cultivation.
- Discover what your selected land is best for
Once you have bought your dream farmland, you will have to do some research in understanding the soil health for growing crops. Every region has its own exclusive climatic conditions which is suitable for specific crops.
Growing native crops can help you ensure better crop yield and require less labor, making your organic farming experience a little convenient. However with scientific advancement and improving techniques you can also choose to grow nonnative crops, but it would be a little challenging.
At times the selected farmland is entirely incapable for growing wide range of crops that the farmer is willing to grow. On such instances, there are numerous tried and tested alternatives for limited agriculture space like vertical farming, container cropping and intercropping.
- Get familiar with your local market
It is quite important to know the type of market that a farmer is looking forward to cater. At times the cultivated crops that a farmer is looking forward to grow may not have any buyers in the market. Knowing your local market and considerably growing the crops in demand and be a concluding factor for successful organic farming business.
Talk to local farmers and buyers, make relations and grow the crop which is suitable as per the demands of the buyers. It will help you earn better profit and will not lead to waste of time, money and your efforts.
- Preparing compost and nurturing your farmland
All great organic farmland cultivators wish to head start with a well-nourished soil. The condition of your soil can directly assist the sown plants to grow better. Use of synthetic chemical based fertilizers and pesticides significantly harm the environment and food that is grown using them. Food grown in inorganic soil is also not suitable for the consumers who use ingest food grown in such soil.
To organically improve the fertility of your farmland soil you can choose manure base fertilizers, compost of leaf and grass clippings and decomposed waste which would naturally revitalize your farmland vitality.
Many farmers generate onsite compost which saves a lot of funds and is also easy to carry around. Natural composts also helps in conserving water reduce weeds and produces minimum wastage.
- Make note of what crop you sow
Growing organic plants takes a bit more time to grow and requires some additional care from fungus and virus outbreak. But there are some techniques that require to be considered depending on the crop and farmland condition. Water is quite necessary for the plant to grow and every crop requires different amount of water as per the local climatic conditions.
A farmer should know how much water is required to grow a healthy plant. Over or under watering of plants can result in crop failure and may spoil the entire yield. So make a proper chart or a plan to water your selected crop and bypass the chances of crop failure.
- Seek Guidance from experts
You may believe this tip to be irrelevant, but as per seasoned experts seeking guidance can be crucial. Many times we have a great start, but get stuck in middle. Taking guidance from organic farming experts can help you come out of various challenges and even save your invested funds.
In today’s modern world, you can seek help online, or join communities and read different books to look for best solutions for your problems. Do remember taking help from others is nothing to be ashamed of, rather it shows that you are dedicated for achieving your goal and are willing to take no failures in life, so do take guidance whenever you get stuck in your organic farming production.
- Patience is the key to succeed
Many people who step into organic farming look for immediate results. Sorry to break it on your face, but organic farming is a play of patience and one who masters it will always succeed in achieving best returns. Growing organic crop is a tedious task it requires bit physical and mental strength.
Never get disheartened form challenges as you will defiantly have to face them. So be patient put your best foot forward and seek guidance if required, rest let the nature play its course and enjoy the fruitful results.
Hope these tips would pave a better way forward for your future organic farming experience help you secure your desired rewards. To know more about organic farming do visit www.nicheagriculture.com.