Group Farming: Merits and Demerits
Food security and sustainable livelihood have been a major concern which increased the clamour for a better agricultural status globally.
As much as farming has topped the list as a means to sustainable living, we may not always have the capacity to sponsor all the requirements for a successful farming process.
However, there is a way that counters this challenge — Group Farming (the name says it all).
It simply means a group of farmers coming together to farm.
In this type of production system, all responsibilities are shared among the farmers involved, and all having equal rights to the profit and loss of the production.
This builds cooperation and strengthens the bond between farmers.
It also seems like an amazing offer for you as a farmer but since every venture has risks, you may ask — do the benefits supersede the risk?
Find out the merits and demerits mentioned below.
Some merits of group farming are:
It reduces cost for you — the capital and land cost doesn’t have to come from your pocket alone.
By sharing responsibilities like labour and farm management activities, you can invest (time and money) in other ventures.
There is more to be achieved when there are more hands.
Imagine the employment opportunity you will be creating for someone out there. It’ll be nice to have someone benefit from this venture also, don’t you think?
Now that you know the merits of group farming, let’s talk about the demerits.
Greed will always be a major challenge when money is involved; some farmers may get greedy and look for ways to get a higher percentage of the profit.
Some farmers may be ineffective — offering little to no contributions which may depress the efforts of others.
Not everyone values integrity and in this view, there may be a case of dishonesty.
Some could even hoard or sell-off farm produce in a conspiracy.
In the absence of unity and credibility, there are bound to be losses and the business eventually crumbles.
So, if you’re going to venture into group farming, be sure to get people who are credible and will not get their interest soiled by greed.
Do you have more questions about group farming or would prefer to invest in a credible group farming program?
Visit farm4me today to get started.
