How to Start an Organic Farm and Greenhouse Business

Add caption

  An organic farm business has a potential to grow and succeed because
the demand for organically grown farm products is now on the increase.
More and more people are turning away from food products grown with
fertilizers and other chemicals in favor of organically produced food.
This is due to the increasing awareness of the multiple health risks
of foods grown with chemicals and additives.

Before organic farming became popular, it was done on small scale,
family run farms. But since the demand for organically grown food
products is now on the high side, many people are dedicating huge
expanses of land to organic farming.

Organic farming is better to the environment and is more sustainable
compared to newer farming techniques. So, not only can it make huge
profits from organic farming, but you will also help protect the
environment and the planet as a whole.

So, if you have spent years growing various plants and produce in your
family garden, you can turn your experience into a lucrative business.
No formal qualifications are required and you can get started even on
a small budget. Here are the steps involved in starting a successful
organic farm and greenhouse business :  

How to Start an Organic Farm
and Greenhouse Business

1. Get to know more about the business:

Your first step towards starting an organic farm and greenhouse
business is to find out more about the business to have a better
understanding of how things work. Running a small farm in your yard is
different from running a bigger organic farm. So, you need to
understand the extra input required to farm organically in a
commercial scale.

A good way to start is to contact the owner or manager of an
established organic farm. Tell them about your interest to start your
own organic farm and greenhouse business. Then ask important questions
about the business, starting from questions on how to get started to
those on how to manage the business successfully after launch.
Learning more about the business will help you understand and avoid
the pitfalls and challenges you are likely to encounter as you start
your own organic farm and greenhouse business.

2. Determine the type of crops to grow
Chances are that you don’t have enough land to grow a wide range of
crops. Even if you do, you still need to specify the type of crops you
will grow on your farm. These could be flowers, vegetables, foods
crops, herbs, or other plants.

Don’t just choose any crops or produce out of personal preference.
Conduct market research to learn what produce is popular in your area.
That is, figure out what farm produce sells well. You don’t want to
invest your time, energy, and effort in growing produce that nobody in
your locality wants to buy.

Find out what other farmers in your locality are growing on their
farms. This will give you an idea of what consumers in your locality
are buying. Defining which specific farm produce you will grow will
also help you better prepare your land for it.

3. Write a business plan:

Important details about your organic farming business will go into
your business plan. These include your mission and objectives, your
target market, your competition and unique selling proposition, your
management plan, and your financial plan.

A business plan may not necessarily guarantee the success of your
organic farm and greenhouse business, but it will significantly boost
its chances of success. Your business plan will serve as a
step-by-step guide to setting up your business successfully and
running it effectively afterwards.

 It will also help you understand if
there’s really a market in your locality for organic food products.
You can find lots of helpful resources online that explain how to
write a business plan. You can also search for free business
feasibility  that you can modify easily.     

4. Inspect your farm and
resources
Chances are that you already have a piece of land to use for your
organic farming business. But bear in mind that you need to have
quality soil and water because these are the basic things needed by
plants to grow well.

Check the type of soil on your farm and find out whether it is
suitable for growing your chosen types of produce. Also, check the
status of the water available to ensure it’s not contaminated and does
not contain chemicals that could harm your plants.

You also need to check your farm for sunlight penetration. Every inch
of your land must get enough sunlight, as this is essential for proper
plant growth.

5. Start planting Having taken the previous steps, prepare your land and start planting.

You will most likely need to hire some people to work with you while
preparing the land and planting your produce or as time goes on when
your farm holding as increased!

 If you are already into this farming
kindly share with us your experience so far