25 Mind-blowing Ideas For An Agricultural Entrepreneur Like You

25 Mind-blowing Ideas For An Agricultural Entrepreneur Like You

Are you an agricultural entrepreneur or student contemplating whether to stay in business or make a career change?

And if you haven’t made a business decision yet, what exactly is stopping you from going into agriculture?

Agriculture is an industry that is worldwide and affects the whole of the planet’s population.

There will always be a need for an agricultural entrepreneur like you.

At the current time, there are not enough students studying the subject at college to fill existing jobs.

This will result in fewer people with the experience to run successful agricultural businesses. This is something that more students should begin to consider.

The following reasons should convince you to start an agricultural business:

1. The Population Is Increasing

It is always a problem for businesses if their customer base shrinks. That is unlikely to happen with an agriculture business as the population is increasing every year.

By 2050, the planet will have about 9 billion people living on it. They are all going to need food and clothes and agriculture will play a large part in that.

Did you know that the current agriculture industry is worth about $3 trillion… huge, isn’t it? With this world’s population estimated to double in size by 2050, that figure is just going to increase astronomically. What does that tell you as an Agriculture Entrepreneur?

2. Variety in Agricultural Business

Agriculture is a very diverse industry with many different aspects.

Owning an agriculture business would reflect this and there would always be variety in the work.

This can be a great reason to start in this line. It is most unlikely you will ever get bored. You can even try to get different jobs without experience in the industry to gain experience in different types and this will let you discover what area you would like your business to envelop.

Agriculture is quite interesting and what accounts for that is well… diversity. There are just so many facets to it, from the crop cultivation stage ( rice farming, fruits farming, vegetable farming, grain farming…) to animal rearing ( poultry, dairy operations, snail rearing, piggery, honey production…) to processing (flour milling, juice production…). The list is inexhaustible! (I don’t want to bore you, so I’ll just stop there.😉)

Running an agri-business will not be boring as you can explore the various aspects such as utilizing dairy-processing equipment to create value-added dairy products, not to mention the ease at which you can diversify into other areas of Agriculture. The key is to find the aspect that most interests you and start with that.

3. Technology Is Helping To Make It Simpler

As with every other thing in the world, agriculture has been modernized. Innovation and technology have made farming infinitely easier and more profitable.

Technology is changing the way we live, and the agriculture industry is affected by it as much as any other. The vision many people have of a life in agriculture is many hours of hard work for little return.

That is no longer the case. Technology helps to automate many of the time-consuming, mundane tasks, leaving more skilled work for humans to handle.

There is also a common misconception that the equipment needed is expensive to run, and although this used to be true, now that gas oil can be used for agricultural machinery these costs have been reduced a great deal. Besides, you can also look at green alternatives which use far less energy overall.

No, don’t think crude tools, scorching hot sun and back-breaking work. Think of a chic farmer in an oversized straw hat and different machines chugging around your farm( hey, just joking 😜).

Well, the reality of modernized Farming is quite similar to the scene I painted above. With the advent of technology, innovations such as improved seedlings, scientific research, better farming practices and so on, farming can improve the expected yield of crops per acre. Farming has never been this lucrative.

Similarly, improved communication and transportation systems have positively affected the marketing and distribution of farm produce.

4. Agriculture Is Rewarding

Running a business in agriculture can be very rewarding. You know that every time you harvest a crop or take the wool from your sheep, you are making a positive difference to those around you.

Many people would love to have a job that makes them feel fulfilled. Agriculture is that sort of business.

It is also an industry that is simple to network and make connections in which can help towards making your business successful.

5. Good Profits For Any Business In Agriculture

If you have studied agriculture in college so that you understand what needs to be done, you should expect your business to return good profits.

When a product is in demand and there is no shortage of buyers, unless you are making mistakes somewhere this should always be the case – profit is certain.

It is an industry that grows with the increase in population, which is why it is a brilliant time to start an agriculture business.

Now the boom of this Industry is reflected in even garden-sized agri-businesses. They offer huge returns, up to 100% profit. The profitability even gets better as you employ business expansion strategies. Except something goes wrong somewhere… the bottom line is that agri-businesses are very profitable.

6. A ready and guaranteed market

With thousands of babies being born into the world every day, agriculture has a ready/guaranteed market. I say guaranteed cos food never gets outdated, does it?

The fact is, there are amazing opportunities for entrepreneurs who can facilitate the production and processing of finished and semi-finished foods everywhere. The business of feeding people can never go bankrupt, can it? The world has a lot of mouths to feed.

Apart from food, the fact that many other industries are dependent on Agriculture as a source of raw materials is a plus. Industries like pharmaceutical, clothing, construction, hospitality… even cosmetics get their raw stuff from the agricultural industry.

So, as long as drugs are being manufactured, clothes are being produced and buildings are being constructed and many other things are still being produced, there will always be a ready market for agricultural produce.

7. Agriculture is capital friendly

Perhaps the greatest challenge of new businesses is the issue of overcoming financial problems. Getting investments to start, kick things off and acquire capital.

Usually, with the word ‘capital’ comes this mental image of a fat bank account set aside for business, expensive & scary-looking machinery…blablabla. I guess this perceived notion is coupled with the fact that entrepreneurs sometimes find it difficult to obtain funding for their businesses.

However, if you want to start an agri-business you certainly don’t need to break the bank.

The agri-business is one of those rare businesses that you can start with low capital as an agricultural entrepreneur.

For your agri-business, think again about the word ‘capital’. Your capital might just be that garden patch in your backyard or a small rented space for rearing animals or even your food processor to blend those fruits. Yeah, things like that. Consider the stories of these agripreneurs who  started basically with what they had:

• Anna Phosa, a South African woman started her pig farm with just 4 pigs in her backyard and now owns a 350-hectare farm with over 5,000 pigs.
• Louis Larson started his dairy agri-business with just a calf but now owns 12,500 milk cows. Very humble beginnings, ain’t they?

Granted, the path to success for these and other successful agripreneurs hasn’t been a fairytale. It requires grit, determination and hard work but think of it, what business doesn’t?

For those of you who don’t fancy getting your hands dirty and producing from scratch, your little capital could also be useful for marketing, distributing or processing Agricultural produce as well. The low cost of start-up and operation means a greater profit margin, doesn’t it?😉

Start now, start small, and start with what you have. With these qualities, your agri-business is bound to be a success.

8. It is flexible

One of the most amazing benefits of owning an agri-business or being an agripreneur is that you can enjoy flexibility. It can be what you do on the side while you have a full engagement or it can be your main thing while you do some extra side hustle.

Whether you’re a student, a full-time worker or a budding entrepreneur just looking to start a business, You’ll not find it difficult to work your agri-business into your daily or weekly routine. 

9. Agriculture doesn’t require sophisticated expertise

Did I mention that you can start your agri-business with little or no formal training? You do not need a certificate to become a farmer.

Notwithstanding, the best thing is to read, learn and source information about the dynamics of the agri-business you want to go into. Knowledge is a strong power even in the Agriculture industry.

Take the time to network, connect, and get yourself into a community of farmers around you which is on the increase daily.

10. Staple food farming

One of the most profitable Agricultural businesses that agripreneurs venture into is the cultivation of staple foods. Crops like rice, potatoes and corn are stapled foods because they are very important foods that are eaten very often.

Farming staple foods either on a large or medium-scale basis enables you to meet the needs of the people in your locality. This will also help you to make a very handsome profit. The fact that these foods are eaten by a lot of people across the globe opens up international markets for you to export your crops to other countries.

11. Vegetable Farming

Vegetables constitute a great part of our daily meals. You use vegetables in your soups, salads sauces and sandwiches, don’t you? They are in high demand because of their high nutritional benefits and their importance in preparing healthy meals.

Vegetable farming requires little capital as you can start a vegetable garden in your home and sell your crops in your neighbourhood. You can also plant in large vertical containers if space is unavailable.

12. Fruits Farming

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Fruits just like vegetables are highly sought after and cultivating them is a lucrative business that is growing daily. Starting a fruit farming business on a reasonable scale entails you acquiring land for use as an orchard, growing and harvesting the fruits for sale or processing them into fruit-based products. You can specialize in one kind of fruit or you can have a mixed fruit farm.

13. Herbs ‘n’ Spices

You can plant herbs or parts of plants for medicine or food flavour. Herbs contain aromatic properties that your potential customers can use for medicinal, culinary purposes or perfume.

Being a herb farmer allows you to supply raw materials (your herbs) to various industries such as the Pharmaceutical, culinary, cosmetic and even and to doctors who practice herbal medicine. Cultivating herbs sure guarantees a huge income as they make great Agricultural products.

Likewise, you can grow herbs and other plants used as Spices to process into your very own brand of seasonings for food. Herbs and spices farming can be started with the right tools and a bit of space in your backyard, home, garage, shed…etc. Sounds easy, doesn’t it?

14. Nursery farm

You can grow and then sell different types of seedlings and Young plants to consumers, other Agricultural businesses and farmers.

15. Poultry Farming

Running a poultry farm where you produce eggs and meat from chickens and other poultry birds in reasonable quantities is sure to be quite profitable.

You can supply hotels, restaurants, bakeries, organizations, businesses even individuals with your produce.

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16. Abattoir for poultry

It’s a fact that many people who enjoy eating poultry meat don’t like the stress of slaughtering and preparing the birds for consumption themselves. Why not build a business around saving them the hassle?

You can get the birds live (it’ll help if you have a poultry farm), slaughter, clean, prepare and then freeze them ready to be packaged and sold to customers. You’ll have ready customers because, unlike the live ones, frozen chicken can be stored easily and used at will.

This also enables you to sell the birds bit by bit (kg by kg) at prices convenient for you and your customers. You can also sell specific meat parts (e.g. gizzards, chicken breasts etc.)

17. Raw food delivery/ foodstuff wholesaling

In this fast-paced and sophisticated world, convenience opens up yet another business opportunity. With many leading a hectic life, they’ll be grateful if you take the chore of grocery shopping from their hands.

You can buy different foodstuffs from the farms in bulk and then divide them into specific portions to be delivered to direct consumers. Your customers can pay in advance and then have groceries delivered weekly, bi-weekly or monthly in the comfort of their homes.

18. Fruit canning/ dried fruit production

Regardless of whether you grow fruits or not, you can also process fruits. You may choose to dry and can fruits which becomes a great fruit-based product. Then you can sell to consumers and food companies.

19. Jam/Juice Production

Aren’t fruits versatile? You can make many things from them. You can process fruits further into jam or juice and sell them in your locality to different consumers.

Health-conscious people are big fans of homemade jam or juice as they’re healthier with no preservatives at all and demand them in huge quantities. You can make these products, brand them and supply them to supermarkets or grocery stores.

20. Nut processing

Nuts – almonds, groundnuts, cashew nuts, walnuts etc.- are very popular snacks that many people love (including me!) The fact that most nuts are so tasty and have high nutritional benefits makes them more desirable.

You can buy nuts from farms or maybe grow your own. You can clean, pack and brand them fancifully and supply them to supermarkets and food stores.

Likewise, you can take it a bit further.

How?

By processing the nuts into finished food products such as processing groundnuts into peanut butter, and roasted cashew nuts. You can also dry nuts with Fruits and produce a dried nuts ‘n’ fruits mix.

Read: Learn how to get business contracts without hassles

21. Indoor fish farming

Don’t think you need a huge outdoor space to rear fish. You can practice indoor fish farming which is a good business you can start at home. Though it requires a lot of capital to set up, you’ll get good returns on your money.

You can start the business in a spare room in your home or your garage shed. Once you’ve grown your fish, create awareness about them and start selling.

22. Snail Farming

Another in-house agri-business that might work for you is rearing snails. It requires little capital to start but if you want to go large-scale, all the better. Snails are a delicacy in a lot of places and various companies use snail slime and shell.

Rearing snails is quite easy and once you expand, you can sell to individuals, restaurants, hotels etc.

Read 8 WAYS YOU CAN MAKE MONEY FROM BEEKEEPING

23. Meat Processing

You can get a variety of meats from slaughterhouses, clean, pack and freeze to sell. You can also process meats further into foods like canned beef, salted pork etc.

24. Organic gardening or farming                

You can grow crops or rear animals with only natural methods and sell to a select group of health-conscious consumers.

25. Compost production

With the increase of organic and eco-conscious food growers, many farmers need compost in large quantities. You as an agricultural entrepreneur can make compost heaps in your backyard and sell in commercial quantities to farmers and gardeners.

Compost is an essential material to increase crop yield and the great thing about it is that it can be made from everyday waste products from your kitchens.

Conclusion

So, there you have it! Please don’t think agri-businesses are limited to these. There are still a lot more out there. Sometimes it’s a matter of looking and seizing or creating agri-business opportunities around you.

There are now increasing numbers of agri-millionaires who have tapped into the amazing potential of the booming industry. You can too.

I definitely want a piece of the action and I’m sure you do too. What agri-business catches your fancy and what steps are you taking to start it?

Common, start making some baby steps to become an agricultural entrepreneur. 😉