The recent growth in awareness about agriculture in Nigeria as a commercial interest is said to be reducing poverty level and creating more awareness towards the prospect of investing in it as a big business, twice as much as any other sector in the country. Those who have seized this opportunity in various aspects of agriculture, such as poultry, fishery, animal husbandry, among others, are now counting their gains.
Nigerians can invest in vegetable farming and make good money, owing to the fact that most people love vegetables, especially as a result of its nutrients and nourishment to the body system.
Initially, the practice started with families growing vegetables for their own consumption or to sell locally. Vegetable farming without doubt has become a huge business opportunity for anyone to venture into, especially for women and the youth so as to improve their sources of income especially during this trying time.
One can start with a small land space before acquiring a very large one to explore a vegetable business, especially Jute leaf, popularly called ewedu among the Yoruba, ahingbara in Igbo and rama in Hausa. These types of vegetables are sweet and they come with a variety of flavors. They can be harvested anytime during the year in most places.
Over centuries, cochorus olitorius, which is the botanical name of the leafy vegetable, have been scientifically proven to be efficient in the improvement of certain conditions in man. It is rich in fibre and the regular intake of the leaves help to control blood pressure, cholesterol build-up and cancer among other diseases.
This aspect of farming could be described as one of the easiest agricultural engagements; any kind of edible vegetable is always in high demand all year round. Over time, vegetable farming has witnessed consistent improvement in the growing methods as new techniques keep emerging. One of the methods is the raised bed gardening, which has increased yields from small plots of soil without the need for commercial, energy-intensive fertilizers. Modern hydroponic farming produces very high yields in greenhouses without using any soil.
However, the most important factors that must be considered in setting up a vegetable farm include: site selection, quality water supply, crop and variety selection, and market development.
Site selection
Getting a plot of land close to a source of water will be very suitable to achieve a resourceful vegetable farming. One of the most effective means of reducing potential problems is through proper field site selection. However, field topography, soil type, and water availability and quality are the three key factors that should be considered when selecting a field to produce vegetables.
Water
This is the life-blood of vegetable production. Vegetable crops generally require water and more frequent irrigation than most other agronomic crops. Few vegetables can be grown successfully under dry land conditions. Therefore, only fields that have easy access to an abundant water source should be considered for vegetable production. The water source should have the capability to provide the volume required for the maximum needs of the highest water-using crop to be planted.
Market development
This is a major section of vegetable farming. It determines the financial might of the investor or farmer. It needs constant market survey, supply chain and networking to rake in the necessary cash as soon as the vegetables are harvested.
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