Anyone can be a hobby farmer - from full-time employees living in cities to part-time workers who are farming for some benefits. In this article we talk about some of the crucial things you should know about/expect from hobby farming before you decide to start your own.
Hobby farming, as the name says, is when you start to farm as a hobby. It is taken up by individuals who are passionate about farming or any activities associated with it and enjoy living in the midst of nature. It is more of a personal project and varies from person to person, farm to farm. There is a limit to what you can achieve as a hobby, in your free time. Hence, hobby farms are generally small in scale. Larger farms require greater time commitment and management.
Anyone can be a hobby farmer - from full-time employees living in cities to part-time workers who are farming for some benefits. It all depends on the resources available and what you want out of the hobby farm. This brings us to the crucial things you should know about/expect from hobby farming before you decide to start your own.
1. Know the purpose of your hobby farm
Do you want to grow veggies for your food? Or some delicious seasonal fruits? Maybe you just need a peaceful place to relax while occasionally reaping the benefits of farm life? Be very clear about why you want to start a hobby farm, what you’ll do with it and what kind of a life you envision. The purpose may also depend upon the resources you have.
2. Your hobby farm cannot be your primary income source
Just like your hobbies cannot be your full-time jobs, your hobby farms cannot function as a traditional farms. Using resources smartly can make you some extra money from your hobby farming. You can also grow some of your own food and save money considerably. However, if you’re expecting it to replace your current source of income, take a step back and reevaluate. Hobby farming is a passion project and not a business.
3. Be ready to put in some real effort
This goes without saying. No matter what the scale, managing your hobby farm will demand time, work and effort from you. So if you can commit the effort, your hobby farm will brim with potential.
4. You cannot do it alone
Maintaining the farm cannot be done by you alone. You will need to hire additional resources to look after the farm in your absence. Even if you are at the farm full-time, you will need help from local farmers to know how it's done. In addition, you will need people to tend to services like water supply/management, housing maintenance and security.
5. You cannot abandon this hobby once you’re bored
Farming is unlike any other passion project you pick up. You cannot abandon your hobby farm once you’ve invested a great deal of your time, money and resources in it. Make a fertile land is not gone to waste if your passion fades. And if it does, be prepared to make alternate arrangements.
Farming is a very personal experience. There is no right or wrong way of building a hobby farm. If you love the farm life, respect nature, food and living beings and have the resources to start your own farm, by all means, go ahead and grow a wholesome hobby farm.
Considering all the benefits farming, In India, we are seeing growth of startups which are encouraging more and more urban people a chance to take up farming as a hobby by offering managed farmlands near Hyderabad, Bangalore, Mumbai, and near other Tier 1 cities. In the coming years we hope to see this trend growing further, drawing people away from the concrete jungles of the urban centers.
Suhail Bagdadi is the Marketing & Communications Head of Beforest Lifestyle Solutions, a company providing managed farmlands in India. He holds an Advanced Permaculture Design Certificate from Aranya Agricultural Alternatives and runs a 15-acre alphonso mango orchard along the Konkan coast, which he is converting into a food forest.