You may be wondering what I mean by remote farming. Remote farming is what most wannabe farmers in urban areas are practicing today. You may refer to it as mobile farming or ‘telecommuting farming’. Here’s an example for you: Tom in Nairobi sees an attractive farm post online of someone allegedly earning big money from poultry farming somewhere in Kajiado.
Tom is enthralled, after that he’s not the same person anymore. He’s done mental math and even the paper one and seen the math. So he visits his bank and asks for a loan. Tom’s loan application is successful and with the money he sets up an amazing project back home, hires a couple of guys to manage it for him while he returns to the city to gloat and pass around photos of his moneymaker.
In the months that follow everything is going well, the farm is running smoothly, according to the glorious photos the workers are sharing with him on WhatsApp. He’s really excited at the progress and at the good job his employees are doing, he even kills the planned farm visit to see from the ground.
But after sometime, the sales starts dwindling, alarmed he takes an impromptu visit on the farm and ambushes the workers. The state of his farm shocks him. The once fancy farm is only a shadow of it’s former self; reduced stock and the available one in very bad shape. And the books don’t add up!
Tom is heartbroken. He still has a loan to pay, remember.
To cut long story short, that is what happens when you put too much trust in technology and humans. Farming as a business is a risk in itself. You are taking a big risk taking that loan for that startup, taking another risk with employees is one too many.
Just remember that farm or that project is your business and you are the CEO, and as the CEO, you have to be present every once in a while. YOU HAVE TO BE ON THE GROUND. You have to make sure the feed is purchased, and the feed is of the required quality. You have to confirm from the vet everytime he visits the farm. When the sells are made,you have to check the books and ensure everything adds up.
I know mobile phones have made everything easy but it can’t do everything for us. Don’t forget the same technology has brought photoshop and if you have a savvy employee, then you might end up receiving cooked photos of your stock and even cooked books.
This post is for all wannabe farmers out there, those in Nairobi and other places. It’s not meant to scare you in anyway to not to venture into farming, or put less trust in your employees but to remind you that you are the number one employee on your farm. If possible visit it once a week or even a month. Let your presence be felt and you won’t regret.
Trust me I’m writing from experience. You should see the state my piggery is in, how scrawny and ugly the pigs look. I wish I had the strength to share with you the appalling photos.