Diversification on the Farm

Today we’re going to talk about diversification of your farm produce.

Although the word “diversification” might be new to you, many of you have probably practised it for a long time.

By diversification I mean that you can have lots of things on your farm and that this can bring many benefits.

For example, you have several different crops and also some different animals like pigs, rabbits, goats, and chickens.

Perhaps you keep bees, and grow vegetables and fruits.

First, let’s look at the advantages of growing a variety of different crops in one season.

If a frost comes, for example, or a strong rain that damages your harvest, you will probably still have another crop that doesn’t suffer from the frost or the torrential rain.

So, to some extent, you will be safe from the risks that weather can bring.

Also, you will have fewer business risks.

Imagine that the price of one of your crops drops suddenly.

This happens often because if the price of a product is good one year, many people will choose to grow that crop the following year.

What are the consequences of everyone growing the same crop?

The price drops.

But if you have diversified, you will have protected yourself with the harvest of another crop.

So two important benefits of having many crops are that you avoid risks of poor weather conditions and uncertain market prices.

MUSIC.

The following story about two farmers — Mr. Francis and Mr. Simba — will demonstrate the idea of diversification.

MUSIC.

It is the beginning of the rainy season in Sun Valley.

Mr. Francis is planting his fields with a new variety of soybeans — a variety called Big Harvest Soybeans.

The new variety was recommended by the man from the Ministry of Agriculture.

It is said to have very high yields.

It is the only crop that Mr. Francis plants.

He is counting on a good harvest to make a lot of money and pay back some of his debts.

He has high expectations.

Now, Farmer Simba has also heard about the new high-yielding variety of soybeans.

But he is planting just one quarter of his field with the Big Harvest Soybean variety, to test it.

In the rest of his field, he is planting other varieties of beans — the kind his family likes to cook and eat.

In his garden he is growing vegetables, cassava, and yams.

And on a small part of his land, Farmer Simba is growing bananas and fruit trees.

MUSIC.

Now the seeds are planted, and the farmers wait for rain.

Fortunately, the rains are good and plentiful.

Farmer Francis and Farmer Simba work hard on their farms — especially their new Big Harvest variety of soybeans.

The harvest is good.

Everything the man from the Ministry said is true — the soybeans give very high yields.

But when the two farmers take their soybeans to market, they can’t get a good price.

The price for soybeans is very low.

Why?

Because so many of the farmers followed the Ministry’s recommendation to grow soybeans that the market was flooded with soybeans.

And the price of soybeans dropped.

How did these farmers cope?

For Farmer Simba things were difficult but manageable.

Only a small part of his land was planted with the new soybeans.

He had many other crops.

He didn’t make much money from the soybeans, but he could still provide for his family with the other crops on the land.

But Farmer Francis was in trouble.

All his land was planted with the new soybeans.

He had debts to pay, and very little income.

He had nothing else to harvest.

It was going to be a difficult year for Farmer Francis and his family.

MUSIC.

If you grow many different crops and crop varieties, you improve your chances of having enough food.

And many different foods make for better family nutrition.

Diversification makes you more self-sufficient.

You become less dependent on what happens outside the farm.

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