Want to be a millionaire? Try greenhouse farming

I have three greenhouses of 15x8 metres wide in which I am growing tomatoes at my home in Nansana. I set them up as a ‘backyard farming’ project, but the proceeds far exceed those of most full-time large-scale commercial farmers.  

 

I got inspired to get into green house farming when I visited Kenya a few years ago. I found out that many Kenyans in Naivasha and Nakuru were earning big from small, but intensively used spaces at the back of their houses. Most city dwellers in Kampala have got even larger space, which is unfortunately not utilised. 

 

You can grow any vegetable in a green house, including tomatoes, which I have now, cabbages, eggplants, onions, sukuma wiki etc. 

 

 

You need as little space as the one in your backyard. I put two of the green houses in the compound of my fenced-off house. This space is normally left idle in many homes. 

Greenhouse farming curbs most pests and diseases. 

It is difficult for pests to invade greenhouses because scientifically, most pests move with either water or direct sunshine, but since the structure does not receive any of this directly, pests are kept at bay. 

My own experience shows that although I planted the tomatoes 10 weeks ago, they have not been affected by disease. 

 

Your crops can yield 100 times more than those grown under open or ‘normal’ conditions. While tomatoes grown in the open yield 40 tomatoes, green house tomatoes can yield up to 200 tomatoes of an average 120g.  

Yields anytime

Since crops grown in green houses depend on irrigated water, you can harvest the commodity at any time of the year. In other words, you can turn it into a full-time job. 

 

Crops grown in green houses are much cleaner compared to those grown in the open that have scratches, hence lowering their market value. 

 

Tomatoes grown in greenhouses can be harvested three times longer. For instance, I will harvest tomatoes for the next 10 months.

 

You can farm anywhere because their growth does not depend on the surrounding environment.

 

Use local materials, especially for the basic role of holding the special polythene sheeting together. 

I use eucalyptus poles to construct the main frame, on which I have covered the special polythene setting. 

In simple terms, a 15x8 metre shelter costs not more than sh3m, including labour and an irrigation system. 

However, the cost may increase to at least sh3.5m if you include the seeds, fertilisers and pesticides. On the other hand, a fabricated shelter costs at least sh6.5m. Also, look out for seeds specifically created for green houses. 

 

People generally think greenhouse farming is too expensive. However, what actually seems expensive is the initial investment in buying the materials for the structure. 

 

However, these expenses are easily offset by the high yields that a farmer makes from the investment. 

For example, in 10 months, a farmer will averagely harvest 10 tonnes of tomatoes from a 15x8 piece of land. At the current price, a kilogram goes for sh2,000 in most super markets across the city, giving the farmer sh21.6m.

 

If the initial investment was sh3.5m including the drip irrigation system, with his yield, a farmer has recovered the investment in just one harvest and got abnormal profits. The materials that make the shelter have a lifespan of at least three years. For instance, by the time I examine my shelter, I will have made over sh63m. It sounds like a dream, but in countries were green house farming is heavily practised, it is a reality.