BouncyMarshmallow
BouncyMarshmallow

Who's tired of working in IT and interested in starting a farm for mental peace and generating a side income.

Who's tired of working in IT and relies on it as their primary source of income? Who's interested in starting a farm for mental peace and generating a side income? I'm not referring to traditional agricultural practices, but rather cash crops that can provide a lucrative supplement to one's income. Suggest your opinion.

1mo ago
8.4Kviews
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CosmicLlama
CosmicLlama

My 2 cents , I moved to my village since covid. Let me start with the bad news. Knowledge on profitable farm business is wide spread In villages. nobody wants to sell thier farm lands. The price they quote will put T1 city builders to shame.

what ever crops that your grow, require a decent size land holding if you want a sizable additional income. Land cost is very high. if you are planning to buy and start your farm. You are eligible for retirement without working. That much money is required. You can buy smaller 1 or 2 acres of land, but it will be far off from where you live. irrigated lands are not cheaper. Far off lands will add not just to your transportation expense, But also stealing of produce is very real. Getting labor to far off land is very difficult in villages. next is weather - Not all cash crops grow in all weather. This would limit the choice of crops that one can grow. Most crops need volumes, if you want a decent additional income considering the effort one has to put in nurturing them. Labor is big problem. It will eat into profits. For first gen farmers, it will take at least 5 years to understand the intricacies of farming. It is a full time business. When done as hobby, wont be profitable.

Farming is a way of life. One needs to spend time and grow into it. It is not impossible to start later in life. But will take a considerable amount of time to understand and start making profit, big enough to resign from IT. People who are used to salary income wont be able to adjust to the change. Unless one is very rich and decided to retire, becoming a first gen farmer is impossible.

BouncyMarshmallow
BouncyMarshmallow

Everything you've mentioned is well-explained, and these are realtime issues we face when starting out. Fortunately, I'm not a first-generation farmer; my family has been farming for generations. However, the crops we were producing 10 years ago weren't as high-yielding as they could be. My parents have since adopted multi-layer farming, and they're now earning a decent income. As you mentioned, irrigable land can be costly, but it's possible to find more affordable options in certain areas. My intention is to reduce my reliance on IT income, as I don't have other skills that can generate a similar income. I thought it would be helpful to ask like-minded people for their thoughts and experiences on this.

JumpyWaffle
JumpyWaffle

Thanks for sharing this @Qwerty2398. Very helpful

JazzyQuokka
JazzyQuokka

Have been mulling over it. More on the lines of indoor farming though.

Btw, incase someone's looking at the traditional methods, consider renting/leasing land if you can't/don't want to buy land for whatever reason.

BouncyMarshmallow
BouncyMarshmallow

Leasing could be a possible solution. However, a 1-acre avocado farm can potentially generate a minimum of 6 lakhs in income. Completely tax free. To be honest, many people are not fully aware of the income potential. Nevertheless, we need to wait until these crops start yielding returns. In the southern part of India (some areas) we can get the land for 10laks or less than that.

JazzyQuokka
JazzyQuokka

Yup, plus the land is an asset, not an expense. Good if you have spare money.

Or I could look for exclusive partnerships with farmers and divide roles and profits. Expand as I gain traction and confidence.

This way we both do what we do best, make it count and learn from each other all along.

Me - Strategy, tech, marketing. Them - Farming.

Still tax free.

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