By SYCORAX TIYESA NDHLOVU –

IF I was asked whether farming is a rewarding career or not, I would say ‘yes’ and ‘no’ because it depends on how one approaches it.
And in this article, I am going to argue points for and against farming being a rewarding career.
This will demonstrate how profitable or unprofitable some farming enterprises can be in farming business. And at the end of it all, I will conclude whether farming is a rewarding career or not.
In this article, the words ‘rewarding’ and ‘profitable’; and ‘career’ and ‘business’ will respectively be used interchangeably.
With a land area of about 752,000 square kilometres, and holding two-thirds of Southern African Development Community (SADC) water bodies in terms of rivers and lakes, with vast fertile soils and favourable climate; and with a population of about 13 million people out of which 68 per cent are youths, Zambia offers a ready and rewarding farming career.
In farming, one doesn’t need high formal education for one to be employed. What one needs is just to inherit parents’ land or ask a traditional leader to offer you a piece of land or buy land from relevant institutions, owners or from government. But beware of illegal land allocation!
Once this is done, one can join farming as a career.
Additionally, farming as a career doesn’t need a long process of learning how to do something, certification, highly technical interviews and then being appointed for the job or not.
Therefore, contrary to many other careers, farming career doesn’t reject its job applicants. Once you apply to be a farmer, chances of being appointed to that position are almost 100 per cent.
Someone is arguing that farming is tough; adding that one cannot find capital or credit for starting farming business. Another one is arguing that that farmers, in most cases, look dirty compared with those in offices or those who are doing other careers such as businesses in towns and cities.
Such arguments can be true.
Yes, currently, farming has limited credit sources. And just as in any other career, it might take long before one starts enjoying farming business. And in the process one might experience some teething problems.
But when one starts small, works hard and knows what one is doing in farming career, one can get established within two to three years or so.
When established, farming finances itself while a farmer becomes a mere manager or director. Therefore, after settling down, one might need agricultural credit only for expanding one’s farming business.
Choosing farming as a career also depends on what one wants in life. Farming career is more sustainable than most other careers. Farming, when properly approached, gives regular and good income throughout the year; and for the rest of your life.
And the earlier you start; the earlier this regular income start flowing to you; and the earlier you start improving on your life forever.
One can also argue that farming is unprofitable considering how farmers; especially small and medium scale farmers are lamenting on maize producer prices which in the 2013/14 marketing season has been pegged at K70.00 per 50 kilogramme bag from K65.00 which was static maize producer price in the last three or so marketing seasons.
The unprofitability of farming business is by individual choice. Just as anyone can choose any other career or business that rewards or doesn’t reward handsomely, one can also choose to grow any crop or rear any livestock unit which can be profitable or not.
Therefore, as the Sakala Brothers sang: ‘Nikuvina mwamene waimverera’ meaning that ‘It take your pick’. If you deliberately choose a crop or livestock unit which offers low producer prices, it is your choice. And that doesn’t make the whole farming career unprofitable because there are some farmers who choose profitable crop or livestock enterprises who are happy with their respective farming businesses.
Before one goes into any career, it is important to find out which career has ready labour market. Similarly, when one wants to go into farming career, one needs to find out which crops or livestock units offer ready and regular good incomes. Knowing simple and cheap; but effective and efficient sustainable farming methods in farm enterprises is also important.
Go into a career, including farming, with informed decision about that career.
Arguing that farming can be tough, one might ask: ‘Which career is not tough?’
Although, farming can be tough like any other career, it gives ready, sustainable and gainful employment both to you and to the rest of your family members.
If farming wasn’t a profitable business, many senior Government officers and leaders wouldn’t have farms.
The former republican president, the later Levy Mwanawasa (MHSRIP) had a farm before and during his presidency. Most former and current ministers and members of parliament have farms. Most permanent secretaries and directors in government ministries have farms.
Even now, a reasonable number of people living in towns and cities including those who have retired have acquired land in the out skirts of their respective towns and cities.
If farming as a career wasn’t rewarding, could all such people be in farming business?
Above all, why do we have Zambia National Farmers Union (ZNFU) and Zambia Agricultural and Commercial Show if farming is unprofitable?
In addition to many different farmers benefiting from farming business, also look at many agricultural related firms serving many farmers and flourishing in Zambia. We have Zamseed, SeedCo, Pannar Seeds, Farmers’ Barn, Krein Karoo Seed Marking Zambia, MRI and many others. We also have many other companies selling livestock related feeds and drugs to different types of farmers.
As a result, we have different farmers growing crops such as maize, cotton, wheat, soya beans and others. In livestock, different farmers in different parts of the country rear chickens, rabbits, goats, pigs, sheep, cattle,  etc which they eat and sell.
In farming career, it doesn’t take many years before one becomes an employer. Immediately you settle within three to four years, you can start employing your own workers to help you with farm duties. At this stage, you stop toiling; and you become a manager or a director for other farm workers.
This is almost impossible in other careers.
So, if others are successfully and profitably doing farming, why are you languishing with the perceived high unemployment and high poverty levels when there is a free and ready career for your improved standards of living in farming?
Imagine if you have been looking for a job in town or in a city for the past five or 10 years. If you had started farming at that time you started looking for a job, you would have been an established farmer by now.
The point is ‘which career has no ups and downs? Why look for something you cannot find? Why look for something which when you find, it will give you less income or it will break at any time; leaving you languishing in high poverty levels again? Farming facilitates sustainable human development process.
When one writes like this, it doesn’t mean that one doesn’t appreciate what those who are unemployed per se go through in terms of biting high poverty levels. Actually, it is such high empathy and sympathy over the same sad development that one offers such alternatives career guidance and counseling to address the same challenges.
Most jobs in Zambia are basically casual type of jobs. And in monthly income jobs, someone determines how much you get regardless of what you put in while in farming, you are your own boss; and you determine how much to earn every month. The more efforts you put in; the more you earn. One doesn’t get a fixed salary in farming career.
What is interesting in farming business is that once you start it well, one can never regret; and will thank whoever advised him or her to start a farming career for such a piece of advice.
So, join farming as a career. Tell your son, daughter, nephew, niece, brother, sister, aunt or uncle that there is a rewarding career  in farming.
Grow crops that have economic producer prices. Choose livestock enterprises that attract good prices on the market.
Learn simple farm business management skills. Negotiating skills with traders in how much they should pay according to cost of production of your farm business is critical in successful and profitable farming business.
Therefore, if one approaches farming as a business, it is a highly profitable career. But if one takes farming as a tradition because one feels that he or she has nothing to do; and then approaches it casually, it might not help someone to improve on one’s life.
It is against such a background that Times of Zambia and this writer  is inviting anyone who is proud of being a farmer to come forward; and share his or her experiences in farming as a career or as a business for the benefit of others who doubt how rewarding farming can be.
Considering the factors discussed above and many others, it is easy for one to conclude that farming is a rewarding career. Let’s join farming before it is too late to do so.
( The author is a trained and career coach)
Cell:0976/0977450151, sycoraxtndhlovu@yahoo.co.uk