Watermelons are a simple crop to grow and generally thrive in hot and humid climatic regions. Watermelons are generally consumed by all sections of society and are quickly gaining popularity with health activists. Marketing watermelons is generally easy as commercial entities and informal vegetable markets easily retail the crop. In a country engulfed with liquidity challenges, one may consider watermelons as an alternative stream of income source. This guideline is, therefore, designed to assist the reader with the fundamentals in order to obtain good returns.

This podcast is also available as a blog post here: https://zaszambia.wordpress.com/2021/09/26/a-step-by-step-guide-to-growing-watermelons/

Carrots provide both backyard and commercial farmers with a relatively easy crop. Carrots are a good option to farm as they can be produced on small tracts of land and are not very heat sensitive. There are 4 types of cultivars of Carrots which can be farmed. The classifications are based on root shape and storage capability.

This podcast is also available as a blog post here: https://zaszambia.wordpress.com/2021/09/24/a-step-by-step-guide-to-growing-carrots/

Although mushroom growing is not generally regarded as a traditional activity in Africa, the collection of wild mushroom is! Traditionally these were collected at the start of the rainy season and knowledge of which types were good to eat and which were poisonous was shared between young and old within the community.

This podcast is also available as a blog post here: https://zaszambia.wordpress.com/2021/09/22/a-step-by-step-guide-to-growing-mushrooms/

Butternut belongs to the cucurbit family of vegetable crops. It falls under the botanical group of Cucurbita moschata. The crop is a very nutritious vegetable whose fruit can be used with rice dishes and for making starter dishes such as soups. Butternut is a potential cash crop as it has a long shelf life.

This podcast is also available as a blog post here: https://zaszambia.wordpress.com/2021/09/20/butternut-production-tips/

The primary reason for one to set up a business of any kind is to realise profits. Careful planning, judicious and methodical execution of the plan always precedes the successful realisation of good returns for every dollar, time and effort invested in the business. The farming business is no exception to this rule and like any other venture it ascribes religiously to these tenets. Whilst it remains true that there is money in farming, it should however be borne in mind that the money is only extracted by those individuals who carefully approach the farming business from the correct angle, with the right attitude and readiness to invest a good measure of patience. The discussion that follows hereafter seeks to single out some of the major considerations that a new farmer should look into when starting a new farming business.

This podcast is also available as a blog post here: https://zaszambia.wordpress.com/2021/09/18/how-to-start-farming/

There are numerous milk producing goats available around the world. Goat milk is very healthy and nutritious. So nowadays most of the people prefer to have one or a few milker goats for their daily family consumption.

This podcast is also available as a blog post here: https://zaszambia.wordpress.com/2021/09/12/8-best-goat-breeds-for-dairy-production/

How you manage your farm is very important if you really want to prosper through farming. If you can manage your farm well, you can be successful in farming.

By virtue of my assignment, I move around a lot and I have spoken with so many farmers – both the successful and the struggling ones. The difference most of the time is the management patterns.

This podcast is also available as a blog post here: https://zaszambia.wordpress.com/2021/08/18/6-top-farming-management-secrets/

Mahlatse Matlakana is a 23-year-old young woman with a passion for green pepper farming.

She describes her love for farming as a ‘bittersweet love story.’

I decided to take a gap year and farm green peppers for fun.

At the age of 15, Mahlatse began working in the neighbouring farms of Arrie Village in the Blouberg municipality during school holidays to support her unemployed mother and two younger siblings.

Five years later, and a few lucky breaks along the way, Mahlatse now leases an 8-hectare farm and produces green peppers for four national food wholesalers.

This podcast is also available as a blog post here: https://zaszambia.wordpress.com/2021/08/29/mahlatse-23-feeds-the-nation-with-her-green-peppers/

Are you looking for a great way to fertilize your tomato plants this year to grow your biggest and best crop ever? We have you covered in this article!

Tomatoes are one of the heaviest feeders of all vegetable plants in the garden. Not only do they require nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium to grow and develop, but they also need calcium, magnesium and a host of other micro nutrients to thrive and produce.

Unfortunately, no matter how rich and fertile your soil might be, there are rarely enough nutrients available to power an entire season’s growth to its fullest potential. You need to provide your plants with a little boost of fertilizer.

This podcast is also available as a blog post here: https://zaszambia.wordpress.com/2021/08/14/how-to-fertilize-tomato-plants-right-heres-how-to-grow-your-biggest-best-crop-ever/

If you’re a poultry farmer or planning to go into the poultry industry and you have been having challenges then here are some tips for you.

This podcast is also available as a blog post here: https://zaszambia.wordpress.com/2021/08/24/6-top-reasons-why-people-keep-failing-in-poultry-farming/