3 Advantages of Greenhouse Farming in 2023
Like you, many are afraid to invest in agriculture for reasons such as:
- High production cost
- High production risk
- Disease and pests affecting production
- Most outputs are seasonal
These shortcomings and more have troubled both small and large-scale farmers. To combat these worries, greenhouse farming came into existence.
What is Green House Farming
Greenhouse farming refers to the growing of plants or crops in a structure with walls and a roof made of transparent material. Greenhouses vary in design based on location and purpose. Greenhouse microclimate is customized to fit the production of a particular crop.
Advantages of Greenhouse farming include
1. High and consistent yields.
Within a greenhouse, the microclimate is optimized to boost crop production and there is efficient space management both vertically and horizontally. These lead to a drastic increase in the total harvest as crops mature fast and produce more. Also, the greenhouse is not dependent on the external environment and production is done all year round with no consideration of seasons.
2. Reduces the cost involved in production.
Precision agriculture is practised in a greenhouse i.e. everything applied is calculated. soil analysis is done and appropriate fertilizers are recommended based on the soil and plant requirements. This limits the excess use of fertilizers. Drip irrigation is used which is ideal for water management. Greenhouse farming does not require a huge surface area for greenhouse farming is all about using the least space to maximize production. All these practices go a long way to curb the cost of production.
3. Reduces the risk involved in production.
Since the greenhouse is an enclosed environment, it is protected from pests such as insects, animals and other disease causative agents. This helps in reducing the amount of pest control chemicals used. The greenhouse not being exposed to the external environment auto-protects the farm from disease outbreaks in the area.
These are some of the advantages of greenhouse farming. What are some of your thoughts about greenhouse farming?
