New Delhi: After quitting his tech job to pursue farming, a software engineer has realised that farming is a fulfilling profession but there are risks in it. The engineer turned farmer has highlighted the importance of family support and
and secondary income in carrying out successful farming.
In a Reddit post, the user said that he worked as a software engineer for 14 years before turning to farming ten years ago. He says that farming is a satisfactory profession but has advised people who wish to give up their jobs and pursue farming to consider the realities of the profession.
The Redditor wrote that farming is a difficult profession both physically and mentally. He wrote, “the margins are thin. Do it on your own, you may get a profit. Hire a labour, you may break even or loss.”
The user said that scale is important in farming. He said that there is less profit and less risk on farms smaller than 5 acres while there is more profit and more risk on farms larger than 5 acres. He said that crop selection is very important in farming.
He said that there are too many unknown factors working against a farmer. He emphasised how banana planters may be at a loss due to the Middle East war. He said that farming operates on delayed outcomes. “You keep investing for six months and then you get output,” he said. He also commented on the role of intermediaries, saying, “middle man is the king”.
The Redditor said farming requires an understanding of soil, pesticides, diseases, fertilizers, variety and timing the market. He said that “coming from farming family helps” and a novice farmer will learn a lot. “Do it if you have money, time and goals,” he said.
The user said that farming land is a bad investment. It doesn’t appreciate faster unless some other development is there. He advised farmers to “always lease land to test water. Do not buy to test.”
The user said that farming is a rich and satisfying experience. He said that family support is necessary for farming. Farming can be effective provided one changes his lifestyle and has enough secondary income.
Netizens React
The post drew mixed reactions with some users saying that farming is a difficult profession.
One user said, “Coming from a farmer’s family. They don’t know how hard is farming.”
Another user said, “My plan is not to do farming for profits. I will do it just to be close with nature and get good crops and food for my family.”
A user commented, “This is one of the few posts that actually separates the romance of farming from the economics of it. Most people underestimate how much of farming is risk management, not just growing crops.”
