A renewed interest in farming has emerged recently, with many people finding joy and income in working the land. In these modern times, there are also different opportunities to earn an income from farming, such as farming with insects or growing crops in small spaces on a small plot or even a shed in the back yard. Here we discuss a few new opportunities for people who want to work for themselves earning a living from the land.

1. Microgreens

Microgreens are one of the most profitable crops you can grow, but what are they? They are the shoots of salad vegetables such as rocket, celery, beetroot, and others picked just after the first leaves have developed.

They have become very popular with consumers because of their high nutritional value, taste, and visual appeal. Microgreens are a viable option for farming entrepreneurs because the setup cost is low, the growing cycle is exceptionally fast and the profit margins are considerable.

City-dwellers can join the microgreens farming bandwagon thanks to the minimal space required. Even a shipping container, basement, or garage will suffice, and the best part is that growing microgreens is easy – no expertise required!

Altogether your supplies should only cost you a few hundred dollars, with each 10″ x 20″ tray of microgreens and soil costing about $2. In addition to seeds, trays and soil, you’ll need some fluorescent bulbs, a timer for the lights, and some other minor equipment you probably already have around the house.

Out of a 10″ x 20″ tray, you can typically expect to produce 5 to 6 ounces of microgreens every two weeks. You could potentially produce 50 lbs. of microgreens every two weeks if you use racks with four shelves. At $20 per pound, that’s $1,000 every two weeks, or about $2,000 per month. From that starting point, you can gradually grow your business, offer more varieties, and earn more.

2. Hemp

Hemp and hemp-derived products are in high demand and the demand is bound to increase. The hemp is a cannabis plant with many possible uses. Hyperaccumulators, not bio-accumulators (although the terms are related), absorb high concentrations of various compounds from the soil. This makes them particularly useful for cleaning up soil contaminated with heavy metals. 

One popular use of hemp is the manufacture of CBD oil for the treatment of various ailments. Strict enforcement of state regulations protects consumers from purchasing contaminated hemp-derived CBD products. 

Hemp is a diverse crop that can be grown for its CBD content as well as other cannabinoids like CBG, both of which are thought to have health benefits. The hemp can also be can be used to make textiles, rope, and paper among other products.

Hemp farming is one of the most profitable cash crops. The yield of hemp grown on one acre depends on the type of cannabis and the purpose for which it’s grown, ranging from $130 to $75,000.  CBD-rich cannabis is the most profitable. Hemp grown for grain yields $130 – $750 per acre.

While it can potentially be very profitable, growing and harvesting hemp requires expert knowledge and deep pockets. Initiating hemp growth on land is a significant investment, costing between $8,000 and $12,000 per acre specifically for CBD production. For other purposes, the cost will be less. 

Here is an extensive resource on hemp farming for anyone interested in tackling this exciting crop.

3. Rabbits

Farming rabbits is a promising option for would-be small-scale farmers. Rabbits are kept for meat, fur, or wool. They provide high-quality, low-fat meat high in omega-3 fatty acids, which reduce cholesterol levels and protect against the risk of heart disease.

Keeping rabbits requires relatively small spaces, low upfront costs, and no special dietary needs. Rabbits grow very fast – 40 rabbits can increase to about 200 rabbits in six months. After mating with a buck, the gestation period of a doe is about 31 days. It will then give birth to between six to twelve kits. Experts advise not to start with a production unit smaller than twenty does and two bucks.

Set-up costs for this kind of farming are low. A batch of 40 rabbits, consisting of a mixture of adults and kits, twelve cages, feeders, waste pans, and PVC water pipes, and training will cost around $3,500.

The ability to easily raise large numbers of rabbits and sell them after a short gestation period makes farming with rabbits one of the most profitable farming opportunities. A single rabbit can bring in a profit of $30 – $40. With 1,000 rabbits, that comes to an estimated gross profit of $30,000 to $40,000.

4. Aloe Vera

Aloe Vera has come to the aid of farmers who have been losing arable land to poor rains, the decreasing level of groundwater, and soil degradation. An aloe vera, a cactus-like plant thriving on minimal water, breathes new life into unproductive fields by making them suitable for cultivation.

Aloe Vera is a medicinal plant used to treat a legion of conditions, including many skin conditions. The market for Aloe Vera products is set to grow – Brainy Insights predicts that the global Aloe Vera market will grow from $1.8 billion in 2021 to $3.4 billion by 2030 due to the increasing consumer demand for natural products.

Plants are a treasure trove of natural compounds with a wide range of applications in medicine and cosmetics. They are used as ingredients in everything from juices to ointments. Researchers are constantly exploring the potential of plants to develop new treatments and products. Aloe Vera farming is popular in hot, dry climates with low rainfall. South Africa, India, Pakistan, USA, UK, Canada, and Australia have thriving Aloe Vera businesses.

Aloe Vera is a tough plant that can grow in normal conditions without much care or fuss. To begin, two-acre land is enough to start an Aloe Vera business. On this size land, you can harvest around 25-30 tons of leaves that you can sell at a profit.

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5. Homemade weed killer

Chemical weed killers are toxic to the environment, posing a risk to birds, insects, and wildlife. There are loads of recipes online for homemade weed killer. You can experiment with some recipes, and create your own from common household products. Target your initial market strategically. Individual consumers and nurseries are excellent starting points for your weed control product. As your business flourishes, consider expanding to serve local farmers, creating a wider customer base.

Starting a weed control product business requires careful planning and focus. There’s an opportunity to develop solutions that minimize environmental impact while meeting customer needs.

If you’re interested in how to produce and sell weed killer or how to sell your product online, you can use this page as a guide for everything you’ll need to know.

6. Mushroom farming

Mushroom farming has exploded as more and more people discard meat for plant alternatives. The rising demand means that growing mushrooms is a profitable business opportunity.

The starting capital needed for mushroom cultivation is low and you don’t need special soil or a lot of space to develop a viable business. Indoor spaces like basements and sheds can be used for cultivating mushrooms. You need a special substrate of old wood or sawdust for the mushrooms to grow on. Other than that, all you need to do is control the heat and light. 

The basic kits for mushroom growing will cost around $50. In addition to that, you will need to buy spores, substrate, grow bags, disinfectant, and gloves. You’ll also need to install heating and lighting. That will do for a small business in the city. If you want to start a mushroom farm on a large scale, the initial outlay can be between $2,500 and $10,000.

Mushrooms can be an incredibly profitable crop, especially if you consider its short growth to maturity, which means you can have several harvests in a year. You could even plan it so that you have a continuous harvest to sell. 

Depending on where your mushroom business is located, you can charge from $5 to $15 per pound for oyster mushrooms. 

7. Fish farming

One of the most profitable and easiest agriculture businesses is fish farming, also called aquaculture. Fish consumption is surging and shows no sign of slowing down, positioning it as a prime protein source for the next two decades. Potential customers for a fish farming business include individual households, restaurants, supermarkets, and even the export market.

While the financial outlay for a commercial fish farm is quite high, you can also start small with several ponds almost anywhere, even your backyard! Advanced technology transforms fish farming into one of the easiest and most manageable farming enterprises by automating many manual tasks.

An added advantage of a fish farm is that it is environmentally friendly, causing no pollution or degradation of land. 

Starting a fish farming business requires considerable financial resources. For indoor ponds, you’ll need $1,000 to $3,000. Outdoor ponds will cost you between $3,000 and $10,000. In addition to this basic expense, you’ll need water, food, and oxygen for the fish. Oxygenating the water will require the use of a water recirculating or aeration system. An aeration system will cost between $1,000 and $3,500. An integrated water recirculating system is more expensive and can lift up to $100,000 from your pocket.

8. SPIN farming

SPIN stands for small plot intensive. The SPIN farming makes agriculture accessible to people in towns and cities who turn their backyards, front lawns, or neighborhood plots into vegetable gardens.

SPIN farming doesn’t require a significant investment like conventional farming. With intensive urban cropping practices, it’s possible to produce high- and low-value crops, and sell directly to local customers, restaurants, hotels, schools, businesses, and at local markets.

Some SPIN farmers manage to obtain several plots on which they rotate their crops to extend the time they can harvest. Others focus on high-value crops such as fresh herbs, lettuce, leafy green vegetables, carrots, and radishes, which are in high demand in urban areas.

Some SPIN farmers in the US grow food on multiple small plots, producing as many as fifteen different organic vegetables and herbs all year round and selling them at the farmer’s market. The volumes these farmers produce are not very high, but the quality of their produce is high so they can earn a premium on them.

With clever planting practices, SPIN farming can be profitable, especially since consumers are increasingly favoring fresh produce produced locally.

9. Lavender farming

Growing lavender for profit is possible on a commercial and a small scale. North America is embracing commercial lavender farming, although this practice has thrived for centuries in France and North Africa. 

Lavender cultivation thrives due to its commercial applications, including essential oil production and value-added products like soaps and lotions. One of the easiest ways to make money from this fragrant herb, is growing it for fresh flower bouquets or dried flower arrangements. This kind of business requires minimal monetary investment once the plants are established. 

Picking the flowers and making the arrangements is labor-intensive, though. However, it is a viable business – one acre planted with lavender can yield up to 12,000 bouquets per year, which can be sold for $10 each. Commercial farming of lavender earns farmers millions each year. 

Lavender farming poses diverse income possibilities. Farmers grow lavender to sell plants to nurseries, for its essential oils, or to make value-added products like soaps and cosmetics. Many growers sell to retailers, and at local farmer’s markets.

Lavender is easy to grow. It grows well in well-drained soil that’s not too rich. The best climate for growing lavender is the Mediterranean climate, with hot, dry summers, and mild winters.

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10. Bamboo farming

Bamboo is no longer an exotic product hailing from Asia, used for housing and scaffolding for high-rise buildings. It has become a substitute for hardwood since it grows faster than trees and is therefore, a more sustainable resource.

Stellar environmental credentials of bamboo are propelling the demand for bamboo products. It grows fast, doesn’t need pesticides or much water, and gobbles up carbon dioxide like nobody’s business. A bamboo plants sequester four times as much carbon dioxide out of the air as hardwood trees and produce 35 percent more oxygen.

Bamboo is incredibly versatile. Bamboo boasts exceptional versatility, transforming into textiles, flooring, furniture, paper, and a multitude of household items. However, creating these products requires factories and processing facilities. If there are none of these facilities in your country or area, you can still make money from bamboo by focusing on other bamboo products, including fresh bamboo shoots for canning, bamboo poles for building, bamboo crafts, and as landscaping plants for nurseries. Bamboo biomass can be converted into ethanol fuel. This offers an alternative fuel source.

The purpose of a bamboo farm dictates its eventual income. It’s possible to make around $60,000 a year by selling to the landscaping industry. You could sell your bamboo poles to factories and plants that process the raw material, or you could employ an industrial chemist and create your own process and then sell the resulting product to manufacturers.  

In countries outside Asia, the processing of bamboo and the creation of bamboo products are not yet fully developed. However, due to its qualities as a fast-growing and extremely strong material, its role as a sustainable material for homes, buildings, and a myriad of products will increase in the future, making this crop an excellent investment.