By the time of my retirement, I had planned business and non-business activities to engage in during my retirement period. Some of the activities could not be successfully implemented because they were corporate activities in nature and required a lot of my time. This was contrary to the purpose of my retirement to release myself from the pressure of work in the corporate environment so that I could engage in activities that I love doing at my own pace. I quickly realized that pursuing activities in the corporate environment would create a lot of pressure and stress in my life. I needed work that gave me a lot of flexibility and less stress. This involved doing work that I loved doing not necessarily for money but for the health of my body and mind.
Doing work, I love
I have found out in practice that I could easily live in a state of abundance during my retirement if I engaged myself in activities that I loved doing and sharing my knowledge with the community. I have realized that It is not only having adequate retirement funds that matter a lot in a successful retirement. It also matters what I spend my resources on and the impact on the community. It is quite fulfilling when I spend my retirement time on activities that I love doing. The activities that I love doing include the following among others;
- Backyard gardening;
- Fish farming;
- Environment protection;
- Value addition at the farm level;
- Forest farming;
- Bamboo farming and
- Living with nature.
The purpose of this article is to share the lessons I have learned when practicing backyard farming and to encourage you to get involved in backyard farming before and during your retirement.
Farming in limited space
You do not require a lot of space to get involved in farming. The majority of people tend to think that farming requires a lot of land and they therefore rule out engaging in farming because they do not have adequate land. They forget the small underutilized spaces around their homes can be used for backyard farming. Backyard farming is the practice of utilizing any kind of space available around a home including the balcony to grow and produce food for own use and the excess for sale. Farming therefore can be done on both small and large scale levels depending on the size of land or space you have. With limited space, you can grow crops either on micro-farms planned on the ground or in various containers placed on the ground or suspended around the home.
Growing specific foods
There is happiness and self-satisfaction when you grow your food. Backyard farming enables you to grow specific foods for your use that are free from chemicals herbicides, pesticides, hormones, drugs, and genetically modified organisms(GMO). In addition to the above, the practice enables you to share backyard farming experiences with visitors and the local community.
Fresh foods readily available
Backyard farming makes fresh foods readily available at home instead of looking for them either in the local markets or supermarkets. They can be harvested for eating at any time during the day and night. This saves both the time and money you would spend in buying food. It also enhances family satisfaction because of consuming home-grown fresh foods. During the dry period, the crops in the backyard farm are irrigated hence making fresh foods available around the home throughout the year.
Healthy activity
Backyard farming provides an activity for the family that includes preparing the farms, preparing nurseries for seedlings, planting seedlings, maintaining the farm, watering the plants, and final harvesting of plants for food. Engaging in farming is a healthy exercise for the family.
Plants grown
I highly recommend that you start by growing crops that will enable you to meet your family’s fresh food requirements. You should only venture into growing crops for sale when you have gained a lot of experience in backyard farming. The crops that can be grown on the backyard farm are many and include the following among others;
- Carrots;
- Tomatoes;
- Different types of peppers;
- Different types of leafy vegetables;
- Spices;
- Herbal plants;
- Beetroot;
- Cabbage and
- Onions
Living with nature
It is a wonderful experience to live with nature. Nature makes you fresh and healthy as it has a positive impact on both your body and mind. Nature improves your immunity, mood, and mental functions. It reduces stress and many causes of depression. The plants provide both food and medicines. Nature includes all living and non-living things that are not made by man and processes and events that are not caused by man. Therefore, nature creates ideal conditions for a healthy life and you will certainly enjoy a healthy life if you get involved in backyard farming.
Backyard farming enhances family savings
The family makes some savings when foods are grown at home in terms of both time and money. I would be buying the same foods expensively from the market had I not grown them at home. In addition, the surplus foods are sold to the neighbors for cash. The money saved and the proceeds from the sale of the surplus foods can be invested in other projects
Conclusion
Backyard farming has a lot of benefits for your body and mind. I therefore recommend backyard farming practices to you for your adoption.