Contest: What I would Cultivate If given a Free Land

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To be given a free piece of land is what every average person is dreaming of, opening an avenue for possibilities. It's also a chance to take advantage in investing in something unique, sustainable and profitable.
If I would be given a free land, I would like to cultivate cash crops that are sustainable and for a short and long term purposes. While the crops for short term investment will leverage on the running cost and production management, the ones for long term project will take care of the profit opportunity and serves future goals.

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I would invest in plantain plantation and Oil palm production. Plantain is a food/cash crops that do not require too much tendering and can survive in an optimum weather condition. While Oil Palm plantation can also be managed with low capital investment, minimal managing cost without much ado during its early growth period.

What would you cultivate if given a large expanse of land?

If I would be given a free land, I would like to cultivate cash crops that are sustainable and for a short term and long term purposes. While the crops for short term investment will leverage on the running cost and production management, the ones for long term project will take care of the profit opportunity and serves future goals. I would invest in plantain plantation and oil palm production. Plantain is a food/cash crops that do not require too much tendering and can survive in an optimum weather condition. While oil palm can also be managed only during the nursery period and after that it can survive on its own irrespective of any weather condition or pests.

Why did you choose that particular plant/crop?

Those two crop plants have a viable record of economic importance and profitability. They are both easy to cultivate, manage, quick to sales potential and constitute a high yield. The cost of production of both crops are low compared to other cash crops of equal value. They are food crops that can sustain the family for food and quick money once they are matured enough for harvesting. I choose them because of growth potentials and yielding period.

How long will it take to mature and harvest?

Plantain is a perrrenial crop crop that has a pseudo-stem growing from underground with green leaves. It takes about 9-12 months to mature for harvesting after planting. It thrives in well-drained fertile soil with a warm climate. It is typically harvested when they fruit is fully matured but looks green. The bunch would be cut off from the stem using a sharp matchete. Plantain can be harvested more than 10 times in a year, depending on the length of the farm, varieties and growing conditions as one plantain stem can split into ten more seedlings. While it takes about 3- 4 years for oil palm to mature for harvesting and can continuouly yielding fruit in a period of 25-35 years, requiring a humid tropical climate condition and a soil that's fertile. Oil palm produces fruit in clusters called bunch. Each bunch contain multiple small fruits. Harvesting is done manually with a tapper climbing using native raffia cord to wrap-held himself with sharp matchete to cut down the bunch which fruits are later processed into palm oil and kernel sold in the value chains.

What are the common pest and disease of that plant/crop? Also share how to control it.

The common pests of plantain are banana weevils, nematodes and thrives which can cause damage to the roots, pseudo stem and fruit. The other disease such as Sigatoka, a fungal infection can affect the leaves by reducing photosynthesis causing the leaves to look yellowish.
This can be controlled by using cultural practices such as crop rotation method, mulching, and various biological control methods.

For oil palm the major pests are rhinoceros beetle and the red palm weevil damage the crown and reduce yield. While ganoderma basal stem rot caused by pathogens kills the trees. These disease pests can be controlled by proper sanitation, adequate monitoring, proper drainage system and spacing during nursery and cultivation period.

If I'm given a free piece of land I would cultivate crops that are for economic importance, sustainable and for a long term purposes. By combining oil palm and Plantain plantation as two powerful cash crops to boost productivity, increased yield, profit and sustainability. The land land would be an example that agricultural investment isn't all about subsistence production but also on the ground of high commercial purposes that can sustain communities and drive the general economic growth having additional value to the GDP.

I invite @goodybest, @eveetim @josepha to join me in the contest

Cc: @lhorgic