Growing up, I see my father farming, though he has another handwork. But farming is the main one. In the morning, he will always prepare for the farm, sometimes taking my brothers along to farm. I admire farming a lot, maybe because my father is a farmer and also because after what he has planted has grown and he has harvested it. He will hire a lorry to bring it home, and we children are always there to offload it from the lorry.
My father has been farming for many years, and he's learned a lot about the land, the crops, and the weather. He's very passionate about farming. I remember him telling us stories about how he used to farm with his own father and how his father has passed down the knowledge to him.
We don't buy yam, beans, maize, cowpea, and all those things in the market because my father always plants them. In fact, he will give some to family members and sell many of them as well. We always enjoy yam flour till another yam season. That's one of the reasons why I admire farming - we always have food at home and no need to buy again with our money.
And also, farming is a lucrative business because there's no way you won't sell, since everyone eats and we all need food to survive. Even before he harvests, people would have been asking and making bookings for yams, maize, and other farm produce he planted. Farm produce is not the kind of product you will buy with debt; his customers always buy and pay instantly.
You can still preserve some seeds to sell in the following year for farmers who also want to plant, and that's even more expensive than the ones you buy instantly to eat. I admire it, but I can't do it because of the stress. Maybe when I get money to rent or buy machinery for farming or pay for workers to help me with the farm work, I can consider it then.
But for now, I can't because of the stress of the farm. I remember when one of my brothers, whom my dad hadn't taken to the farm before, followed him to the farm. He came home crying and complaining about how mosquitoes bite him in the farm and how stressful farming was. Farm work is indeed stressful, but if you have workers or machines to help with the work, it will be easier.
Farming is not without its challenges. The stress of farming is a lot , from preparing the land to harvesting the crops. My father would often wake up early in the morning to tend to the farm, and sometimes he'd come home late in the evening, exhausted.
I admire farming because of its benefits and profitability. My father's experience and dedication to farming have shown me the importance of hard work and self-sufficiency. While I may not be able to do it myself due to the stress, I appreciate the value it brings to our family and community.