There’s no doubt that times are tough.
Ask anyone and it’s likely you’ll find that most have taken measures to cut back. Growing a bit of food, no matter how much, certainly helps. But what if that little bit became a bit more?
I’m sure that there are among my readers those who have parlayed a mere hobby into something a bit more lucrative. Imagine a small swatch of land just to the side of your house.
There are no doubts that many Bajans are putting that patch land to work and, at the same time, putting a few extra dollars in their pocket.
It wouldn’t take much to get rolling, perhaps a conversation with a friend or neighbour. A passing reference to the absence of, say, parsley or thyme in the supermarket and voila, there’s your chance, an open door.
Your neighbour needs parsley, you can provide it, fresh and affordable – a win-win proposition. Next thing you know, your neighbour has spread the word and others come calling; a small start to a micro-business with great potential.
There are likely also those with businesses of varying size who have incorporated a “home-grown” element. For those who produce the various available sauces and seasonings, there should be an obvious cost savings in sourcing ingredients locally or, better yet, growing them themselves.
Small-scale hot sauce producers, seasoning manufacturers and those who produce jams and jellies incorporating as many local ingredients as possible give our agricultural sector a ready-made outlet.
Striking up a business relationship, even with the smallest of producers, will be mutually beneficial to both parties, the grower and the manufacturer.
There are also other micro business avenues for kitchen gardeners. Perhaps you are particularly adept at building containers for gardening.
For sure, I’ll admit, I am not one of those people. For the creative types out there, especially those handy with tools, I can envision that building and selling containers could be a lucrative enterprise.
A word of caution, though; products such as containers have to be affordable and built to last. There’s no kitchen gardener, at least among my readers – if I’ve taught them right – who in their right mind will spend big bucks on a blue barrel cut lengthwise; perhaps only if the barrel grows the vegetables for you. If you are ingenious, quick and savvy, there’s money to be made.
My advice is that if you are particularly keen on cultivating a micro business related to kitchen gardening or agriculture, start small and steadily grow, stick to your word, honour your commitments and, most importantly, as the saying goes, “Don’t quit your day job” quite yet.
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