GREENHOUSE AGRICULTURE PRODUCTION
Problems with current farming system:
Problems with current farming system:
- Most farmers make little to no income in the winter months.
- The high start up costs for alternate cold storage is not feasible for small scale farmers.
- 1.5 million inhabitants must import fruit and vegetables from Pakistan during the Winter months for inflated prices.
Benefits of Greenhouses:
- Extend the growing season for farmers
- Makes weather and other environmental factors less of a problem for farmers
- Farmers able to earn a profit year-round
- Low start up costs, easy to construct
- Can be free is farmers have lumber, pcv pipe, and tarp that they recycle
- If purchased, supplies will cost farmer around $30- $100
- High rates of return ensure sustainability
- Planting costs-price of seeds and manure, remain the same
- Farmers can get premium prices during the Winter because they will still be cheaper than imported produce
Why Greenhouses Do Not Solve Our Problem:
While greenhouses would provide a reliable source of income and food security for people living in Kandahar during the winter months, they offer no solution to the issue of what farmers do with their produce once it is ready to be harvested. Farmers still lack a means to store their food, which is why we still recommend Evaporative Coolers.
http://home.costhelper.com/greenhouse.html
http://cropwatch.unl.edu/c/document_library/get_file?uuid=e748cf75-21ea-49d2-a8c2-a1617befb6c4&groupId=4362157&.pdf