‘I’m fighting climate change with horticulture biz’

Alhaji Ibrahim Musa is the managing director of Yarib Garden, a horticultural farm along Ring Road Junction in Jos, the Plateau State capital. From afar, the lush garden is an attractive sight to behold with birds chirping away within. Thorny trees make a fence around the area, from where a variety of beautiful flowers are […]

Alhaji Ibrahim Musa is the managing director of Yarib Garden, a horticultural farm along Ring Road Junction in Jos, the Plateau State capital. From afar, the lush garden is an attractive sight to behold with birds chirping away within. Thorny trees make a fence around the area, from where a variety of beautiful flowers are displayed and white plastic chairs for customers standing by.

Dressed in a white T-shirt, pair of black trousers and rain boots, Musa toiled to separate different species of the plants. He explained that horticulture is a family business that he has been into for a long time. “I started Yarib Garden in 2011 with the aim of fighting global warming, not only in Jos but in Nigeria,” he said, adding that horticulture as a business is growing gradually because people are getting aware of its importance.

Musa has a variety of plants in the garden: “I have acacia, palm trees, potted indoor plants, moringa trees, red and yellow rose flowers, and aloe vera among others. I also have fruits such as oranges, guava, cashew, pear, lime, and tangerine, among others.”

The manager also revealed that the price of the plants and flowers ranges from N50 to N200, 000 and more. “There are different types of acacia, and they have the ones of N10, 000, N20, 000, N30, 000, N50, 000 and N100, 000. This depends on the specie a buyer wants,” he said.

On the challenges facing Yarib Garden, he lamented that “there are a lot of challenges, but our major bottle-neck is inadequate water supply to water our plants. We get water from wells and boreholes to water our plants, but during the dry season they dry out and we have to buy water.”   

But do costumers patronise the business? Musa explained that patronage is fair. “Even though there is low circulation of money in town, people buy potted indoor plants, trees, fruits and moringa among others,” he said. “Flowers are important because they beautify the environment and create an atmosphere for one to relax and think. This is why they are ideal for gardens and parks,” he added.

Musa also said trees are important because they protect buildings whenever there is a strong wind or excessive rainfall.  “Also, when you have flowers and trees in your house and you have an event, there would be no need to hire canopies because they serve as shade,” he intimated, adding that some of the plants he grows, like moringa, aloe vera, and acacia have medicinal value.

On how to start a horticultural garden, he explained that there are many factors to consider, such as understanding the climate of one’s area, whether the weather is favourable and also devising a plan on types of plants to grow. 

“Make sure you have written down your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT Analysis). This analysis also involves your farm’s weaknesses, strengths and areas of possible improvements,” he said. 

“Make analysis on your land’s fertility, which requires you to know rooting depth of your plants, water infiltration rate of the soil, water holding capacity of the soil, aggregate stability of the soil and nature of the microbial biomass carbon presence in the soil,” Musa informed. “Another important factor is accessibility to water, because water is the life-blood of plants.”

In terms of market for the products, Musa explained that one must be sure of what is to be grown, how much should be produced, cost, risks and so on. “If you answer these questions well, you will be on the right track to having a successful horticulture farm,” the horticulturist stated.