Paying for information and knowledge in farming must be treated the same as paying for genetics, day-old chicks, feed, seed, fertiliser, vaccines, chemicals, veterinary services, machinery, irrigation systems, animal health products, soil analysis and all the other inputs that keep a farming operation running.
By Maile Matsimela, digital editor at African Farming
Farmers pay for these products and services because they want the best possible outcome for their farms. Nobody willingly buys poor genetics and expects superior animals. Nobody deliberately buys low-quality feed and expects maximum production. Nobody invests in inputs hoping for failure. So why should knowledge be treated differently?
The danger of information overload
This may sound uncomfortable in a world where information appears to be freely available everywhere. Open social media platforms today are overflowing with farming tips. WhatsApp groups are buzzing with opinions. There is always someone ready to tell farmers what to plant, what to feed, what to spray or when to vaccinate. The challenge is that farming problems are rarely one-size-fits-all.
A farmer may post a picture of a sick chicken, yellow crop leaves or underperforming livestock and expect a complete diagnosis from people sitting hundreds of kilometres away. But farming does not always work like that. Sometimes sharing information about the problem is simply not enough.
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Farming requires real observation
Real solutions often require personal visits. They require someone to physically walk through the field, observe livestock behaviour, inspect housing conditions, assess feed quality, take soil samples, examine water systems or conduct tests. They require real-time observation because what appears to be one problem on a cellphone screen may turn out to be something entirely different on the ground. Unfortunately, in most cases, that level of expertise comes at a cost. But it is worth it.
Accountability matters
Because when you pay for professional advice, you are not paying only for information. You are paying for experience, accountability and expertise. You are paying for years of learning, mistakes, observations and practical understanding. Unlike random advice from social media, paid knowledge often comes with responsibility. If recommendations fail to deliver the expected results, there is usually room for follow-up discussions, reassessment and adjustments.
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Informed trial and error
Trial and error will always remain part of farming. Agriculture itself was built on experimentation. But if there must be trial and error, let it at least be informed trial and error. Knowledge is one input farmers should never tire of paying for.
