All agents of the food and fiber value chain and those institutions that influence it are part of the agribusiness system. It is a sector that supports the growth of the agricultural industry, which is pivotal to economic growth.

Within the agriculture industry, “agribusiness” refers to the range of activities and disciplines encompassed by modern food production. Agribusiness is a combination of the words “agriculture” and “business” and refers to any business related to agricultural production. There are academic degrees specializing in agribusiness, departments of agribusiness, agribusiness trade associations, and agribusiness publications. Agriculture is the economic sector that employs the most people in the world and the main source of food and income for many people living in poverty. Agribusiness an industry engaged in the production operations of a farm, the manufacture and distribution of farm equipment and supplies, and the processing, storage, and distribution of farm commodities.

Agribusiness refers to farming, but the term oddly is not often used in correlation with actual farms. In the context of agribusiness management in academia, each individual element of agriculture production and distribution may be described as agribusinesses. Instead, agribusiness most commonly means an agriculturally related business that supplies farm inputs, such as machinery and seed supply. However, the term “agribusiness” most often emphasizes the “interdependence” of these various sectors within the production chain. It can potentially improve agricultural productivity, which is why governments often offer subsidies to agricultural businesses.

Agribusiness is a term used to describe the sector that encompasses all economic activities that are related to farming, i.e., chemicals, breeding, crop production/farming, farm machinery, distribution, marketing, and sales. Among critics of large-scale, industrialized, vertically integrated food production, the term agribusiness is used negatively, synonymous with corporate farming. Financing agribusiness can increase the added value of raw materials, strengthening local rural economies, food security and nutrition, and improving the quality of life in many homes at risk of exclusion and vulnerability. As such, it is often contrasted with smaller family-owned farms.

Are you thinking of going into an Agribusiness? I’m sure you’ve heard a lot about the potentials of Agriculture, especially catfish farming and poultry farming in Nigeria, and how it is capable of employing millions of people. Well, as someone who has a first-hand experience in both catfish farming and poultry farming in Nigeria (I’ve been running a catfish farm since 2010 and my Dad has a poultry farm that is in its 13th year of operation) I want to analyze the two most common agribusiness ventures in Nigeria so that if you want to go into the catfish farming or poultry farming in Nigeria, you can decide which one is best for you.

I’ll be using 4 parameters to analyze catfish farming and poultry farming in Nigeria. These parameters are:

Startup capital

Operation & Maintenance (O&M)

Market

Profitability