Development of Farms and Farm Products

Organizing the harvest

As the harvest season approaches and the farmland becomes bare, the farmer's time to determine what to cultivate next begins to tick. Every day that the farms remain naked is a missed opportunity. Many don't have the luxury of planning ahead of time due to financial constraints and shifting market conditions and may even be forced to borrow money from a local lender at a cost of 5% per month. To take such decisions carefully, farmers must look at their resources as well as the market.
The crop is the core user story around which the next feature will be built for a product team. When the development plates are ready to run out, the pressure to decide on the next feature comes up. We're also bound by firm resources and shifting market conditions; at the end of the day, we're making a gamble based on the facts we have right now.

Seed Sowing

After deciding on a crop, the farmer begins land preparation, purchases seeds and other input items, recruits workers, coordinates with neighbouring farms (in many cases, these farming organisations share resources) and plants the seeds. Farmers operate on a tight budget and only spend their money when it is absolutely necessary and cannot wait another day. Typically, he tries to fit everything into the high priority and high urgency category.

Crop growth management

For the farmer who has just struck a contract with the elements, planting symbolises the beginning of a long journey. If the plants show signs of nutrient insufficiency or if a bug assaults the farm or if an animal comes to graze or if a virus attack occurs, the farmer must act quickly and wisely. This is a hard reality that he cannot spend more on keeping the crop healthy than he intends to profit from selling the produce at the end of the season. In some sad circumstances, he abandons crop care in the middle of the season owing to mounting prices and hopes for the best, while in others, nature wrecks the entire cropping season (severe or adverse weather conditions). He eventually begins to see the rewards of his labour in front of him after regular monitoring of the crops, taking care of difficulties and combating the weather.
The development process is similarly loaded with episodes that require active attention in between; the daily scrum is the closest parallel to the daily farm visit. It's typical to meet barriers in the middle of the development process for larger projects such as a lack of bandwidth, a high-priority task appearing out of nowhere, integration and data concerns and open dependencies on other teams. At the end of the day, the expected outcome should take precedence over the feature investments. In other circumstances, this understanding occurs midway through a project, resulting in the feature being scrapped. Changes in company focus or business unit terminations have a smaller but still significant impact on projects potential to be placed on hold indefinitely.

Harvest and Sales

After all of the hard work, harvest season has arrived. This is a wealthy time for the country, as evidenced by the numerous festivals held across the country. Farmers can keep non-perishable produce for a little longer in the hopes of timing the market. Every decision he made last season was based on two factors: (a) his market access and (b) the market's acceptance of his produce. This step is repeatedly cited as the most difficult aspect of the farming process.
The market is unconcerned with farmer’s efforts, working hours or thorough planning; all it cares about is the most accessible and efficient solution to a problem. For many of us, this is a humbling experience and you can be sure that a farmer shares this sentiment.

The cycle of learning continues

There was money made and money lost. So, what's next? This is where we see a split in the farming community. One segment replicates most of the techniques they used previously in the hopes of getting better outcomes; at best, they follow the lead of well-known community members. Another portion comments on what went wrong, what went right, what's new in the market and what they can do better and begin a mini-innovative cycle. This second breed may not improve in the following cycle or the cycle after that, but if they have to wager, they will bet on it.