Cyclical planning and monitoring of farm activities

The farmer as the manager of the farm enterprise holds the vision of the farm (i.e. what the farm should become in future). The first key role of the farmer is that of decision making, which involves choosing what should be done on the farm, where, when and by whom.

With a proper understanding of the farm resources and potential, the farmer is able to set goals of what he wants the farm to become. These goals will only be achieved through implementation of a given set of activities which should be properly monitored all the way. From the implementation, the farmer will gain experience and knowledge that will help him to set new goals and the process starts again. This is called ‘the cyclical planning process’. It is a continuous process performed to ensure that the farm is guided from ‘what it is’ to ‘what I/we want it to be’.

Proper planning is one of the key management aspects that need to be regularly practiced. It provides a road map and direction for transforming the farm from the current to a desired farm situation or to maintain the route towards a chosen goal. Planning refers to the process of preparing a set of interrelated activities to be implemented within a specific time frame and the necessary resources, needed to achieve the desired situation. The aim is to have an organized and consistent way of allocating resources among the different enterprises to achieve the best results and minimize wastage and redundancy.

The result of the planning process is the ‘farm plan’, which acts as a guide for carrying out the required activities to achieve desired results and effect desired change.

The farm planning process includes the following steps:

1. Analysis of the current situation

This step is what is discussed already in section 2 but specifically sections 2.2 and 2.3 whereby the current production situation and profitability are analysed.

2. Setting up goals

The most important part of the farm plan is to be clear of what the farmer, the group of farmers or the community want to achieve. That is, the purpose and expected outcome over a specific period of time. It includes the expected change that the farmer or group of farmers want to achieve, after analyzing the present situation. Therefore, the goals/objectives should be made specific and achievable within the farm situation and the given time frame. The goals discussed in section 2.2 can be used.

3. Identification of specific activities and innovations

From the goals set in (b) above, clear and specific activities should be identified. The activities demonstrate how the goals will be achieved.

4. Schedule of implementation

The plan should also indicate a timeframe when the different activities will be conducted. This should be done in the sequence indicating which activities will be done first and last.

5. Plan the persons in-charge and the labour requirement

It is also necessary to identify the responsible individuals in charge of the different activities identified in (c) above. The persons indicated should have the knowledge or ability to perform the activity or should be properly trained to understand the task he/she is responsible for.

6. Budget and resources needed

The costs associated with the planned activities and any other resources needed like labour, or machines should be identified. It should be indicated whether these materials needed will be purchased, shared or hired.

The farm plan should be made simple for the farmer to understand and implement. If a detailed plan is needed (e.g. for borrowing money), then you should seek assistance from an adviser for a more detailed business plan. Further information is also available in the Marketing and Trade module).

Group work: Farm planning exercise

Select any of the examples of farms used in section 2.2 to be used and demonstrate to the participants how to develop a farm plan following the steps below:

Analysis of the current situation - what is the current situation of the farm(s)? Use the analysis from section 2.
Setting up goals - what do we want to achieve? Use the goals set in section 2.2. For example, the goal is to introduce a dairy cow to provide milk and manure.
Identification of specific activities to be done - how will the goals be achieved? For example, the activities for the goal of introducing a dairy cow include looking for knowledge of locally adapted breeds, types of fodder, the cost of acquiring the cow and treating common diseases from other farmers or the local extension adviser; Planting enough fodder grass and legumes; Fencing off the paddock where the cow will be grazing; Building a cow shed where the cow will be kept during the night; Building or purchasing a feed and water trough.
Schedule of Implementation - when should the activities above be done?
Persons-in-charge - who is responsible for what?
Budget and resources needed - how much money and other materials are needed and where will you obtain them from?

The results of the above activities can be summarized in a table as follows:

Thereafter, let each participant develop a farm plan for his/her farm, which should be refined by the trainer individually with each participant. At the end of the session, each participant should have a plan of activities that he/she is going to implement to improve their farms.

Goal/project	Activities	Indicators	Time frame	Person in-charge	Budget and materials
1.	1.,2.,3.	1.,2.,3.	1.,2.,3.,	1.,2.,3.,	1.,2.,3.
2.
3.

Record keeping as a basis for proper monitoring

For proper monitoring of the farm plan developed in section 4.1, record keeping is very important. For certified organic farms and those under conversion, record keeping is compulsory. Specifically, records are needed related to the following areas:

Sources and uses of money on the farm, as described in section 2.3
All quantities of inputs used on the farm and the quantities of harvests

Records can be kept either per plot (as in transparency 9) or inform of a farm diary (as in transparency 10) to record daily activities on the entire farm. Whichever documents are used, it is recommended to record as much detail as possible.