My name is sola, this is my story,

I am a graduate of the University of Ibadan.

I studied psychology and after my graduation, I became worried of what the future had in store for me. I often spent my idle moments at my backyard staring at mushrooms and young shrubs. Sometimes, I would pluck them away and spend next few days watching them grow again. Weeks passed and I always wondered what I could do with the long years of my life. I had applied for many jobs and have lost count of the number of times I have printed my CV. Soon, I took up the disgusting habit of watching plants grow, watching snails move and sadly watching plants die. The pursuit of a job slowly faded away as I found unexplainable fulfilment in watching green plants grow.

With the help of the internet I understood how to grow and tend a plant and in no time I began planting pepper seeds. Every time my mama washed pepper, I would pour the water on the little soil at the base of the fence of the house. Soon I realized that I could also plant maize seeds and beans seeds. I got more soil outside the house and gathered as many large bowls I could find. I realized that I was eager to wake up the next day and see how far my seedlings had grown. I could tell the changes in a plant today as opposed to the previous day. My fulfilment gradually came from watching single seeds turning into healthy fruits. I found exceeding joy in narrating the growth of a seeds to those around me. Many of those I narrated to got irritated by the way I wasted my time. Some even called me names: “sola, the backyard farmer” however, my solace came from the number of crops that multiplied in my backyard.

In few months, fresh looking crops littered my yard and I was forced to share with neighbors and colleagues including those that had earlier mocked me. I knew that in no time, my yard would not contain the crops and some of them might end up in a waste, so I decided to meet with a few market traders and sold healthy corns, peppers, yams and beans. The traders were amazed at the cheap price and this attracted many other traders in my local government. I no longer went to the market to sell instead the marketers marched into our compound and bought in baskets. On a sunny Saturday, my parents brought in some Hausa laborers who cleared the entire yard thus creating more space for more crops. I planted more and sold in hundreds.

I was just 22years and I had already realized what life had in store. The tag, “Sola the backyard farmer” travelled around and more buyers came to buy. I was already a farmer and I was having lots of fun.

WHO SAYS MUSIC, SPORTS, MODELLING OR ACTING ARE THE ONLY FUN CAREERS?

GET YOUR HANDS DIRTY AND MAKE MORE MONEY THAN SOLA THE BACKYARD FARMER!