Aloe vera: Adopting Aloe Vera as a Cash Crop
5.17 - Adopting Aloe Vera as a Cash Crop in a Small-scale Farm
Shilik Hamad, University of Guelph, Canada
Suggested citation for this chapter.
Hamad, S. (2022) Adopting Aloe Vera as a Cash Crop in a Small-scale Farm. In Farmpedia, The Encyclopedia for Small Scale Farmers. Editor, M.N. Raizada, University of Guelph, Canada. farmpedia.org
Introduction
The impacts of climate change are currently affecting the Earth. These global warming effects are the environmental and social changes created by human emissions of greenhouse gases. In order to help improve these environmental and social changes caused by climate change, we must start by mitigating the negative effects of climate change for small-scale farmers. This paper will begin with an environmental focus on how aloe vera as a crop requires less water, which can help combat the effects of drought. Then there will be a section on the cultivation of aloe vera. The paper will then focus on a developmental perspective in terms of how adopting aloe vera as a cash crop can provide small-scale aloe vera farmers, especially women, with entrepreneurial opportunities. There will also be a critical analysis section on this agricultural development strategy. The aim of this paper is to identify how small-scale farmers can adopt aloe vera as a cash crop to help combat drought in the sub-tropics as a result of climate change.
Environmental Focus on Aloe Vera
As climate change creates or worsens droughts, adopting drought-resistant aloe vera as a cash crop can help overcome the negative effects of global warming. Climate change is expected to encourage the occurrence of record-breaking wet and dry months in the future, which can result in challenging consequences for agricultural production and food security (Schwartz, 2018). Originating from the dry Arabian peninsula (Naik et al., 2016), aloe vera stores water in its fleshy leaves, stems, or fusiform roots, which enables the plant to survive through dry seasons or cyclical droughts (Shekhawat, 2013), and so it does not require as much water as other cash crops may need. Aloe vera is a CAM plant, closing its leaf pores (stomates, for gas exchange) during the day (Cushman, 2017) — the stomates open at night to absorb the required CO2, when temperatures and hence transpiration rates are lower. CAM plants can thus survive in inhospitable climates where water loss is a major limiting factor to plant growth (Samsai et al., 2016). As a result, aloe vera can adapt to areas that experience a mean of 700–3000 mm of rainfall annually, depending on the conditions it is grown in (Rojas-Sandoval, 2017). It is necessary for the cultivation of plants that are drought and heat tolerant while also producing biomass on arid lands with less water, as the biomass is also a prerequisite for retention of water and soil fertility improvement and enrichment (Shekhawat, 2013).
Cultivation of Aloe Vera
The common method of propagating aloe vera is through the use of cuttings (known as "pups"), yet the seed process is also a viable option. The seeds of aloe vera must be from a mature plant that is at least four years old, but different cultivars have different maturing times (Vargas, 2017). After splitting the dried pods, the aloe vera seeds should be planted within the same year they were harvested for better yield outcomes (Grant, 2019). It is best to keep the seeds in the dark and at low temperature to preserve them, but once the process of germination begins, aloe vera seeds should be planted in moist soil for about two to four weeks, which is approximately how long it takes for the plant to sprout (Vargas, 2017). The ideal soil for this plant is well-drained sandy or loamy soil with a pH range of 6.5-7.5, which allows for uptake of minerals and nutrients due to its alkalinity (Vargas, 2017). Although small-scale farmers can be successful with the use of farm yard manure with high nutritional value for land preparation, fertilizers such as ammonium nitrate can help optimize yields (Das et al., 2004). As noted above, aloe vera requires 700–3000 mm of rainfall annually, depending on the conditions it is grown in (Rojas-Sandoval, 2017). Some plant diseases, such as Alternaria alternata and Fusarium solani, cause leaf spots on aloe vera, which can sometimes cause the leaf to rot; however, aloe vera has few pests, as the plant's tough outer layer allows for great resistance (PROTA, 2017). The commercial harvesting of aloe vera can take place in the second year of planting and should be done with a sharp sickle, making sure the viscous end of the cut is dried up before it is packed and marketed (Reddy, 2016). Due to aloe vera's perishable nature, it is recommended that the raw product be processed as soon as it is harvested.
Entrepreneurial Opportunities for Small-scale Farmers
As the international demand for aloe vera is growing for medicinal and cosmetic purposes, this can promote many entrepreneurial opportunities for small-scale farmers, especially women, that can help encourage socioeconomic growth and development (Rojas-Sandoval, 2017). Esthetic, food, and clinical industries are taking advantage of the healing properties that aloe vera provides for market purposes, using the product to produce creams, gels, or even pills based on the plant (Vargas, 2017). Small-scale farmers can market their aloe vera yields by selling harvested leaves to pharmaceutical and cosmetic companies, establishing business deals with retail outlets and distributors, or exporting to international markets either directly or through a marketing agency (Kisan Central, 2019). An example of a small-scale farmer doing this is a young woman farmer named Eva Kiseu from Taita Taveta in Kenya; she has developed two training manuals (one for entrepreneurship and the other for aloe processing) on how to add value to aloe sap and jelly and to economically empower women (Kiseu, 2015). According to Kisan Central (2019), the first step in processing aloe vera juice is to clean the raw materials immediately after harvesting, as leaves must be fleshy, undamaged, and free of mold and rot. The gel is then extracted by removing the green rind with a sharp knife, and the gel should be washed with cool water. The gel then undergoes a grinding process before the aloe vera gel is treated with a pectolytic enzyme for a long time to preserve polysaccharides (Kisan Central, 2019). The gel is filtered multiple times, then pasteurized to 90°-95° for one to two minutes before it undergoes cooling to under 6° for 12-16 seconds. Aloe vera juice should be stored in a refrigerator to promote durability and quality (Kisan Central, 2019). Organizations working with small-scale farmers on how to process aloe vera can help them create and link to an aloe vera market within their local economy.
Critical Analysis
Aloe vera is an incredible plant to grow in heat- and drought-persistent areas; however, when considering the reality of adopting this plant as a cash crop, there are important constraints. It is about a $5,000 USD investment to purchase the equipment, fertilizer, land, and irrigation systems needed to adopt aloe vera as a cash crop (Reddy, 2018), which is expensive for many small-scale farmers. Fortunately, farmers need to invest only $1,000 annually for the years subsequent to the first investment, which may be feasible since aloe vera usually promises high returns despite the moderate investment (Reddy, 2018). There are possible issues that could emerge in regard to storage and transportation of aloe vera, as small-scale farmers may not have access to refrigerators or cooling/processing appliances and equipment to store the aloe vera products. This is why farmers are encouraged to learn how to market their products through distributor companies or marketing agencies, as the processing part of aloe vera is crucial to the quality of the product. In the case of Greece, where aloe vera crops were adopted as cash crops to create new economic opportunities and new agricultural initiatives, it was concluded that a well-established marketing channel for the distribution of leaves to processing units at a fair producer price is necessary (Liontakis et al., 2016). These criticisms highlight what obstacles may arise and what is necessary for the prosperity of adopting aloe vera as a cash crop for small-scale farmers.
Conclusion
As climate change consists of the environmental and social changes caused by human emissions of greenhouse gases, and in order to mitigate the negative effects of climate change for small-scale farmers, adopting aloe vera as a cash crop can bring environmental, market, and developmental benefits. By using an environmental scope on how aloe vera as a crop requires less water and combats the effects of drought, an analysis of aloe vera cultivation, and a developmental analysis of how adopting aloe vera as a cash crop can provide small-scale aloe vera farmers with entrepreneurial opportunities, concluding with a critical analysis, it is clear that adopting aloe vera as a cash crop will help mitigate the effects of climate change and promote socioeconomic growth.
Resources
Tips on aloe vera cultivation can be found here.
Tips on aloe vera manufacturing for beginners can be found here.
Propagation and management help for aloe vera can be found here.
A video on aloe vera cultivation and planting can be viewed here.
A video on aloe vera harvesting and processing can be viewed here.
References
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