1. Turn cassava peels into animal feed—dry, grind, and sell to livestock farmers.
2. Convert banana peels into organic fertilizer for backyard gardens.
3. Use groundnut shells, corn cob, coconut husk etc to make briquettes for cooking fuel. Read
http://farmersjoint.com/thread-31280.html
4. Dry and crush eggshells to sell as calcium supplements for poultry.
5. Transform coconut husks into scrub pads or craft items.
6. Use plantain peels to make soap or skincare products.
7. Convert poultry droppings into packaged manure for urban farmers.
8. Make compost from vegetable waste and sell to garden owners.
9. Use rice husks to produce ceiling boards or insulation materials. Read
http://farmersjoint.com/thread-31281.html
10. Turn palm kernel shells into activated charcoal for water purification.
11. Use tomato waste to make natural dye for fabrics.
12. Use sugarcane bagasse to make paper or packaging.
13. Turn manure into biogas for cooking and lighting. Read
https://www.google.com/search?q=site%3Af...m%20biogas
14. Use cocoa pods to make soap or body scrubs.
15. Convert onion skins into natural food coloring.
16. Make mushroom substrate (used to grow grow mushrooms) from agro waste like sawdust and corn stalks.
17. Use citrus peels to make essential oils or cleaning agents.
Start small, think big. Waste isn’t waste until you waste it 💚
Wow, this list opened my eyes! I never realized cassava peels could be that valuable. We waste so much of it here after processing garri. I’m going to start drying and storing them immediately.
I strongly believe young people need to see posts like this. Everyone is waiting for big capital before starting agribusiness, yet there are dozens of opportunities around us every day. Even one of these ideas can grow into something big.
Using tomato waste to make dye is totally new to me. Please, is it stable enough for long-term use on fabrics? Is it something we can do from home?
Bro, this is exactly what we need to reduce youth unemployment. With simple tools and creativity, we can turn “farm waste” into cash. I think government training programs should include at least half of these ideas.
About using citrus peels to make essential oils, I’ve tried it once with orange peels using steam distillation. The oil smells amazing but yields are small. Still, even 100ml sells for a good price in skincare markets!
@Vera
Chatgpt has a good recipee
🍅🌺 Tomato–Hibiscus Natural Dye (Deep Red Tone)
This version combines tomato pigment (lycopene) with hibiscus anthocyanins to create a stronger, more stable red that lasts longer on cotton, linen, or silk.
🧺 What You’ll Need:
3 cups tomato peels/pulp waste (fresh or dried)
2 cups dried hibiscus petals (zobo leaves)
2 liters water
2 tablespoons alum (or ½ cup vinegar + 2 tbsp salt)
1 tablespoon baking soda (optional — for deeper tone)
Natural fabric (cotton, linen, or silk)
Pot (non-reactive: stainless or enamel)
Strainer or sieve
Wooden spoon
🪶 Step 1: Mordant Your Fabric
Mix 2 tbsp alum in 1 liter warm water (or vinegar + salt alternative).
Soak your fabric for 1 hour.
Rinse gently and keep it damp.
(This step binds the dye molecules to the fiber.)
🍅 Step 2: Make the Dye Bath
Combine tomato waste + hibiscus leaves in the pot.
Add 2 liters water and simmer for 45–60 minutes.
Add baking soda halfway through if you want a deeper burgundy color.
Strain the liquid carefully — that’s your dye bath.
You’ll notice a rich red-wine color — this means the pigments have fully extracted.
👗 Step 3: Dye the Fabric
Submerge your damp fabric in the warm dye bath.
Simmer gently for 30–45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Turn off the heat and let it soak overnight for stronger color.
🌞 Step 4: Rinse & Set
Rinse the fabric in cool water until it runs almost clear.
Dry it in shade (sunlight fades natural pigments).
Once dry, press with a warm iron to further fix the dye.
🎨 Optional Enhancements:
Add annatto seeds (bixa orellana) for a bright orange-red tone.
Add a few drops of lemon juice before dyeing for a rosier shade.
For darker reds, soak fabric twice (re-dye it after drying once).
💡 Color Result:
Depending on proportions, you’ll get:
Tomato + Hibiscus: soft crimson or burgundy
Tomato + Annatto: coral red or warm orange
Tomato + Baking Soda: deep wine red
This dye is eco-friendly, skin-safe, and compostable. The color lasts well if washed gently (cold water, mild soap).
Sometimes we think the problem is lack of capital, but it’s actually lack of ideas. Look at this list, everything here is within our reach. I’ll pick two ideas and focus on them till they grow. Thanks for sharing such practical info.
This post made me smile. Farmers truly have wealth lying all around us, we just need eyes to see it. Agro-waste recycling should be part of every farm’s operation. Even small farmers can earn extra income without more land.
What I love about this list is that it’s all eco-friendly. Instead of burning husks and shells that pollute the air, we can turn them into products that solve real problems. That’s sustainability in action.
(10-28-2025, 10:56 PM)EcoFarm Wrote: [ -> ]@Vera
Chatgpt has a good recipee
🍅🌺 Tomato–Hibiscus Natural Dye (Deep Red Tone)
This version combines tomato pigment (lycopene) with hibiscus anthocyanins to create a stronger, more stable red that lasts longer on cotton, linen, or silk.
🧺 What You’ll Need:
3 cups tomato peels/pulp waste (fresh or dried)
2 cups dried hibiscus petals (zobo leaves)
2 liters water
2 tablespoons alum (or ½ cup vinegar + 2 tbsp salt)
1 tablespoon baking soda (optional — for deeper tone)
Natural fabric (cotton, linen, or silk)
Pot (non-reactive: stainless or enamel)
Strainer or sieve
Wooden spoon
🪶 Step 1: Mordant Your Fabric
Mix 2 tbsp alum in 1 liter warm water (or vinegar + salt alternative).
Soak your fabric for 1 hour.
Rinse gently and keep it damp.
(This step binds the dye molecules to the fiber.)
🍅 Step 2: Make the Dye Bath
Combine tomato waste + hibiscus leaves in the pot.
Add 2 liters water and simmer for 45–60 minutes.
Add baking soda halfway through if you want a deeper burgundy color.
Strain the liquid carefully — that’s your dye bath.
You’ll notice a rich red-wine color — this means the pigments have fully extracted.
👗 Step 3: Dye the Fabric
Submerge your damp fabric in the warm dye bath.
Simmer gently for 30–45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Turn off the heat and let it soak overnight for stronger color.
🌞 Step 4: Rinse & Set
Rinse the fabric in cool water until it runs almost clear.
Dry it in shade (sunlight fades natural pigments).
Once dry, press with a warm iron to further fix the dye.
🎨 Optional Enhancements:
Add annatto seeds (bixa orellana) for a bright orange-red tone.
Add a few drops of lemon juice before dyeing for a rosier shade.
For darker reds, soak fabric twice (re-dye it after drying once).
💡 Color Result:
Depending on proportions, you’ll get:
Tomato + Hibiscus: soft crimson or burgundy
Tomato + Annatto: coral red or warm orange
Tomato + Baking Soda: deep wine red
This dye is eco-friendly, skin-safe, and compostable. The color lasts well if washed gently (cold water, mild soap).
Thanks a lot