Mostafa Abdel Hamid is the founding editor of The Art of Agriculture. He holds a Bachelor's degree in Agriculture from the Higher Institute of Agricultural Cooperation at Ain Shams University, with a focus on extension and cooperative agriculture in the Egyptian context.
Based in Cairo, Egypt, Mostafa has spent more than eight years bridging academic agricultural science with practical, field-tested guidance for growers across the region. His work focuses on soil health, regenerative farming, and the economics of small-scale operations in arid and semi-arid climates.
Every article on this site is written or reviewed by Mostafa before publication, and is cross-checked against regional extension resources, peer-reviewed research, and the lived experience of working farmers and agricultural engineers.
Market Gardening
How to start a small-scale cut flower enterprise: the five workhorse crops, succession planting, harvest stage, conditioning, sales channels and per-bed economics.
September 4, 2026 · 8 min read
Farm Business
The four records every small farm needs, how to track labor without losing your mind, paper versus spreadsheets, and how to turn a season of notes into next year's profit.
September 4, 2026 · 8 min read
Market Gardening
Drip irrigation cuts water use by half and doubles uniformity. A complete working guide to sizing mainlines, choosing tape, filtration, pressure zones, fertigation and irrigation scheduling for small vegetable farms.
September 2, 2026 · 11 min read
Soil Health
Cover crops feed soil biology, hold nitrogen and smother weeds for free. A practical guide to choosing species, fitting them into vegetable rotations, seeding rates, termination methods and what the economics really look like.
September 2, 2026 · 11 min read
Homesteading
Fruit trees are a decade-long decision made in a single afternoon. A working guide to rootstock choice, site and spacing, planting technique, training systems, pest management and what a small orchard actually earns.
September 1, 2026 · 12 min read
Homesteading
Most hay loses a third of its feed value between the field and the feeder. A practical guide to cutting at the right growth stage, drying and conditioning, safe baling moisture, barn fire risk and storage losses worth real money.
September 1, 2026 · 12 min read
Market Gardening
Plasticulture, matted row or day-neutral? A working guide to small-farm strawberry production — bed prep, fertigation, disease pressure, harvest handling and a quarter-acre budget that shows where the money actually is.
August 5, 2026 · 13 min read
Homesteading
Sheep fit small farms better than any other ruminant, but parasites end more flocks than predators ever will. A working guide to stocking rates, rotational grazing, FAMACHA-based worm control, lambing and the real numbers on 20 ewes.
August 5, 2026 · 14 min read
Market Gardening
Variety choice, grafting, drip fertigation, pruning to a single leader, climate control and honest per-plant economics for growers building a profitable greenhouse tomato block.
August 5, 2026 · 8 min read
Market Gardening
Hardneck versus softneck, clove selection, fall planting depth, mulch, scape timing, curing, storage and the per-bed economics of growing garlic as a cash crop.
August 5, 2026 · 8 min read
Homesteading
Hive costs, siting, package versus nuc, the inspection calendar, varroa management and honest first-year honey expectations — a working grower's guide to your first season of beekeeping.
August 3, 2026 · 8 min read
Homesteading
Learn the secrets of Hugelkultur, a permaculture technique for building self-fertilizing, water-retaining raised beds using buried wood.
July 19, 2026 · 7 min read
Market Gardening
Learn how to build a profitable CSA vegetable subscription with expert tips on pricing, crop planning, logistics, and customer retention strategies.
July 19, 2026 · 7 min read
Homesteading
A comprehensive guide to farrowing hogs on pasture, covering breed selection, hut design, nutrition, and predator protection for small-scale farmers.
July 19, 2026 · 7 min read
Farm Business
USDA FSA, Farm Credit and community banks all lend to first-time farmers, but each wants a different story. Here is the paperwork, the ratios and the pitch that actually closes a farm loan in 2026.
July 18, 2026 · 13 min read
Homesteading
A working guide to catchment, storage, filtration and delivery for homestead-scale rainwater harvesting — what the systems cost, what they save, and the mistakes that turn a $6,000 setup into a green swamp.
July 18, 2026 · 12 min read
AgTech & Precision Farming
A working farmer's guide to using drones for crop scouting in 2026 — what platforms are worth buying, which imagery layers actually change decisions, and how to build a scouting workflow that saves real money.
July 18, 2026 · 12 min read
Market Gardening
Start a profitable market garden on a tight budget with first-year costs, hand tools, crop plans, sales channels, and cash-flow targets.
July 18, 2026 · 13 min read
Farm Business
Learn how farm insurance for growers covers property, liability, crops, revenue, and mistakes to avoid when choosing protection.
July 18, 2026 · 13 min read
Homesteading
Learn how to raise backyard chickens for eggs with practical advice on breeds, coop design, feed, daily routines, health, and winter care.
July 18, 2026 · 13 min read
Soil Health
Bacteria, fungi, protozoa and nematodes run the nutrient cycle beneath every field. Here is what they actually do, how to read a soil biology test and the four practices that reliably feed them.
July 17, 2026 · 13 min read
AgTech & Precision Farming
A grower-oriented look at what greenhouses, high tunnels and vertical farms actually cost to build and run, which crops pencil out, and where the CEA industry is heading after the 2022–2024 shakeout.
July 17, 2026 · 13 min read
Regenerative Farming
How to terminate cereal rye and other cover crops with a roller-crimper — timing by growth stage, implement specs, cash-crop planting into the mulch and what it costs per acre.
July 16, 2026 · 13 min read
Farm Business
A working cattle producer's playbook for direct-marketing beef by the half — pricing, processor logistics, customer acquisition and the margin math that beats the auction barn by 3–5×.
July 16, 2026 · 13 min read
Regenerative Farming
How to integrate widely spaced trees with grazing animals on 5–40 acres — species selection, spacing, establishment costs, animal welfare gains and the ten-year economic case.
July 15, 2026 · 13 min read
Market Gardening
A working market gardener's guide to specifying, building and cropping a caterpillar tunnel — with real numbers on materials, labor, winter greens revenue and year-one payback.
July 15, 2026 · 13 min read
Regenerative Farming
An honest, year-by-year account of what to expect when a conventional farm converts to no-till — yield dips, weed shifts, equipment costs and the point where the system finally pays.
July 14, 2026 · 13 min read
Homesteading
A transparent enterprise budget for a 200-bird pastured broiler operation — feed, infrastructure, labor, processing, sales and the actual take-home margin per bird.
July 13, 2026 · 12 min read
Regenerative Farming
Pollinator strips aren't charity — a well-designed one raises yield on the crop next to it. A field-tested guide to species mix, placement, cost and the real return on investment.
July 13, 2026 · 12 min read
Soil Health
Backyard piles do not translate to farm scale. A working agronomist's guide to windrow composting, C:N ratios, temperature management, and turning finished compost into a real soil-health tool.
July 12, 2026 · 12 min read
Farm Business
An honest, working-farm walk-through of the financials most new farm business plans get wrong — startup costs, cash-flow gaps, breakeven timing and the numbers lenders actually want to see.
July 11, 2026 · 11 min read
Regenerative Farming
Regenerative and organic overlap on the surface but diverge on what they measure, reward and forbid. A working agronomist's honest side-by-side comparison for farmers deciding which path fits.
July 10, 2026 · 11 min read
AgTech & Precision Farming
A practical, working-farm introduction to precision agriculture — what tools actually change decisions on the ground, and which ones are still marketing.
July 8, 2026 · 10 min read
Homesteading
A grounded, non-romantic guide to your first year of homesteading — what actually works on a quarter-acre, in what order, and where new homesteaders most often burn out.
July 5, 2026 · 9 min read
Market Gardening
The pattern of expensive mistakes new market gardeners make in year one — and the small planning decisions that separate a viable second season from a shut-down.
July 1, 2026 · 8 min read
AgTech & Precision Farming
Drip, sensors, and scheduling that actually work on 1–20 acres. Real system designs, costs, and the metrics that decide whether the investment pays for itself.
June 18, 2026 · 9 min read
Regenerative Farming
Design a cover-crop rotation that actually fits your cash crops, climate and equipment. A working agronomist's playbook with species mixes, seeding rates and termination timing.
June 2, 2026 · 10 min read
Soil Health
How real farms build living, productive soil — a field-tested guide to soil biology, organic matter, cover crops and testing you can actually use this season.
May 14, 2026 · 12 min read
