SSC 103 Note on Agriculture PDF

# SSC 103 NOTE ## AGRICULTURE **Agriculture - This is one of the major activities primary sector of the economy of any nation. It is a sector concerned with the acquisition of resources from the natural environment. It is involved in systematically producing resources from land and water bodies. Ot...

# SSC 103 NOTE ## AGRICULTURE **Agriculture - This is one of the major activities primary sector of the economy of any nation. It is a sector concerned with the acquisition of resources from the natural environment. It is involved in systematically producing resources from land and water bodies. Other activities in the primary sector level include lumbering, fishing, hunting, mining and quarrying. These activities yield raw materials for subsequent processes in the secondary sector. The primary sector is more dominant in developing countries.** **Agriculture is may be simply regarded as the overall processes involved in the growing/cultivation and rearing/ domestication of animals for man use. Agriculture yield fibre and raw materials which are useful in the industrial sector. Agriculture employs about 51% of people globally. However, this is unevenly distributed between the developed and developing nations. In developing nations for instance, Agriculture employs over 65% of the population. The major concern of geography with agriculture is with the spatial distribution of agricultural activities in a particular country, region and the world generally.** **However, effort will be made to briefly explain the following system of agriculture.** ### Systems of Agriculture There are different systems of agriculture which include: - **Peasant agriculture:** This is a subsistence form of agriculture engaged by farmers to primarily meet the food requirement of his/her immediate family. The farmer occasionally exposes some for sale at the local market whenever there is surplus. The peasant agriculture is characterized by small form holding, it is not capitalistic, the use of simple implements like hoes and cutlasses are common. This system does not likely employ the use fertilizer but whenever the fertility of the soil at a particular farms site gets depleted or diminished, the farmer relocates to another farm site. Such a system of agriculture is practicable where there is low population density. The agricultural system employs mixed cropping (planting different types of crops on the some field). Crops involved are yam, cassava, okro and so on. - **Plantation agriculture:** This is a capital-intensive agriculture. It is a commercialized form of agriculture involving the use of machine tools improved seedling and artificial plant nutrient (fertilizer). It also, involves huge investment in the provision of buildings (staff quarters), construction of access road, provision of electricity and water for the use of staff and purchase of up to date farm inputs (tractors). It may also involve the growing of any crops on a large scale. It is also practiced in the forest region in Nigeria. Crops involved are cocoa, oil palm and rubber plantation among others. For example Nigeria was the world largest and exporter of cocoa been in 1990 with the sale of 133,000 tonnes which accounted for about 7.1% of the world trade. However drastic reduction in cocoa is presently being experienced in Nigeria due to increasing rate of rural-urban migration, deforestation urbanization among other anthropogenic activities. - **Intensive agriculture:** In this type of agriculture, peasant farming is intensively done. Such farming involves the use of irrigation and application of fertilizers to boost productivity per plots of farm land. The system is commonly practiced where there is high population density. It is commonly found in Kano, Kaduna, Katsina and other state capitals. - **Pastoral farming:** This type of farming involves rearing or domesticating animals for man uses for instance cattle may be kept for beef, cheese, or meat while poultry may be kept for chicken, egg, sheep may be kept for their made and wool. - **Mixed Farming:** This is the act of combining the growing of crops and rearing/keeping of animals on the same farm land. However the farm land is usually partitioned into regions for animals (cattle, Poultry and so on) as well as act for planting various arable crops. The proportion of land used for crops may somehow be influenced by the degree of fertility of the soil. Where the soil fertility is low more animals can be kept. The main advantage of mixed farming is the opportunity of readily using animals waste to improve soil fertility in form of farmu yard manure while the arable crops can also be ready made meals for the animals. It is extensively being practiced in Western European countries, New Zealand, Den mark and North America. - **Market gardening:** This farming system involves the growing of vegetables and small fruits (tomatoes, pumpkins etc) especially near urban areas as main market for the highly perishable products. The term "market gardening" is used in Great Britain while Truck farming is used in USA. It is common in most European countries and the state capital and other large towns in Nigeria. - **Orchard Farming:** This farming system is devoted to the raising of fruit trees. Although, this is common in Meditterannean climate; it is also typical of any other place(s) where the growth of oranges, lime, Grabes, Apricut, peaches, pineapples and bananas is/are given prominence. - **Mechanized Agriculture:** This system of farming involves the use of machine (tractors, harvesters, for various farming operations (ploughing, sowing and harvesting). All of these are done with machine. It is very common in developed world e.g. Canada and USA. - **Nomadic herding:** This system of farming involves cattle rearing system where a cattle rearers move with their herds of cattle from one place to another in search of pasture. This system is common in the dry land, such as Sahara desert; Saudi-Arabia, Iraq, Afghanistan, Central Asia and China. It is also practised in South West Africa and along the southern boundary of the turrid region in Europe and Asia. The system involves frequent change of habitation in search of animal fodder, fruits, nuts, edible roots. Sometimes, the migration is seasonal for instance, where it involves movement from mountain top to valley in summer and winter respectively; it is then regarded as Transhumance. - **Livestock ranching:** This is commonly found in the Prarries of western U.S.A, central Mexican belt from Venezuela to Argentina, South Africa, temperate grass land of Australia and New Zealand. Cattle rearing are done in relatively rainy parts of these areas. However, sheep are raced in areas receiving less amount of rainfall while, goats and cainel are rare in low rainfall and warmer region. - **Commercial dairy farming:** Dairy farming is specifically concerned with the act of racing cattle not mainly for their beef but for their dairy products (Milk, cheese, cream, butter). These are largely found in the western shores of France, the U.K. and Ireland, the great lake region and North-west in U.S.A., South Eastern Australia and New Zealand. These areas receive rainfall throughout the year and produce good quality and nourishing grass. - **Commercial grain farming:** The extensive cultivation of grains done in various parts of the world. It is commonly found the great plain of North America, Argentina and the Europe and Middle-east. - **Commercial Plantation:** This is commonly found in S. East Asia Indonesia, Malaysia. The Philipines) also in Sri-lanka, West Africa, South and Central U.S.A. and Central America. The main crops include Tea, coffee, rubber, cocoa, coconut and sugarcane. This is a labour-intensive type of farming. - **Meditteranian Agriculture:** It is practiced in the European countries bordering the Meditteranean sea (Spain, France, Italy, former Republic of Yugoslavia federation), along the western edges of the continent (central California, central Chad, temperate region between 300 and 40° N and S. of the hemisphere). It is also found in S. Africa, South western and Southern Australia. This region is the source of high quality citrus fruit (grape, olive, oranges, lemon pineapple) Give a comprehensive explanation of the role of Agriculture in any economic statc. - **Livestock Ranching:** This is the act of rearing animals for their meet. Ranching is common in arcas not favourable climatically and where the vegetation does not support dairy farming. Such areas include Sub tropical regions of Queensland (Australia), the great plains of USA and Tropical regions Such as the savanna region of northern Nigeria. - **Shifting cultivation:** This is a subsistence method of farming where a piece of land is put under continuous usage until the fertility of the soil is depleted. The initially cultivated site is then abandoned for another site where farming activities continue. This is to allow the soil regain its lost fertility. The system can only be practiced where there is low population density. It is a wasteful, unscientific and inefficient method of forming the use of crude implements also predominates. The system is practiced in forested high land of South America, Africa, India and South China. - **Intensive subsistence cultivation:** It is practiced in all types of land forms especially wherever there is pressure on land available for crop production. It is also practiced where there is relatively high amount of rainfall. It is commonly practiced in South East Asia mainly in the monsoon region with red alluvia soil. ### Factors affecting Agriculture - **Climate:** This is one of the major elements affecting agriculture it goes a long way in determining the regional agricultural pattern across the globe. Every plant has specific tolerance threshold beyond which the plant will not perform well or even survive. Climate elements especially rain fall and temperature are more influential. For instance cocoa is a crop that performs well where annual rainfall range between 1250mm and 2000mm and where temperature is about 27°C.. - **Edaphic factors – This talks about the condition of the soil:** This is the condition of the soil; the soil offers physical support for crop. Beside the structure, composition and fertility of the soil determine the yield of any crop. A naturally fertile soil has the inherent ability to positively enhance crop performance and vice versa. Continuous cultivation on a fertile-land could lead to depletion of soil fertility. When such situation arises, the fertility of the soil could be artificially improved by the application of manure or fertilizer. - **Topography:- The relief or topography of a place also has influence on the type of crop grown in an area:** The low lands are generally more suitable for crops like wheat, millet, cassava, maize etc while crops like tea and coffee thrive best on elevated land. - **Biotic Factor:** The influences of other organism like weed, pest and diseases greatly influence the performance of crops where they are effectively controlled the yield per acre are usually impressive and vice versa. ### Agricultural regions of Nigeria These are regions or parts of the country associated with the cultivation of specific types of crops and operation of a particular type of agricultural practices. This usually occurs as a result of a number of favourable factor For instance, cocoa and kolanut are more pronounced in the forest zone found in the south western part of Nigeria especially Ondo, Osun, Ekiti, Ogun and part Edo State. Rubber is associated with arrears including Sapele, Ugheli, Benin, Akure, Calabar in Delta, Edo, Ondo and Cross-River state respectively. The oil palm regions include Aba, Owerri, Port-Harcourt, Benin and Okiti Pupa. Also, some crops are associated in the Savannah region of the country. For instance, ground nut is associated with Zaria, Kaduna, Kano and Katsina, Cotton is associated with Zaria, Kaduna, Kano, Bauchi Benni seed is associated with Makurdi. Other crops like yam, cocoyam, cassava and grain crops are associated with the middle region. Crops in Nigeria may also be categorized as: - **Food crops:** Food crops are crops primarily grown for consumption they include maize guinea corn and other cereal, yam, cocoyam, cassava among others. - **Cash crops:** Cash crops are mainly grown for sale they include cocoa, rubber, oil palm which are more into the forest region while cotton and groundnut are found in savanna. Food crops are crops primarily grown for consumption they include maize guinca corn and other cereal, yam, cocoyam, cassava among others. Cassava has presently assumed a status of cash crops in Nigeria. It presently account for over 45% of Nigeria agriculture G.D.P; this due to its ability to survive on a wide variety of soil. (Read more on the agricultural region of Nigeria). ### Role of agriculture Agriculture has made several contributions to the economy of any nation. This will be discussed in the subsequent paragraphs. - **The provision of employment:** Agriculture is still the greatest employer of labour in Nigeria, West Africa and other developing nation. In Nigeria today, agriculture employs about 65% of the economically active population. - **Provision of foreign exchange:** Agriculture has been the main source of foreign exchange in Nigeria right from the pre colonial days till the end of the first decades after independence. Before, the discovery of the petroleum in Nigeria, agriculture has been responsible for about 80% of the foreign exchange earnings. The Gambia obtains virtually all their earning from agriculture with groundnut accounting for about 90% the Despite reduction in the contribution of agriculture to foreign exchange earnings; Nigeria was the world largest exporter of cocoa bean in 1990 with the sale of 135,000 tonnes which accounted for about 7.1% of the world trade. This however has been reducing drastically. - **Provision of raw materials for industry:** - **Provision of food:** - **Source of government revenue;** - **Provision of markets for manufactured goods:** - **Contribution to Gross Domestic Product (GDP):** ### Problems of Agriculture The problems confronting agriculture includes the following: - **Land tenure system;** The communal system of land tenure does not encourage agricultural productivity, as interested farmers who are not rightful owners of that land could be prevented or restricted to very limited farm size. - **Smallness of farm size** is an offshoot of land tenure systems; where only smaller pieces of land are allotted to some family members. The resultant land fragmentation discourages the mechanization and its potentialities for high productivity. - **The use of simple or crude implements like hoes and cutlasses is still popular.** This limits productivity. - **Inaccessibility to basic farm inputs** such as fertilizers, improved seeds and pesticides in the right proportion constitutes a problem that slows down productivity. - **Poor transport net-work;** the roads connecting most of the farming communities are in deplorable state. This negatively affects effective conveyance of farm input to farms and farm output to urban market to command better sales for better income for the farmers. In accessibility to good storage facilities have been responsible for spatio-temporal variation in the prices of agricultural produce. This is because agricultural produced are disposed off at almost give away price during the harvesting season and becomes very expensive thereafter. - **Climatic problem;** most Nigerian Farmer are over dependent on climate especially rainfall, such that, when there is a delay in its arrival as a result of prolonged drought, productivity is seriously affected; especially because, irrigation is not popular.