ECONOMICS

THEME – NIGERIAN ECONOMY AND MAJOR NATURAL RESOURCES

CLASS – SS 2

 

TOPIC – AGRICULTURE

LEARNING AREA

1. Meaning and Components of Agriculture

2. System of Agriculture

3. Importance of Agricultural Products

4. Process and Challenges of Marketing Livestock, Food and Cash Crops

 

INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS

1. Display of agricultural commodities,

2. Pie charts to show the contributions of agriculture to the economy over the years, and

3. Visit large scale farms.

 

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

By the end of the lesson, students should be able to:

1. identify the main components of agriculture.

2. explain the main features of various systems of agriculture.

3. explain the importance of agricultural products to economic development using Nigeria as an example.

4. explain the process and challenges of marketing both livestock, food and cash crops in Nigeria.

 

CONTENTS OF THE LESSON

INTRODUCTION

The history of agriculture is as old as man. Agricultural activities started by the early man as a wanderers, hunter and toolmaker. Early man are that lived long time ago before us.

They lived in caves and under the tree covers in the forest and fed on vegetables, nuts, roots and animals. Some of the seeds of the fruits thrown around germinated and grew to fruit trees which later became useful to man as food. This is how the practice of farming began by the early man.

 

MEANING OF AGRICULTURE

Agriculture can be define as the growing of crops, rearing of animals, processing and selling of agricultural products for the benefit of man (for man’s use).

There are four components of agriculture as stated in its meaning. Growing or planting of crop, for examples – planting of rice, bean, yam, cocoa, banana, etc. Rearing of animals, for examples – goat, sheep, horse, camel, etc. Processing of agricultural products. Selling of agricultural products.

 

COMPONENTS OF AGRICULTURE

1. Growing of crops

2. Rearing of animals

3. Fishing

4. Forestry

5. Processing, and Selling of agricultural products

 

GROWING/PLANTING OF CROPS

There are two types of crops – food and cash crop.

1. Food crops consist of grain, legumes, vegetables, fruits and seeds. They are produced for immediate consumption.

• Grain crops are maize, guinea corn, millets, etc.

• Legume crops are soybean, pea, peanut, cowpea, etc.

• Vegetable crops are tomato, cabbage, okro, pepper, onion, carrot, etc.

• Fruit crops are orange, mango, pawpaw, apple, pineapple, banana, etc.

 

2. Cash crops are economic crops. These crops may require further processing before consumption. Cocoa, sugarcane, cashew, groundnut, etc. They are grown for commercial purposes.

 

REARING OF ANIMALS

There are two types of animals – domestic and wild animals. Some of these animals live in water while others live on land.

Animals are rear for personal, labor and commercial purposes.

1. Domestic animals are animals rear at home or on farm land. For examples – sheep, goat, chicken, birds, fish, horse, etc.

2. Wild animals are animals in the wild such lion, tiger, elephant, shark, crocodile, alligator, etc.

 

PROCESSING OF AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS

Some agricultural products are not in their finish state. They require further processing into final or consumable goods or products.

Agricultural products can also be package, brand or rebranding. For examples – fish and sardine, meat and corned beef, cocoa  and bourvita or milo, groundnut and ground oil, cotton and cloth, animal skin and shoe, belt or bag, wheat and bread, etc.

 

SELLING OF AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS

This is also known as agriculture marketing. It involves buying and selling agricultural products.

 

SYSTEMS OF AGRICULTURE

1. Peasant Farming

2. Plantation Farming

3. Mechanized Farming

4. Cooperative Farming

 

PEASANT FARMING

Peasant farming is also known as subsistence farming. It is a system of farming that grown crops and reared animals mainly to substance the family with little or no sales.

 

PLANTATION FARMING

Plantation farming is a system of farming that is on a very large scale. It is a commercial farming where a single crop are grown. For example, tea, coffee, sugarcane, cashew, rubber, banana or cotton.

This system of farming is labour and capital intensive.

 

MECHANIZED FARMING

Mechanized farming is a system of farming where most of the farming activities are highly Mechanized and advanced devices for high productivity.

 

COOPERATIVE FARMING

Cooperative farming is a system of farming where farmers that grown the same crops or rear the same animals pool their resources together to form an association in order to enjoy certain incentives from local and international organizations and increase farm output.

 

IMPORTANCE OF AGRICULTURE

Agriculture in Nigeria like the rest of the world serves as:

1. Provision of food

2. Provision of clothing

3. Provision of shelter

4. Employment or job opportunities

5. Source of income

6. Source of medical herbs

7. Foreign exchange Earning

8. Provision of raw materials for industries

9. Provision of market for industrial goods

 

PROVISION OF FOOD 

Agriculture is the main source of food for the world population.

 

PROVISION OF CLOTHING 

Both cotton and wool clothes are products of agriculture.

The cotton is one of the growing crops while the wool are gotten from the animals. Leather shoes, belts and bags are animal skins.

 

PROVISION OF SHELTER 

There are different types of houses. One of the types is wooden houses.

Most roofing part of many houses are made up wood. While are some houses are completely built with wood.

 

EMPLOYMENT OR JOB OPPORTUNITY 

Agriculture is one of the oldest and most important occupations of mankind.

The main occupation of the most Nigerian rural settlements is farming.

While in urban areas, they involved in buying agricultural products from the farmers and selling these products to people in the cities.

Quick evaluation – Asks the people to mention 3 people in agriculture. 

 

SOURCE OF INCOME 

Agriculture is the main source of income to all the people in agriculture.

 

SOURCE OF MEDICAL HERBS 

Agriculture provides food, fruit, vegetable, leave, seed, trunk, grass and root used as medical herbs.

 

FOREIGN EXCHANGE EARNING 

This is exporting agricultural products such as cocoa, groundnut, etc. to other countries. Exportation generate more income for the farmers.

 

PROVISION OF RAW MATERIALS FOR INDUSTRIES 

Agriculture provides raw materials for all agro – industries. Lets the students state the raw materials for making – sardine, milo, peak milk, leather bags, clothes, etc. 

 

PROVISION OF MARKET FOR INDUSTRIAL GOODS 

Some of the materials or tools used by farmers come from the industries. For examples – tractor, planter, harvester, fertilizer, different machines. All these are manufactured for agricultural use.

 

PEOPLE IN AGRICULTURE 

There are many people in agriculture. These people engage in different activities that lead to growing of crops, rearing of animals, processing and selling of agricultural products.

The people in agriculture are –

1. Agriculture teachers

2. Crop farmers

3. Gardeners or horticulture

4. Animal rearing or livestock farmers

5. Fishermen

6. Veterinary doctors

7. Agriculture engineers

8. Agricultural economics

9. Soil scientists

10. Market people

 

PROBLEMS OF AGRICULTURE 

The problems of agriculture can be attributed to the following reasons –

1. The use of crude implements such as hoes and cutlasses.

2. Unstable government policies.

3. Illiteracy and ignorance.

4. Lack of medical facilities in the farm setting.

5. Inadequate credit facilities.

6. Little or lack storage facilities.

7. Bad road and poor transportation system.

8. Problems of land tenure system.

9. Natural disaster.

10. Pest and diseases.

11. Absence of able bodies youth.

12. Lack of improved seed.

13. Poor marketing system.

14. Inadequate research and extension services.

15. Poverty.

16. Conservatism.

 

RELATED POSTS

Marketing of Agricultural Commodities | Functions of Agriculture Marketing Boards | Problems of Marketing of Agricultural Commodities in Nigeria SS 2 Economics

Concept of Plants, Factory Firm, Industry and Industrial Estate | Factors that Influence the Location of Industries | Advantages and Disadvantages of Localization of Industry SS Economics

 

LESSON PRESENTATION

TEACHER’S ACTIVITIES

The teacher,

1. encourages students to participate actively in farm work, in school and at home.

2. invite agriculture extension worker or agricultural science teacher to give talk on agriculture generally.

 

STUDENT’S ACTIVITIES

The students,

1. participate in farm activities at home and at school.

2. suggest ways of solving agricultural problems in Nigeria.

 

LESSON EVALUATION

Teacher asks students to,

1. identify and describe the main components of agriculture.

2. discuss the importance of agriculture to economic development.