Factors of Production: Land – JSS1 Agricultural Science Lesson Note (Third Term)

Land is the natural resource where productive activities such as growing crops, rearing animals and building farmsteads are carried out, and its reward is rent.

Behavioural objectives

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

1. define land;
2. name the components of land;
3. state the features of land;
4. state the reward for land;
5. explain the importance of land in an agricultural enterprise.

What is land?

Land is the place where productive activities such as growing crops, rearing animals and establishing farmsteads are carried out.

• Natural resource: land is a gift of nature, not made by people.
• Factor of production: land is one of the resources needed to produce goods and services.
• Wide meaning: land includes the surface of the earth and the natural resources found on it and under it.

What does land include?

Land includes soil, minerals, water and vegetation.

• Soil: the top layer of the earth in which crops grow.
• Minerals: materials found under the ground, such as crude oil, limestone and tin.
• Water: rivers, streams, lakes and underground water used for farming and fish ponds.
• Vegetation: natural plant cover such as forests, grasses and shrubs.

What are the factors of production?

Factors of production are the resources needed to produce goods and services, and each one earns its own reward.

What are the features of land?

Land has thirteen main features, which can be grouped into natural features and economic features.

Natural features of land

• Factor of production: land is one of the factors of production.
• Gift of nature: land is a natural resource and is not made by people.
• Immobile and fixed: land cannot be moved from one place to another, and its total supply cannot be increased by effort.
• Made up of several parts: land also includes soil, minerals, water and vegetation.
• Limited in supply: land is scarce, especially in highly populated areas such as big cities.
• Suitability affects output: fertile soil and a good climate give higher yields than poor soil.
• Quality can be improved: methods include manuring, fertiliser application, irrigation, drainage, crop rotation and fallowing.

Economic features of land

• Reward is rent: rent is collected from tenants who use the land.
• Law of diminishing returns: if more inputs are added to a fixed piece of land, the extra output eventually becomes smaller.
• Controlled by the Land Use Act: in Nigeria, the availability and use of land are subject to this law.
• Can be used as collateral: a landowner can offer land as security to obtain a loan.
• Value depends on location: land near towns, roads and markets costs more than land in remote areas.
• Can appreciate or depreciate: value rises when land is developed and falls when land is eroded or over-farmed.

What is rent?

Rent is the reward paid to the owner of land for allowing another person to use it.

• Who pays: the tenant, for example a farmer who leases a plot.
• Who receives: the landowner.
• Basis: it is paid for the use of land, usually for an agreed period such as a year.

What is the importance of land in an agricultural enterprise?

Land is important in agriculture because every farming activity needs land to take place.

• Food crop production: land is used to grow food crops such as maize, rice and cowpea.
• Cash crop production: land is used to grow cash crops such as cocoa, rubber and oil palm.
• Animal rearing: land provides space for pens, paddocks and pasture for livestock.
• Forest development: land is used for forest reserves and for growing timber trees.
• Fish pond development: land is dug and shaped to build ponds for fish farming.
• Wildlife conservation: land is set aside for game reserves and national parks to protect animals.
• Security for loans: land can be used as collateral to get loans from banks to run the farm.

Evaluation

1. What is land?
2. State five features of land.
3. The reward for land is ………
4. State three uses of land in an agricultural enterprise.
5. Name the four components of land.

Assignment

List five uses of land in an agricultural enterprise, and give one example for each.