Forms of Agriculture – JSS1 Agricultural Science Lesson Note (First Term)

Agriculture is the cultivation of the land to produce crops and the rearing of animals for man’s use. It has many branches, or forms. The form practised in an area depends on the size of the farm, its purpose, the availability of land, the type of soil, the topography of the land, and the prevailing climatic conditions.

Behavioural objectives

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

• define agriculture and state the factors that decide the form of agriculture practised in an area;
• describe crop farming, horticulture and livestock farming;
• name the types of bees and state the importance of bee farming;
• explain what fishery is and give examples of aquatic animals reared;
• explain heliculture and state the importance of snail farming.

What is crop farming?

A crop is a plant grown for a specific purpose. Farming is the centre of activity where land is cultivated for the production of plants, animals or both. Crop farming therefore involves the cultivation of land for the production of useful crops for the benefit of man.

When different types of crops are planted on the same piece of land, it is called mixed cropping. Crops that may be planted are maize, cowpea, yam, cocoyam, groundnut, soya bean, tomato, pepper, okra, sorghum and some perennial crops.

What is horticulture?

Horticulture is the study of how to grow fruits, vegetables and ornamental plants. It is a special branch of crop science that is not well developed in Nigeria. Those who specialise in the production of fruits, vegetables and flowers are called horticulturists.

• Fruits and vegetables grown by horticulturists: citrus, pawpaw, mango, guava, cashew, pineapple, plantain, garden egg, tomato, lettuce, cabbage, pumpkin, cucumber and banana.
• Ornamental plants grown: hibiscus, croton, rose flowers, zinnia, hyacinth, iris, lily and Queen of the Night.

Ornamental crops are used for beautifying our surroundings.

What is livestock farming?

Livestock farming is the system of keeping or rearing different farm animals for different purposes. Animals commonly kept include cattle, poultry, sheep, goats and pigs. Livestock farming may be settled (ranching) or unsettled (nomadic herding).

What is bee farming?

Apiculture, or bee farming, is the process of deliberately keeping or culturing bees in wooden boxes or hives for different reasons.

Types of bees

1. Solitary bees

Most bees in the world are solitary. Mated females live alone in a hole or burrow into well-drained soil or soft brick mortar. They have a short life span, and adults live for about 6 to 8 weeks. They do not sting because they do not store honey. Solitary bees are used for pollinating flowers.

2. Bumble bees

These bees live together in colonies and store honey and pollen in wax as food to be used in times of food shortage. There are two types: Bombus bumble bees and Cuckoo bumble bees.

Bombus bumble bees have three social classes: a female queen, partially developed female workers and male drones. A colony can contain 1 queen, 300 workers and a few drones. Cuckoo bees have the males and females living separately except during the period of mating. They have no workers.

3. Honey bees

Honey bees live as a large colony in a large cavity or in man-made hives. They have three castes: 1 queen, 70,000 workers and 300 male drones. At the centre, the queen bee lays eggs which develop into workers. The drone eggs are laid later.

A typical honey bee hive may contain:

• 1 queen;
• 250 to 300 drones;
• 20,000 female foragers;
• 40,000 female house bees;
• 5,000 to 7,000 eggs;
• 7,000 to 11,000 larvae being fed;
• 16,000 to 24,000 larvae developing into eggs.

Importance of bee farming

1. Bees are pollinators of crops, and this is important for genetic stability.
2. Bees are kept for honey, beeswax, pollen and propolis, which are used for food, medicine or manufacturing other products.
3. The social life of a honey bee colony provides a strong basis for the study of the structure of societies.
4. Bees are used for research and education.

What is fishery?

Fishery is a special area of agriculture that deals with the production and management of fish and other aquatic animals of agricultural importance. Such animals include lobster, squids, shrimps, crayfish, oysters, prawns, periwinkles and crabs. These animals are rich sources of protein.

What is snail farming (heliculture)?

Snails are invertebrates with soft bodies that are covered with hard calcareous shells. They belong to the phylum called Mollusca.

Heliculture, commonly known as snail farming, is the process of raising land snails specifically for human use. The flesh is used as edible escargot. More recently, snail slime is obtained for use in cosmetics, and snail eggs are eaten as a type of caviar.

Importance of snail farming

1. Source of protein: snail meat has high protein content of about 37% to 51%.
2. It contains almost all the essential amino acids.
3. Source of iron: the iron content of snails is 45 to 59 mg/kg. This high iron content is considered in the treatment of anaemia.
4. Treatment of different ailments: snails can be used for the treatment of whooping cough, ulcers, asthma, high blood pressure, constipation, poor eyesight and piles.
5. Preparation of animal feed: the shell of a snail contains phosphorus and calcium, and it can be crushed for the preparation of animal feed.

Evaluation

1. Define agriculture.
2. List four factors that decide the form of agriculture practised in an area.
3. What is mixed cropping?
4. Name the three types of bees and state one feature of each.
5. What is heliculture?

Assignment

1. State four importance of bee farming.
2. State five importance of snail farming.
3. List five examples of aquatic animals reared in fishery.