Introduction to Crop Production SS1 Horticulture and Crop Production Lesson Note

What is Crop Production?

Welcome to Senior Secondary School! In Agriculture, we often talk about many things, but Crop Production is the most basic and important part.

Simply put, crop production is the branch of agriculture that deals with the growing of plants for human use. These plants aren’t just for eating; they are for making clothes, building houses, and even making medicines.

The Farmer’s Job:

Crop production isn’t just about throwing seeds on the ground. It involves:

• Preparing the soil (Tilling and making ridges).
• Planting the right seeds at the right time.
• Caring for the plants (Weeding, watering, and adding manure).
•   Harvesting and storing the food safely.

Why do we grow crops in Nigeria?

If all the farmers in Nigeria stopped working today, within one week, there would be a massive crisis. This is because crop production is the “engine room” of our survival.

1. Food for the Family

This is the most obvious reason. We grow crops like Yam, Cassava, Rice, and Maize to fill our bellies. These provide us with the energy we need to go to school and work.

2. Employment (Jobs)

Over 60% of Nigerians are involved in some form of crop production. It provides jobs for:

• The farmer in the village.
• The tractor driver.
• The market women who sell the harvest.
• The researchers who find better ways to grow food.

Supporting our Industries

Crop production is the “mother” of many factories in Nigeria. Many things we buy in shops started as a crop on a farm. These are called Industrial Raw Materials.

Examples in Nigeria:

• Cotton: Grown by farmers to provide the lint used in textile factories to make the school uniforms you are wearing.
• Oil Palm: The fruits are processed into red oil for cooking and used in factories to make soap and margarine.
• Cocoa: The beans are used to make chocolate and beverages like Milo and Bournvita.
• Rubber: The milky sap from rubber trees is used to make the tyres on our cars and buses.

Helping the Economy (Foreign Exchange)

When Nigeria sells (exports) crops to other countries, we earn Foreign Exchange (dollars, euros, etc.).

In the 1960s, before we discovered oil, Nigeria was famous for:

• The Groundnut Pyramids in the North.
• Cocoa in the West.
• Palm Oil in the East.

Even today, by growing our own food like rice instead of buying it from other countries, we save the government a lot of money. Crop production makes Nigeria a “self-reliant” nation.

Other Benefits of Crop Production

Apart from food and money, crop production helps us in other ways we sometimes forget:

1. Animal Feed

Animals like chickens, cows, and pigs cannot go to the market to buy food. They eat the “waste” or by-products of our crops. For example, maize bran and groundnut husks are used to make feed for poultry.

2. Medicinal Value

Many crops are grown for health. In Nigeria, we use crops like Ginger, Garlic, Aloe Vera, and Neem (Dogonyaro) to treat illnesses and keep our bodies strong.

3. Shelter and Furniture

Crops like Timber (Trees) give us the wood we use to build the roofs of our houses and the desks you are sitting on in class.

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