Surveying and Planning of Farmstead II – SS2 Agricultural Science Lesson Note (First Term)

Farm planning is the drawing or outline of a farmstead that puts each part of the land to the use for which it is best suited.

Behavioural objectives

1. Define farm planning and a farmstead.
2. State the importance of farm planning and the reasons for planning a farmstead.
3. List and explain the factors that influence the siting of a farmstead.
4. State the principles of farmstead layout.
5. Calculate the area of a farmland and its plant population.

What is farm planning?

Farm planning is the drawing or outline of a farmstead that puts each part of the land to the use for which it is best suited.

• Farm planning: the act of deciding where each farm activity and structure will be placed.
• Farm plan: the finished drawing that shows where crops, animals, buildings, roads and water points will be placed.

Why is farm planning important?

1. It enables farmers to make proper use of land.
2. It ensures proper siting of certain buildings or structures in certain locations within farmsteads.
3. It ensures the location of livestock buildings in relation to other farm buildings.
4. It promotes neatness and prevents pollution within farmsteads.

What is a farmstead?

A farmstead is a farmhouse and all its production and processing structures, so it is both a home and a production centre.

• Home: the farmer’s family lives in the farmhouse on the farmstead.
• Production centre: crops and livestock are produced and processed there.

What structures are found on a farmstead?

What factors influence the siting of a farm or farmstead?

The siting of a farmstead is influenced by topography, soil type, accessibility, water supply, health and hygiene, nearness to market, drainage, and availability of labour and power.

• Topography: the shape and slope of the land. Gently sloping or level land is easier to farm and build on.
• Soil type: fertile, well-drained soil suits crops. Poorer soil can carry buildings.
• Accessibility: good roads make it easy to bring in inputs and carry out produce.
• Water supply: water is needed for crops, animals and the household, so a stream, borehole or well should be near.
• Health and hygiene: the site should be clean and away from swamps, refuse dumps and other sources of disease.
• Nearness to market: a close market lowers transport cost and reduces spoilage of produce.
• Drainage: the site should not flood or stay waterlogged after rain.
• Labour and power: workers and electricity or other sources of energy should be easy to get.

Why do we plan a farmstead?

We plan a farmstead so that resources are used well and farm work is easy to manage.

1. It allows for proper use of resources without wastage.
2. It makes farmers more responsive to market demand.
3. It improves the efficiency of farm activities.
4. It makes coordination and control of farm operations easier.

What are the principles of farmstead layout?

The principles of farmstead layout are rules that guide where each crop, animal and building is placed on the farm.

1. Best soil for crops: plant crops on the best soil within the farm.
2. Poorest soil for livestock: livestock buildings should be located on the poorest soil within the farm.
3. Easy access: buildings should be located in easily accessible areas.
4. Avoid slopes: farm buildings should not be located on slopes, to avoid erosion.
5. Separate home from animals: residential and office buildings should be located far away from livestock buildings to avoid noise and unpleasant smells.

How do we calculate the area of farmland and plant population?

How do we calculate the area of farmland?

Area is the amount of surface a farm covers, measured in square metres (m²) or hectares.

• Area: the amount of surface a farm covers.
• Hectare: 1 hectare = 10,000 m².
• Change m² to hectares: divide the area in m² by 10,000.

What is plant population?

Plant population is the number of plant stands in an area of farmland.

• Plant population: the number of plant stands in an area of farmland.
• Spacing: the distance between one crop plant and the next, for example 60 cm by 30 cm.
• Stand: one planting position, which may hold one or more plants.
• Formula: plant population = area of farmland (m²) ÷ area of one stand (m²).

What are the steps for finding plant population?

1. Find the area of the farmland.
2. Change the spacing from centimetres to metres by dividing by 100.
3. Multiply the two spacing values to get the area of one stand.
4. Divide the area of the farmland by the area of one stand.
5. If there are several plants per stand, multiply the number of stands by that number.

Worked example

• Given: a farmland measures 60 m × 30 m and is planted with tomatoes at a spacing of 30 cm × 30 cm.
• Find (i): the area of the farmland.
• Find (ii): the plant population of tomatoes in the area.
• Find (iii): the total population if there are two plants per stand.

Solution (i): area of the farmland

1. Area = length × width.
2. Area = 60 m × 30 m.
3. Area = 1,800 m².

Solution (ii): plant population

1. Spacing = 30 cm × 30 cm = 0.3 m × 0.3 m.
2. Area of one stand = 0.3 m × 0.3 m = 0.09 m².
3. Number of stands = area of farmland ÷ area of one stand.
4. Number of stands = 1,800 ÷ 0.09 = 20,000.
5. The plant population of tomatoes is 20,000 stands.

Solution (iii): total population

1. There are two plants per stand.
2. Total plants = 20,000 × 2 = 40,000 tomato plants.

Evaluation

1. Define farm planning and a farmstead.
2. State four reasons why farm planning is important.
3. List five factors that influence the siting of a farmstead.
4. Why should residential and office buildings be located far from livestock buildings?
5. State the formula for plant population.

Assignment

Answer all parts of this task.

1. State four reasons for planning a farmstead.
2. A rectangular farmland measures 40 m by 20 m. Calculate its area.
3. Maize is planted at a spacing of 0.5 m × 0.5 m on the farmland in question 2. Calculate the plant population.