CROP PRODUCTION
TOPIC 1: INTRODUCTION TO CROP PRODUCTION/AGRICULTURE
Agriculture means cultivation of the land for the purpose of producing crops and management of livestock.
-It also involves the storage, processing and marketing of agricultural products.
- There are some disciplines that are directly or indirectly allied (related) to agriculture.
- Entomology (insects pests)
- Pathology (diseases)
- Agricultural engineering
- Agriculture economics
- Soil science etc
ROLES OF AGRICULTURE
a) Provision of food – A well fed nation is a healthy one. Agriculture therefore provides virtually all the food required to feed the population except in prolonged drought.
b) Provision of employment. Agriculture provides employment directly e.g. workers in ranches, coffee, tea, sisal estates, and on small farms.
In Kenya Agriculture and Agriculture related sectors employ large number of people e.g. food processing industries e.g. Kenya canners, textile manufacturing industries, mean canning, grains, milk et.c.
We also have field extension workers, scientist, Transporters, traders e.t.c.
c) Foreign exchange earning. The greatest percentage of exports from East Africa consists of Agricultural commodities. The foreign exchange earnings is important for the purchasing of other goods e.g. machines like tractors, fertilizers, oil from foreign countries.
d) Revenue generation for the country Agriculture earns the government much of its revenue from taxes imposed on the sale and exports of Agricultural products.
- This revenue can be used by the government to provide such services as medical services, schools, roads etc. for the public
e) Provide raw materials for industries Most Agriculture products needs some processing before they are eventually utilized e.g. cotton, sisal coffee, tea hides etc
PROBLEMS FACING AGRICULTURE
1. Poor crop animal husbandry – Due to low level of education the conservative farmers do not practice the recommended husbandly practices. They thus plant late, fail to control pests, plant poor seeds and as a result yields obtained are very low compared to the yield obtained in developed countries.
2. Poor marketing facilities- Sometimes the transport system is inefficient or unavailable thereby leading to spoilage of produce due to delay in delivery to the market. Some times the middlemen involved in marketing of the farmers produce take too large profit. As a result the farmer receives too low prices for his produce hence he has no incentive to produce more.
3. Lack of capital-Every farmer requires capital to invest in the development of his farming e.g. installment of piped water in the farm, buying fencing materials, fertilizers etc.
Mostly farmers obtain capital or loans. Source of these loans include Commercial bank or AFC which is a government credit agent.
Security is required for one to get a loan and mast farmers don’t have security hence the level of investment in their farms is low.
4. Psychological and sociological factors: poor Attitude towards Agriculture as an occupation has seen many people migrate in urban areas in search of white color jobs leaving behind the old and the less educated to attend to the land.
5. Poor tools – In most rural areas the farmers still use the traditional hand tools e.g. fork, pangas etc which are rather inefficient consequently critical operation such as seedbed operation and planting are often completed late and the quality of the same is poor. This leads to low yields and poor income to the farmer.
6. Pest and disease: The tropical climate in Central Africa encourages a wide range of pests and disease.
- The pests and diseases multiply much more rapidly here than in the cooler temperature countries hence farming is a constant battle between the farmer and the pest and diseases.
7. Fluctuations of commodity prices: Due to the change in supply and demand prices of most Agricultural products keep on changing from time to time with the unsettling effects on farming.
8. Aridity: - Large trucks of land receive very little rainfall per annum and are therefore either marginal for economical farming or are semi-deserts.
9. Land tenure: This is the state of ownership of land and conditions governing that ownership. The land tenure problem facing East Africa is that most of the land is owned either by a community or by a clan and therefore an individual has no real incentive to look after such land.
10. Poor storage: - This is a common problem amongst small scale farmers. Much spoilage is experienced via pest damage which results to considerable waste.
SOLUTION TO IMPROVE AGRICULTURE
1. Adoption of irrigated agriculture: Rather than depending on rain this will help overcome the problem of aridity hence boast agriculture even in marginal areas.
2. Diseases and pest control measures: If pests and diseases are keenly controlled the yields lost through attack by pest and diseases can be recovered and overall output increased.
3. Implementation of new technology: Moving from the old ways of farming practices to modern technology can highly boast the yields e.g. green house farming.
4. Crop rotation: This is an important crop husbandry practice since it can minimize build up of disease and pest of a given farm. Nutrients are also optimally utilized without extremely depleting the soil of particular nutrients.
5. Investment in Agricultural Research: - Research can be done to come up with crop varieties that are resistant to particular pests and diseases.
6. Farmers trainings/Agriculture education and extension to farmers: – farmers can be trained on matters of importance
7. Good land policies/land tenure system: – Systems that can motivate or encourage land construction measures as well as soil and water conservation are important e.g. individual owner operation system.
8. Establishment of marketing agencies: – Which are to research for good market and commodity prices.
9. Timeliness of activities: - Avoid late planting, late weeding and late harvesting as these can adversely affect crop output.
1. CROP PRODUCTION
TOPIC 1: INTRODUCTION TO CROP PRODUCTION/AGRICULTURE
Agriculture means cultivation of the land for the purpose of producing crops and management of livestock.
-It also involves the storage, processing and marketing of agricultural products.
- There are some disciplines that are directly or indirectly allied (related) to agriculture.
- Entomology (insects pests)
- Pathology (diseases)
- Agricultural engineering
- Agriculture economics
- Soil science etc
ROLES OF AGRICULTURE
a) Provision of food – A well fed nation is a healthy one. Agriculture therefore provides virtually all the food required to feed the population except in prolonged drought.
b) Provision of employment. Agriculture provides employment directly e.g. workers in ranches, coffee, tea, sisal estates, and on small farms.
In Kenya Agriculture and Agriculture related sectors employ large number of people e.g. food processing industries e.g. Kenya canners, textile manufacturing industries, mean canning, grains, milk et.c.
We also have field extension workers, scientist, Transporters, traders e.t.c.
c) Foreign exchange earning. The greatest percentage of exports from East Africa consists of Agricultural commodities. The foreign exchange earnings is important for the purchasing of other goods e.g. machines like tractors, fertilizers, oil from foreign countries.
d) Revenue generation for the country Agriculture earns the government much of its revenue from taxes imposed on the sale and exports of Agricultural products.
- This revenue can be used by the government to provide such services as medical services, schools, roads etc. for the public
e) Provide raw materials for industries Most Agriculture products needs some processing before they are eventually utilized e.g. cotton, sisal coffee, tea hides etc
PROBLEMS FACING AGRICULTURE
1. Poor crop animal husbandry – Due to low level of education the conservative farmers do not practice the recommended husbandly practices. They thus plant late, fail to control pests, plant poor seeds and as a result yields obtained are very low compared to the yield obtained in developed countries.
2. Poor marketing facilities- Sometimes the transport system is inefficient or unavailable thereby leading to spoilage of produce due to delay in delivery to the market. Some times the middlemen involved in marketing of the farmers produce take too large profit. As a result the farmer receives too low prices for his produce hence he has no incentive to produce more.
3. Lack of capital-Every farmer requires capital to invest in the development of his farming e.g. installment of piped water in the farm, buying fencing materials, fertilizers etc.
Mostly farmers obtain capital or loans. Source of these loans include Commercial bank or AFC which is a government credit agent.
Security is required for one to get a loan and mast farmers don’t have security hence the level of investment in their farms is low.
4. Psychological and sociological factors: poor Attitude towards Agriculture as an occupation has seen many people migrate in urban areas in search of white color jobs leaving behind the old and the less educated to attend to the land.
5. Poor tools – In most rural areas the farmers still use the traditional hand tools e.g. fork, pangas etc which are rather inefficient consequently critical operation such as seedbed operation and planting are often completed late and the quality of the same is poor. This leads to low yields and poor income to the farmer.
6. Pest and disease: The tropical climate in Central Africa encourages a wide range of pests and disease.
- The pests and diseases multiply much more rapidly here than in the cooler temperature countries hence farming is a constant battle between the farmer and the pest and diseases.
7. Fluctuations of commodity prices: Due to the change in supply and demand prices of most Agricultural products keep on changing from time to time with the unsettling effects on farming.
8. Aridity: - Large trucks of land receive very little rainfall per annum and are therefore either marginal for economical farming or are semi-deserts.
9. Land tenure: This is the state of ownership of land and conditions governing that ownership. The land tenure problem facing East Africa is that most of the land is owned either by a community or by a clan and therefore an individual has no real incentive to look after such land.
10. Poor storage: - This is a common problem amongst small scale farmers. Much spoilage is experienced via pest damage which results to considerable waste.