SUBJECT:AGRICULTURAL
SCIENCE
WEEK: ONE
CLASS: GRADE 7
TOPIC: MEANING,
IMPORTANCE AND TYPES OF AGRICULTURE
SUBTOPIC: ORIGIN OF
AGRICULTURE
Many years ago, man moved from place to
place. He did not live in any particular house, village or town as he does
today. This was during the stones age. During that period, man caught animals
for food from the forests and fishes from the rivers, lakes and seas. He also
collected fruits such pawpaw and banana from the bush around him. He ate them
and lived mainly on these items. Man was then a collector of fruits and nuts
and a hunter. It was the beginning of agriculture as a work for man.
MEANING OF AGRICULTURE:
Agriculture
is the science of practice of farming. It is the cultivation of crops and
rearing of animals for man consumption. The term Agriculture was derived from
two latin words which are: “Ager”
meaning “field” and “Cultus” meaning “cultivation” Literally, agriculture means “Field Cultivation”. The people who engage in agriculture are called
agriculturalists.
TYPES OF AGRICULTURE
(i) Subsistence
Agriculture:
In
this type, the farmer produces the quantity that is just enough for family use
and none for sale in the open market. This is regarded as the most primitive
type of farming. In subsistence agriculture farm labor is generated by farmer’s
households, traditional tools are used and many crops are planted in the same
piece of land at a time and this may
be a small piece of farm land.
(ii) Semi-Subsistence
Agriculture: In this type, the farmer produces what
is enough for the family and the excess is sold in the market for income. In
the semi-subsistence agriculture, farm labor is generated by farmer’s
households, traditional tools are used and many crops are planted in the same
piece of land at a time and this may
be a small piece of farm land.
(iii) Commercial
Agriculture: Commercial Agriculture requires the
production of food in very large quantities. Most times people in this type of
Agriculture produce solely for the local and international markets. In
commercial Agriculture, large spaces, huge labor and capital investments,
mechanized operations, special marketing strategies and modern farming
equipment are used. Examples of commercial farms include Songhai Farms,
Obasanjo Farms, Ada palm plantation in Imo State etc.
ASSIGNMENT
1.
Discuss how man lived long ago before he became a farmer.
2.
Explain the meaning of agriculture.
3.
Identify the three different types of agriculture.
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