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INTRODUCTION TO AGRICULTURE FORM ONE NOTES

Maverick John

INTRODUCTION TO AGRICULTURE

The term agriculture comes from two Latin words:

Ager: meaning land or field

Cultura: meaning cultivation

Agriculture means field cultivation. But agriculture has continued to grow and expand that it can now be broadly be defined as: The art and science of crop and animal production

Agriculture -The art and science of crop and animal production

Agriculture as an art

Agriculture is referred to as an art because it involves the following:

Agriculture as a science

Agriculture is referred to as a science because it involves the following:

 

Careers in agriculture

 

Branches of agriculture

  1. Crop production
  2. Livestock production
  3. Soil science
  4. Agricultural economics
  5. Agricultural engineering
  6. Crop production

This is the production of crop on cultivated land.

Crop production is divided into:

  1. a) Field crops

These are crops grown on fairly large area of land. May be annual or perennial crops

  1. b) Horticultural crops

Horticulture is the growing of perishable crops. It involves the following:

  1. i) Floriculture: growing of flowers e.g. carnation, roses
  2. ii) Olericulture: growing of vegetables e.g. cabbages, onions, kales,
  3. ii) Pomoculture/pomology: growing of fruits e.g. avocado, mangoes, passion fruits, citrus
  4. Livestock production

This is the rearing of all types of animals. It involves:

  1. a) Pastoralism (mammalian livestock farming)

Rearing of farm animals on pastures e.g. cattle, goats, sheep etc

  1. b) Aquaculture/fish farming

Rearing of aquatic animals e.g. fish

  1. c) Apiculture: keeping of bees
  2. d) Aviculture: keeping of poultry e.g. chicken, ducks, ostriches, geese, pigeons, etc.
  3. Soil science

This is a branch of agriculture that provides knowledge on how soil is formed, how it works to sustain life and how it can be kept alive through many years

  1. Agricultural economics

This branch deals with the utilization of scarce resources in the production of agricultural products.

  1. Agricultural engineering

This branch deals with the use and maintenance of farm tools, machinery and structures.

FARMING SYSTEMS

This is how the farm and all the enterprises in it are organized.

Factors to consider when identifying a farming system                                   

 

There are two main farming systems namely:

  1. Extensive system
  2. Intensive system
  3. Extensive farming system

This is a farming system which involves the use of large tracts of land.

Characteristics of extensive system

  1. Intensive farming system

This is a system of farming which requires high capital and labour investment.

 Characteristics of intensive farming

 

N/B: Extensive and intensive farming systems can be practiced under:

  1. a) Large scale farming
  2. b) Small scale farming
  3. a) Large scale farming

This involves the use of large tracts of land.

Characteristics/features of large scale farming

Large scale farming can either be:

  1. Plantation farming: growing of one type of crop (monoculture)

Characteristics of plantation farming

 

  1. Ranching: rearing of beef animals

Reasons why ranching is important in the arid and semi arid areas of Kenya                 

 

  1. b) Small scale farming

This is a type of farming which is practiced on small piece of land. The products are either for subsistence or commercial purposes.

Conditions that lead to small scale farming                                  

 

Methods of farming

  1. Pastoralism
  2. Arable farming
  3. Mixed farming
  4. Shifting cultivation
  5. Organic farming
  6. Agro forestry
  7. Pastoralism

This is the practice of rearing livestock on natural pasture. Can be;

  1. Settled livestock farming
  2. Nomadic Pastoralism
  3. a) Nomadic Pastoralism

This is the practice of rearing livestock and moving with them from place to place in search of water and green pasture. Nomadic Pastoralism can only be practiced where:

 

  1. Arable farming

This is the growing of crops on a cultivated land. It can be,

  1. Mono cropping
  2. Mono culture
  3. Mixed cropping
  4. Inter cropping

 

  1. a) Mono cropping

This is the growing of one type of crop per season.

Disadvantages

N/B: Mono cropping can be practiced under mono culture where only one crop is grown throughout as in plantation farming e.g. in Tea, Coffee plantations.

  1. b) Mixed cropping

This is the practice of growing different crops on the same piece of land but on different plots or strips. Usually helps to control soil erosion.

  1. c) Intercropping

This is the practice of growing different crops on the same piece of land per season.

Advantages of intercropping

Disadvantages of intercropping

  1. Mixed farming

This is the growing of crops and rearing of animals on the same piece of land.

Advantages of mixed farming

 

Disadvantages of mixed farming

  1. Shifting cultivation

This involves farming on a piece of land continually until its exhausted after which the farmer moves to a new fertile land. Shifting cultivation can be practiced where:

Advantages of shifting cultivation

Disadvantages of shifting cultivation

  1. Organic farming

This is the growing of crops and rearing of animals without using agricultural chemicals. It can be practiced through:

Importance of organic farming

 

  1. Agro forestry

This is the growing of trees, crops and keeping of animals on the same piece of land.

Advantages of agro forestry

Roles of agriculture in the economy

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