INTRODUCTION TO AGRICULTURE

Definition of Agriculture   

• Agriculture is the science and art of cultivation of crops and rearing of livestock.

As a science, it involves experimentation and application of scientific knowledge in such areas as;

• Soil analysis,
• Control of pests and diseases,
• Farm machinery and structures,
• Crop and livestock breeding.

As an art, it involves the use of learned skills in;

• Tilling the land,
• Construction,
• Measurement,
• Harvesting of crops,
• Feeding and handling of livestock

Branches of Agriculture

Crop Farming (Arable Farming)

• The practice of growing crops on cultivated land.

      It is subdivided into:

Field crops Cultivation:

• maize, beans, potatoes, coffee, tea, cotton to name but a few.

Horticulture:

• It involves the growing of perishable crops which have high value.
• It is further subdivided into:

Floriculture – the growing of flowers.

Olericulture – the growing of vegetables.

Pomoculture – the growing of fruits.

 

Livestock Farming

• This branch deals with the rearing of livestock for various products.

It is further subdivided into:

• Pastoralism: This is the rearing of mammalian livestock such as cattle, sheep, goats, rabbits, pigs and camels.
• Fish Farming (Aquaculture): This is the practice of rearing fish and other aquatic organisms , in ponds.

• Bee Keeping (Apiculture): This involves the rearing of bees in structures known as beehives.
• Poultry Keeping: This is the keeping of domesticated birds.

 

Agricultural Economics

• It deals with the allocation of scarce resources (land, labour, capital and management) for agricultural production.

Agricultural Engineering

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

 

Farming Systems

• A farming system is the organization of the various enterprises in a farm.

  It is determined by the following factors:

• Resources available (land, labour, capital and management).
• Skills of the farmer.
• Environmental factors such as climate, soil type and topography.
• Government policy.
• Farmer’s choice and preference.
• Enterprise requirement.
• Social-cultural factors.

The following are systems of farming:

Extensive System:

• It is a system where a large piece of land with low investment of resources per unit area is carried out.

Advantages

•  It is cheap.
•  Does not require high level of management.
• Requires less labour.

Disadvantages

• Low profit per unit area.
• Cannot be practiced where land is limited.
• Low output per unit area.
•  The land is under-utilized,

Intensive Farming:

• This system utilizes the factors of production to the maximum and involves high level of management.

Advantages

• Maximum utilization of the resources.
• Can be practiced even where land is a limiting factor.
• Results in high yields.

Disadvantages

• Labour intensive.
• High capital investment is required.
• Requires high level of management.
• Can lead to high loses in case of poor management.

 

Large Scale Farming

• Refers to the farming practice under large areas of land over 20 hectares.
• It is used mainly for commercial purposes.
• The system is highly mechanized.

Advantages

• Results in high yields.

• Due to economics of scale high profit is realized.

Disadvantages

• Lack of diversification may lead to total failure in case of unfavorable conditions.
• High level of management is required.
• Heavy capital investment.
• Requires skilled and qualified manpower.

Small Scale Farming

• Refers to farming carried out on a small area of land less than 5 hectares.
• Family or casual labour can be engaged during the peak periods.
• Most of the Kenyan farmers are small scale due to unavailability of farmland.

Advantages

• Requires low capital investment.
• Possible where land is a limiting factor.
• Does not require high management level unless under intensive system.

Disadvantages

• Uneconomical 10 mechanize due to small size.
• Low production.
• Provides limited employment.
• Labour intensive.
• Difficult to specialize.

Methods of Farming

• A method of farming is an established way of carrying out farming activities.
• The following are the common methods of farming:

Mixed Farming

• It is the practice of growing crops and keeping of livestock on the same land.
• Its common in high potential areas.

Advantages

• Mutual benefit between crops and livestock.
• Crops supply feed for animals while animals supply manure for crops.
• Acts as an insurance against total loss by the farmer.
• The farmer is assured of an income throughout the year.
• There is maximum utilization of the resources.
• Animals can be used in the farm activities particularly draught animals.
• Ensures proper utilization of labour and land throughout the year.

      Disadvantages

• High initial capital.
• Lack of specialization.
• Land can be a limiting factor if both enterprises are to be raised.
• Requires high level of management for both enterprises.

 

Nomadic-Pastoralism

• This is the practice of livestock rearing whereby animals are moved from one place to another in search of water and pastures.
• It is practiced in the arid and semi-arid areas where in most cases beef animals are kept.

     Nomadic pastoralism is gradually changing to ranching with the introduction of:

• Improved pasture species, improved livestock breeds and supplementary feeding.
• Efficient disease and parasite control measures.
• Improved infra-structure such as roads, water supply, cattle dipping facilities.
• Extension services.

     Advantages

• Serves as the backbone of beef industry in Kenya.

• Proper way of utilizing the arid and semi arid areas.

• Source of income to the pastoral communities.

  

 Disadvantages

• It encourages the spread of livestock pests and diseases due to communal watering points, grazing and dipping facilities.
• There is a tendency to increased soil erosion and land degradation.
• Source of conflicts and ethnic tension among the nomadic communities for the control of good pastures and water.
• Difficult to control breeding and breeding diseases.
• High rate of inbreeding leading to poor quality livestock.
• Low production of milk, meat, hides and skins due to wastage of energy in traveling from one place to another in search of pastures and water.
• High death rates as a result of walking for long distances.

 

Shifting Cultivation

• It is a traditional method of cultivating a piece of land until the soil is exhausted and crop yields decline.
• The land is abandoned and the farmer shifts to a new field as the previous land is left fallow to regain its fertility.

     Advantages

• Land is allowed to rest and regain its fertility.
• No build up of pests and diseases.
• Soil structure is restored.
• The cost of production is low since inorganic fertilizers and pesticides are not used.
• Crop produce are chemical free.

    Disadvantages

• Not practical where land is a limiting factor.
• Farm planning and acquisition of credits for land development is ‘not possible.
• It is a cumbersome method due to constant movement.
• Lack of soil conservation measures
• Not possible to grow perennial crops.
• Low output per unit area due to poor farming methods.
• Where fire is used to clear the land organic matter is destroyed.

Organic Farming

• It is a fanning method where crops are grown and livestock reared without the use of agro­chemicals.
• It is a method of farming which has been adopted to reduce the long term effect of the agro-chemicals on crops which may eventually end up in man and livestock.
• Agro-chemicals are also expensive thus organic farming reduces the cost of production. Organically produced goods fetch high market prices.

      Advantages

• Cheap and cost effective.

• Make use of the locally available materials
• Useful in improving the soil structures.
• No side effects from the crops and livestock products.
• No environmental pollution.

Agro-Forestry

• This is the practice of integrating trees and crops on the same piece of land.
• With land resources becoming more scarce, agroforestry is becoming more important.

Examples of common agroforestry trees and shrubs include:

• Cajanus cajan
• Grevillea robusta
• Sesbania sesban
• Calliandra calothyrsus
• Casuarina equisetifolia
• Leucaena leucocephala

Trees selected for agroforestry should have the following characteristics:

• Able to grow fast.
• Deep roots to minimize competition for nutrients.
•  Should be preferably leguminous.

     Advantages

• Trees reduce soil erosion in a given area.

• Leguminous trees add nitrates into the soil thus improving the soil fertility.
• Some trees can be used as livestock fodder to provide a high level of proteins.
• They are important sources of wood fuel and timber.
• There is maximum utilization of land.

Importance of Agriculture to the Economy of Kenya

• Provides food to the population to meet nutritional requirements and to enable man to engage in other activities of farming.

• Provides employment. This for example can be direct as a labourer in the farm, tea plucker or indirect for example, working in agricultural based industries.
• Source of raw materials for industries for example cotton lint for textile industry.
• Provides foreign exchange – through exporting agricultural produce.
• Provides market for industrial goods ­agriculture is a consumer of the finished goods from agro-based industries.
• Source of income – farmers as well as the government get revenue from the sale of agricultural produce and tax payment.