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CLASS: SS1
RELEVANCE OF BIOLOGY TO AGRICULTURE
CONTENT:
- Food production and storage
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- Ways of improving crop yield
- Causes of wastage
- Methods of persevering and storing food.
- Population growth and food supply
- Relationship between the availability of food and human population (effects of storage).
- Government efforts to increase food production (e.) the agricultural revolution.
SUB-TOPIC 1: FOOD PRODUCTION AND STORAGE
The primary aim of agriculture is to provide adequate food for an ever-increasing human population. The issue of food production, preservation, storage, and wastage has been challenging to both the agriculturist and the government.
Adequate food production makes food available for teaming population to be well-fed. It also earns the country foreign exchange through the exportation of food crops. On the other hand, food shortage will increase the death rate and cause migration of people to where food is available. There will be competition among organisms which in turn leads to starvation and cannibalism. Natality or birth rate will be affected through avoidance of marriage.
WAYS OF IMPROVING CROP YIELD
Crop yield can be improved through the following ways:
- Breeding high-yielding crops that are resistant to plant and animal disease.
- Using fertilizers and organic manure to maintain soil structure and fertility and ensure high crop yield.
- Using effective methods of farming such as irrigation, tillage, and draining systems.
- Combating weeds by using herbicides instead of cutlasses and hoes.
- Plant protection from pests and disease to improve yield.
- Putting more land under use by motivating and formulation policies that will get more people to be involved in farming.
- Practicing mechanized farming to obtain high yields. Tractors and modern farm implements are to be adopted instead of manual farming.
- Conservation of land to keep and maintain soil fertility. Soil erosion should be prevented, bush burning should be avoided while mulching and crop rotation should be encouraged.
- Use of correct agricultural practices such as removing weeds regularly, giving adequate spacing, and planting at the right time will improve crop yield.
CAUSES OF WASTAGE
Reasons, why crops are wasted annually on farms, include the following:
- Late harvesting of crops: some crops are over-ripe, rot and fall off due to lateness in harvesting.
- Bad harvesting techniques and incomplete harvesting. Harvest should be invested on and used. Man may skip maize harvest and such maize may be wasted.
- Delay in transporting crops which make some drops to rot.
- Lack of good storage facilities; good barns and storage facilities should be made available. If harvested crops are not properly stored wastage will occur.
- Infections of farm produce by fungi, insects and vermin due to inefficient storage method.
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