Agriculture is one of mankind’s earliest occupations. According to the Bible, when God created man, He gave man the work of cultivating the garden. God also put all the animals under the care of man. Thus, man’s main profession was ‘agriculture.’
An Essential Agricultural Science textbook by O.A. Iwena says ‘agriculture’ is derived from two Latin words: “ager”, meaning field, and “cultura”, meaning cultivation. By this statement, agriculture means field cultivation. However, this is not a complete definition of agriculture, since agriculture has to do also with animal production. Agriculture is defined as the art and science (or management) that deals with the cultivation of crops and the rearing of animals for man’s use. In other words, agriculture is defined as the deliberate effort made by man to till the soil, cultivate crops and rear animals for food and other purposes. It also involves the sales of produce from agriculture, because production is not complete until it reaches the final consumer.
However, despite the important role of agriculture in our economy, many present-day students lack the knowledge of basic agriculture and its entire value chain. It is indeed a sorry situation when Nigerian schoolchildren no longer have the privilege of experiencing practical agriculture during their schooling. To curb this problem, the practical aspect of agriculture in the schools’ curriculum should be given equal attention.
Several factors have been highlighted to have contributed to the non-availability of school farms to support practical agriculture classes in schools. These include the encroachment of land by developers and members of host communities of schools, the use of land for other non-agriculture-related projects, the lack of adequate infrastructure in schools, lack of funds to sustain the cost of farm inputs, changes in weather, erosion, insecurity, among others.
School farms are not just spaces for growing food items. They are complete learning zones. They come in handy when it comes to teaching a variety of topics in agriculture such as crop rotation, mixed cropping, inter-cropping, etc. The knowledge obtained from practical sessions on the school farm helps not only to reinforce what has been taught in the classrooms but also teaches students alike about eating healthy, and the processes involved in food production and sales. It also equips students with first-hand knowledge of how to run agric-related businesses, thereby cultivating an entrepreneurial spirit in the students.
From the 1960s to the early 1990s, school farming was a major component of the academic curriculum, and there were no exemptions as to who participated in practical agriculture. Students trooped to the farms at the designated time. The idea behind this was to make agriculture an integral part of the school culture so students are well positioned to appreciate farming and make it a lifestyle, even when they do not intend to specialise in it.
Today, agriculture in schools should be handled in such a way that students (from a young age) can begin to take an interest in farming. Efforts should be made to popularise farming as a noble occupation. Agric-school clubs should also be encouraged. These steps could help ‘catch them young’ and inculcate the love of farming in young ones. Also, participation in agriculture-related competitions could enhance students’ love for the profession.
Schools should employ qualified and competent agricultural science teachers so that their teachings and coordination can attract and sustain young minds. Training and continual development must be periodic investments that schools and the government must make in agriculture teachers. Schools (both private and public) need to bring back school farms as they are critical to the meaningful engagement of students in practical agriculture.
- Daniel Ighakpe, a schoolteacher, can be reached via [email protected]
