Agricultural science is a subject that deals with the planting of crops, rearing of animals as well as the provision of raw materials for industries.Agriculture is derived from two Latin words ‘ager’ (field) and ‘cultūra’ (cultivation or growing). Literally it means field cultivation. Agriculture is as old as the existence of man. It is regarded as the mother of all other occupations. It is the live-blood of the nation’s economy.

CONTENT1.      Meaning and Characteristics of Subsistence Agriculture 2.      Meaning and Characteristics of Commercial Agriculture

CONTENT 1.                  Pastoral Farming 2.                  Arable Farming 3.                  Mixed Farming 4.                  Taungya Farming 5.                  Fish Farming 6.                  Livestock Farming 7.                  Shifting Cultivation 8.                  Land Rotation/Bush Fallowing 9.                  Crop Rotation

Agricultural activity is any activity directly related to the production or processing of crops or livestock.

CONTENT 1.                  Parts of Flowering Plant and their Functions 2.                  Important Terms Related to Flowering Plants

CONTENT 1.                  Classification of Crops based on Crop Plant Forms 2.                  Monocotyledonous Plants e.g. maize, guinea corn 3.                  Dicotyledonous Plants e.g. beans, melon 4.                  Differences between Monocotyledons and Dicotyledons

Crops complete their processes of growth at different lengths of time. Hence, crops can be classified as follows – annual, biennial and perennial.

Distribution of different field crops all over the world depends upon several factors such as: climate, growing season, altitude, rainfall, wind, soil, slope, and other factors.

Farm animals are animals that are reared by man for different purposes such as food supply, income generation, clothing materials, etc. Examples include goats, sheep, rabbits, poultry, cattle, pigs, fish, snails, etc.

Farm animals are classified based on the following criteria: 1.                  The size of the animal 2.                  The habitat 3.                  The stomach types/digestion 4.                  The modes of reproduction 5.                  The feeding patterns.

Farm animals are reared for the following purposes. They are reared for food, work, clothing, security/protection, sport and recreation, fertilizer, medicine, raw materials and livestock feeds.

The population of certain kinds of farm animal is more in certain areas than in others. Up to 80% of grazing livestock is to be found in the savanna zone of northern Nigeria.

Since man learnt to cultivate the soil, different forms of hand tools have been used. There are wide variety of farm tools for breaking and turning the soil, for weeding, and for burying the vegetation and other materials in the soil. The main purpose of tilling the soil is to assist the natural processes which bring about the most favourable soil condition for seeds to germinate and plants to grow.

Weeds are plants growing where they are not wanted or cultivated. A plant may be weed in one farm but crop in another farm. For instance, a cowpea plant growing in a cassava plot is a weed.

Pest can be defined simply as any living organism, plant or animal, which can cause damage to cultivated crops, animals and human beings. Human beings can also be called pests if they cause damage to crops or livestock.Pests can carry organisms that cause diseases and constitute nuisance to agricultural products. Majority of crop pests are invertebrates e.g. insects and eel-worms.

Production is the process of manufacturing goods and providing services. It also refers to all economic activities which result in the creation of goods and services.