tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81993754660979180942024-03-05T16:02:15.151+01:00WICKED9JAWICKED9JA is an intriguing blog created by Mbah Chinedu E. (Detty). Wicked9ja.com.ng is focused in providing viral content and media sharing services. Her primary aim is providing quality and value contents all over the netWICKED9JAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06719165367991574820noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8199375466097918094.post-29923727086998674342023-02-19T01:00:00.000+01:002023-02-19T12:56:09.025+01:00The Marketing Structure and Practices in the World of Agriculture<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJcHBJwR6iKOQjlFU7mrFA8F0x7kKTwYsqTnSG5uqiIyx-aIZOwVxOpst3Gi0uqmpF0yaZgniles1zyorAV_rytc_gD27LkDV8e5FeAE5usWCG0-QWUnpVWf6UjNQgckC5KJx285pVFINi/s1080/Agric+marketing.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="976" data-original-width="1080" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJcHBJwR6iKOQjlFU7mrFA8F0x7kKTwYsqTnSG5uqiIyx-aIZOwVxOpst3Gi0uqmpF0yaZgniles1zyorAV_rytc_gD27LkDV8e5FeAE5usWCG0-QWUnpVWf6UjNQgckC5KJx285pVFINi/s16000/Agric+marketing.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Agricultural marketing is the activities that are involved in the flow of goods and services from the producer to the final consumers. In another word, agricultural marketing is all the activities that are required to move farm produce from the farmers (Producers) to the final consumers.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Marketing also includes the selling of farm inputs to farmers to purchasing of farm inputs e.g, seeds, fertilizers, and disposal of agricultural produce to the final consumers or users.</span></p><p><br /></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana;">Importance of Agricultural Marketing</span></b></h2><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Marketing helps to make products available throughout the year.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">It creates employment for many people.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">It ensures good research into the product that the consumer loves.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Marketing helps in the determination of price.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">It helps to locate where there are excesses of produce and brings them to where they are shortages.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Agricultural Marketing generates revenue for the government through exportation.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Also, It helps to know the taste of a particular location.</span></li></ul><p></p><p><br /></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana;">Channels of Agricultural Marketing</span></b></h2><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Channels of agricultural marketing refer to all the connections and ways through which the farm products pass to get to the final consumers. These marketing channels include:</span></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>The local market</b>: A market is a place where sellers and buyers have contact. Sellers bring their farm produce to the market and sell to the buyers.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Cooperative Societies</b>: They buy the market in large quantities to make it available to their members and other consumers at a reduced price.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Middlemen</b>: The middlemen are like wholesalers and retailers that form a link that buys goods from the producer and sells to the consumers.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Commissioned agents</b>: These agents buy goods from peasant farmers and sell them to exporters.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Exporters</b>: Exporters buy produce from commissioned agents and they export the produce to individuals outside the country.</span></li></ul><p></p><p><br /></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">Roles of Stages of Agricultural Marketing</span></b></h2><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The stages that are involved in the marketing of farm produce include:</span></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Farm-level Processing</b>: This is the local farm produce immediately after the harvest and is ready for sale.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Grading or Sorting</b>: This involves the grading of the farm produce and grouping them into various weights and sizes for easy handling.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Packaging</b>:- This is producing produce into various packs in readiness for sales directly. The packaging materials may be sacks, drums, etc.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Storage or Warehousing</b>:- This is the storage of goods before selling or exporting them.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Transportation</b>:- This involves moving farm produce from the producer to the final consumers.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Advertisement</b>:- This is the making of the product known to people through radio, newspaper, television, etc.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Merchandizing</b>:- This is the export of farm produce through ports to other countries.</span></li></ul><p></p><p><br /></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b>How Agricultural Marketing can be Encouraged</b></h2><p>Marketing may be encouraged through the following:</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Provision of good roads</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Provision of Capital</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Provision of good marketing research</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Provision of standard unit of measurements</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Good government policies should be established</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">There should be a provision for adequate market infrastructure.</span></li></ul><p></p><p><br /></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b>Representatives of Agricultural Marketing</b></h2><p>Agents of marketing are those people and other bodies that the farm produce passes either directly or indirectly. These types of agents include;</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Marketing/Commodity Boards</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Producers/ Farmers</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Cooperative Societies</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Wholesalers or distributors</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Individual or middlemen</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Retailers </span></li></ul><p></p><p><br /></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana;">Marketing Boards</span></b></h2><p><span style="font-size: medium;">These are the public corporations that are set up by the government to handle the sales of agricultural produce.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Benefits of Marketing Boards</span></b></h3><p></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-size: medium;">It helps the farmers to transport the crop</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Marketing boards advise the farmers and encourage the farmers to heed modern farming techniques.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">This board provides capital to the farmers to enlarge their farms.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">The boards stabilize the price of the farm produce </span></li></ol><p></p><p><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Disadvantages of Marketing Boards </span></h3><p></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-size: medium;">The capital is extremely expensive.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Government intrudes on the affairs of the boards.</span></li></ol><p></p><p><br /></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana;">Cooperative Societies</span></b></h2><p><span style="font-size: medium;">According to its name 'cooperative', is the process where the member of the society cooperates and pool their resources together with the motive of making profits.</span></p><p><b><u><br /></u></b></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Attributes of Cooperative Societies</span></b></h3><p></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-size: medium;">All society members have equal rights since each member has one vote.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Membership is voluntary.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">The dividend is shared to the level of the financial contribution of the individual.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Each member has equal rights in the participation of society management.</span></li></ol><p></p><p><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Advantages of Cooperative Societies</span></b></h3><p></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-size: medium;">They grant the members loan.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">They provide storage facilities for members </span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">They are very close to the producer.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">They sell at a reduced price for their member.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">They provide transportation services for members.</span></li></ol><p></p><p><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Disadvantages of Cooperative Societies</span></b></h3><p></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-size: medium;">It doesn't allow individual enterprise.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">A cooperative society can easily embezzle money from the head.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">It is prone to poor management due to unqualified too executives that are handling the cooperative society.</span></li></ol><p></p><p><br /></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">Individual /Private Middlemen</span></b></h2><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Some individual does go directly to the producer or the farm to buy at cheap prices.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b>Benefits of Private Middlemen</b></h3><p></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-size: medium;">They may give the producer a loan</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">They assemble and repack certain goods.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">They link the producer to consumers.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">They assist in the even distribution of produce.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">They transport farm produce from the farm to the market.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">They provide good storage facilities.</span></li></ol><p></p><p><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Disadvantage of Middlemen</span></h3><p></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-size: medium;">They made dark produce scarce artificially.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">They inflate the price of goods.</span></li></ol><p></p><p><br /></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">Producers or Farmers</span></b></h2><p><span style="font-size: medium;">These are the people that produce the goods and are also involved in agricultural marketing.</span></p><p><u><b><br /></b></u></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Advantages</b> </span></h3><p></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-size: medium;">The products are sold to the consumer fresh </span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Consumers get the price at a significantly reduced rate.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">The farmers get the full benefits of their handwork instantly.</span></li></ol><p></p><p><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Disadvantage of Producers</span></b></h3><p></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-size: medium;">He lacks transport facilities</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Farmers may face a greatly increased loss of goods.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">It diverts the attention of farmers.</span></li></ol><p></p><p><br /></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><b>Wholesalers</b> </span></h2><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Wholesalers buy produce from the farmers in large quantities and sell it in small amounts to retailers.</span></p><p><b><u><br /></u></b></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b><u>Advantages of Wholesalers</u></b></h3><p></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-size: medium;">They buy in bulk and will be cheap.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">They provide good storage facilities to buy the bulk goods</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Also, they have good transportation facilities</span></li></ol><p></p><p><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Disadvantage of Wholesalers</span></h3><p></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-size: medium;">They inflate the prices of the produce.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">They create artificial scarcity of goods</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Wholesalers exploit the retailers and sometimes producers.</span></li></ol><p></p><p><br /></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana;">Retailers</span></b></h2><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Retailers are those that purchase from the Wholesalers and sell to the final consumers.</span></p><p><b><u><br /></u></b></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Advantages of Retailers</span></b></h3><p></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-size: medium;">They give goods in credit to consumers</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">They provide jobs for many people</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Also, they make the product readily available to consumers.</span></li></ol><p></p><p><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Disadvantage of Retailers</span></b></h3><p></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Retailers make the goods to be scarce artificially</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">They may inflate the price of the commodities</span></li></ol><p></p><p><br /></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b>Problems of Agricultural Marketing</b></h2><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Inadequate transportation system</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Small-scale Production</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Problems of middlemen</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Perishability of produce</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Small-scale Production</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Poor financing</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Poor quality of produce</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Inadequate research</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Inadequate information</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Inadequate storage facilities</span></li></ul><p></p><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8199375466097918094.post-6045930861919046402023-02-18T18:46:00.000+01:002023-02-19T12:55:19.824+01:00Financial Inclusion - Importance of Financial Inclusion <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-faJ1O-11MFE-iuepTBIMX3WaL7lq_0h6YsOVfgDf6Devkqlv2AYt1VySW1-Q3UHLk2wDktoYKKFdWwBcJevZR2gc_Ag2CS1a2LUvib2ELYnUbGPLnfl0uZ2rkI_Ih4zuJBVX24J-1Xkb/s889/financial+inclusion+my+atm+cards.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Financial Inclusion and Importance of financial inclusion" border="0" data-original-height="587" data-original-width="889" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-faJ1O-11MFE-iuepTBIMX3WaL7lq_0h6YsOVfgDf6Devkqlv2AYt1VySW1-Q3UHLk2wDktoYKKFdWwBcJevZR2gc_Ag2CS1a2LUvib2ELYnUbGPLnfl0uZ2rkI_Ih4zuJBVX24J-1Xkb/s16000/financial+inclusion+my+atm+cards.png" title="Financial Inclusion and Importance of financial inclusion" /></a></span></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><br /></span></h3><div><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><h2 style="font-family: Times; text-align: left;">Introduction to <span style="font-family: Calibri;">Financial Inclusion</span></h2><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">For us to understand this concept called financial inclusion, we will have to know the meaning of the two keywords “Financial” and “Inclusion”. Financial is anything related to finance and inclusion is the addition to several groups. Financial inclusion is the ability and the act of encouragement to make financial services and other related financial products available for easy accessibility.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">By the time people are financially included, there won't be any barrier between them and the finances. For example, someone that wants to buy goods from Jumia will need to have a bank account to order those goods and get them available where it is needed.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">Financial inclusion is the process of having more access points where financial activities are taken place.</span></p></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><br /></span></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">HOW</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">TO KNOW WHERE PEOPLE ARE NOT FINANCIALLY INCLUSIVE</span></h3><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">Yeah! The government can know a place that is not financially inclusive through research work. This is by you sending some number of people out to collect data for you. This data will help the government to know where those financial institutions are needed. Let's take a data of a town to have a hundred 18+ citizens and just five of the hundred are using a bank- this shows that there is a problem. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">Through the survey conducted among the people, the problem will be fished out. The problem may be because of the location of the bank, it may be far. The government will now know where a bank needs to be situated as that will increase the financial strength of the country.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><b>HOW TO CONVINCE PEOPLE YOU WANT TO INTERVIEW ON FINANCIAL INCLUSION </b></span></h3><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">This is a bit challenging to you by the time the government picks you to participate in the survey program and you face issues like people trying to criticize you that - what do you need this data for? I will implore everyone to try and tell the people the importance of being financially inclusive in your nation. Say good words to them and make sure you tell the people how they will benefit from the program.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"> </span></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: large; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';">Importance of Financial Inclusion</span></h3><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><b>Encourages savings:</b> When someone is financially inclusive and knows how the bank works, where he or she has been told that the bank cannot run away. Yeah! The person will want to save after they have been promised there will be a little increase in their money at the end of the month. To apply for a loan from a bank, you must have some amount of money that you have kept with them and this will make the bank have more trust in you. This is one of the importance of financial inclusion</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><b>Enhances the financial strength of the nation:</b> When people have access to banks in their area, they will come opportunities like loans, and bank draft to improve their business. By the time the people are told that they can obtain a loan for their business when they open an account with a bank. They want to reply to you as it will also help the nation's wealth. </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><b>Improves health:</b> Some banks will tell you to join certain programs in the bank like health insurance. A bank can give you a loan when you or one member of your family is sick after which you have been contributing some amount of money before the health problems. Do you know that some people die when they couldn’t get medical attention early because of money? But this will prevent people from dying anyhow in the nation. Therefore, it reduces the mortality rate.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0pt; mso-char-indent-count: 0.0000; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-para-margin-left: 0.0000gd; text-indent: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><b>Encourages Education:</b> Many banks have a student loan, this is the process by which students who are wanting to go to school can obtain a loan and pay monthly or after an educational career as agreed by the banks. Even, seeing educated people in their midst will want to make them go to school to study. The illiterates will want to learn how to read and write if not everything but their names. </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0pt; mso-char-indent-count: 0.0000; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-para-margin-left: 0.0000gd; text-indent: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><b>Development of rural areas:</b> When banks are built in rural areas, this will promote the commercial activities of the state as people from the city may withdraw and make some market sales as people will buy something from there. More companies will want to come there which may lead to an increase in the area's infrastructure.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0pt; mso-char-indent-count: 0.0000; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-para-margin-left: 0.0000gd; text-indent: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><b>Reduces unemployment:</b> When new banks are built, they will need security guards, cleaners, and many more. Many people will get jobs through that and will be financially stable. In the construction of the banks, laborer jobs will be available and this reduces the unemployment rate for a while. The unemployment rate will reduce drastically and thus will reduce the crime rate of the country. Even, some people will open paga or POS shops around to achieve easy accessibility and reduces the rate of unemployed people </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0pt; mso-char-indent-count: 0.0000; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-para-margin-left: 0.0000gd; text-indent: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><b>Reduces crime rate:</b> When everyone has a financial service center around them, there will have no need to be carrying money from one place to another. If you want to buy something, you either do a transfer or withdraw from the nearest commercial shops. People will not be able to spend much fake money as it will be able to be spot easily. I could remember an incident in my area where a bar attendant was given fake money of almost half a million of my country's currency. This guy has been struggling to survive. This is a great importance of financial inclusion as it will reduce the mortality rate of the country as no or fewer crimes will be committed. </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0pt; mso-char-indent-count: 0.0000; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-para-margin-left: 0.0000gd; text-indent: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-spacerun: 'yes';"><b>Easy accessibility:</b> Can you still recall the incident of corona? Do you know how much people from rural areas really suffered? Some rural areas don’t have a financial institutions in their place and which makes it difficult for their children in the city to send money since there were no work and they don’t have banks around them. This should be the main factor of financial inclusion.</span></span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8199375466097918094.post-18242220788184828712023-02-18T03:10:00.000+01:002023-02-19T12:55:59.173+01:00The Best Ways to Improve the Productivity of Crops In 2022<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMW0kzsZjNb5mh9UOKHWDJvuBe3BDL8jXd7O1u30BPb_w4Ojk5TYr9ZyoKxKF_3FlswQpeInfeVt3n8JaidcqnNhDx1fMYb9K_s4UrLr49mWyVpcQGe3dqaOGKiZN9kgGIAQWNAq6wHC7s/s690/Animal+Improvement.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Ways of Improving Animals" border="0" data-original-height="650" data-original-width="690" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMW0kzsZjNb5mh9UOKHWDJvuBe3BDL8jXd7O1u30BPb_w4Ojk5TYr9ZyoKxKF_3FlswQpeInfeVt3n8JaidcqnNhDx1fMYb9K_s4UrLr49mWyVpcQGe3dqaOGKiZN9kgGIAQWNAq6wHC7s/s16000/Animal+Improvement.png" title="Animal Improvement" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Crop improvement refers to the ways of developing and breeding crop varieties which are better that the existing varieties in several characters.</span></p><p></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Aims of Crop Improvement</span></span></h3><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The people that breed new varieties of crops have their aims and objectives in their mind. These aims include:</span></p><p></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>To increase yield</b>: The variety of crops that is newly developed by plant breeders are capable of giving very high yield or quantity crops per unit of land. The quantity is measured in kg/ha e.g high yield of tomatoes from 1000kg/ha to 1700kg/ha. There will be a great increase in the income of farmers.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>To improve the quality of produce</b>: The quality of farm produce enhances its usefulness and value. Plant breeders can improve the taste, colour, size, nutritive values and fibre content of crops.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>To adapt to climatic conditions</b>: Plant breeders develop a variety of crops that will be capable of withstanding extreme conditions of cold, heat, drought and wind by making some changes in the growth cycle of the variety better to suit the available growing season of that crop.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>To increase resistance to diseases</b>: Plant breeders also develop varieties of crops which are not only resistant to diseases but will be able to produce high yields even if there is a disease outbreak.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>To meet the needs of growers</b>: Improvement of crops to suit the farming methods of different farmers. For example, some large-scale farmers will prefer a short variety of maize which can be harvested by machines, instead of talk ones which can be harvested by hand or manual method.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>To obtain uniformity of plants</b>: One of the aims of the plant breeders is to breed crops which can grow and mature with others at the same time to facilitate mechanisation or ease of harvesting.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Aim to breed crops with early maturing</b>: Plant breeders try to breed plants that will mature early to ease the job of growers. This early maturing will make the growers plant it many times in a year depending on the crops that are breaded.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>To improve harvesting quality</b>: The breeder develops new varieties of crops that can be harvested without any damage and with ease.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>To improve the nutritional value of the produce</b>: It is the greatest aim of plant breeders to develop crops that have high nutritional value like high protein, minerals, vitamins etc. which are useful to man. This saves money for the consumer by avoiding buying supplements.</span></li></ol><p></p><p><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-large; font-weight: normal;">Keywords in Crop Improvement</span></h3><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">It is vital to know some terminologies that we come across in crop development in order to understand how to enhance crops, which is highly useful in plant breeding.</span></div><p></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Character or Traits</b>: These are the inherited attributes that the person breeding the crop will select. E.g seed colour, seed size, disease resistance, plant heights, maturing age etc.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Chromosomes</b>: These are rods or thread-shaped bodies that are found in the nucleus of a cell. All plants and animals have a fixed number of chromosomes.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Genes</b>: These are the units of inheritance. Genes are located in the chromosomes and it is responsible for the transmission of characters from parents to their offspring.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Gamete</b>: This is a mature sex cell which takes part in sexual reproduction. There are two types make gamete or spermatozoa (in animals) and pollen grains (in plants) and female gamete or egg or ovum (in animals) and ovules (in plants). A gamete is usually haploid.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Phenotype</b>: These are the physically and physiologically expressed traits of an individual e.g height</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Genotype</b>: This term is used to describe those traits or the sum total of the genes inherited from both parents. Genotype includes both dominant and recessive traits.</span></li></ol><p></p><p><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Process of Crop Improvement</span></h3><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The process of crop improvement includes:</span></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Introduction</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Selection</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Breeding or Hybridization</span></li></ul><p></p><p><br /></p><h4 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Introduction</b>: </span></h4><p><span style="font-size: medium;">This is the importation of introduction or some varieties of crops with desirable characteristics into areas where they have not existed before. In other words, it involves the movement of crops from their origin or supposed centres of evolution to another region or area where they can adapt. Crops with breeders' desired quality are identified in the place they exist and then procured. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Such procured crops are then introduced into the country of the breeders for testing and multiplication. Such crops are always quarantined by the nation's quarantine service. The introduction is usually carried out to upgrade the qualities of the local varieties of crops.</span></p><p><br /></p><h4 style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Advantages of Introduction in Crop Improvement</span></b></h4><p></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-size: medium;">It helps to introduce new varieties of crops into areas where they have not existed.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">It may enhance greater productivity.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">It helps to upgrade the local varieties of crops</span></li></ol><p></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><h4 style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Disadvantages of Introduction in Crops improvement</span></b></h4><p><span style="font-size: medium;">There is a big possibility of introducing new crop diseases if the crop is not properly quarantined.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The new crop may not be able to adapt to the new area's climatic conditions and it leads to a waste of money for importation.</span></p><p><br /></p><h4 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Selection</b>: </span></h4><p><span style="font-size: medium;">This is the picking of desirable crop characteristics artificially which are most favoured by the environment. In another word, this is the ability to choose certain crops which possess specific artificial or external characteristics which can be recognized easily by seeing them.</span></p><p><br /></p><h4 style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">The method of selection includes</span></b></h4><p></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Mass Selection</b>: Crop plants are selected or rejected on the basis of their own advantages. Crop plants with desired characteristics are chosen in preference to those not possessing them from a large group of crops.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Pure line selection</b> - This is the selection of only one crop having the good characteristics breeders want.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Progeny Selection</b>: Crops plants are selected based on how their offspring performed.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Pedigree selection</b>: This is the selection of crops based on their ancestor's performance. It is based on the belief that the offspring will perform like or even better than the ancestors.</span></li></ol><p></p><p><br /></p><h4 style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Advantages of selection</span></b></h4><p></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-size: medium;">It ensures that the best crops are grown naturally.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">It reduces the spread of diseases.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Crops with breeders' undesirable characters are rejected immediately. </span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Crops with desired qualities are selected</span></li></ol><p></p><p><br /></p><h4 style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Disadvantages of Selection</span></b></h4><p></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-size: medium;">It is very expensive in terms of time and money because the breeder will have to travel to check and buy it desired crops.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Selection is tedious and time-consuming.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">It requires expertise which may not be available.</span></li></ol><p></p><p><br /></p><h4 style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Breeding or Hybridization</span></b></h4><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The hybridization method is one in which two species of two different plant varieties produce offspring.</span></p><p><br /></p><h4 style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Types of breeding</span></b></h4><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>In-breeding</b>: This is the pollination and fertilization of plants that are closely related in order to retain certain desirable characteristics.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Crossbreeding</b>: This is the fertilization of unrelated plants belonging to different breeds. This result in the production of offspring which is superior to the average performance of the parents. This is called hybrid vigour "heterosis"</span></p><p><br /></p><h4 style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Advantages of Breeding</span></b></h4><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Production of the pure line(inbreeding)</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Offspring can withstand variation in the environment (cross-breeding)</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">It is able to produce superior offspring resulting in a hybrid figure (cross-breeding)</span></li></ul><p></p><p><br /></p><h4 style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Disadvantages of breeding</span></b></h4><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-size: medium;">It may lead to poor or low resistance to diseases attacks (inbreeding)</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">There may be dropped production or yield of crops in terms of quantity and quality (inbreeding).</span></li></ul><p></p><p><b><u><br /></u></b></p><h4 style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Method of Improving Crop Productivity</span></b></h4><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Crop Improvement Methods</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Control of diseases of crops</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Use of good crop varieties.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Control of pests in crops</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Use of manure and fertilizers</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Proper timing of planting</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Use of resistant varieties </span></li></ul><p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8199375466097918094.post-17159039550939019412023-02-16T13:31:00.000+01:002023-02-19T12:55:45.864+01:00Great Ways in Choosing Successful Cropping System<p><span style="font-size: medium;">A cropping system can be defined as the different patterns or ways of growing crop in the farm.A farmer may be cultivating only one type of crop or many types of crops on the same piece of land, at the the same time in each season of growing.</span></p><p><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b>Types of Cropping Systems</b></h3><p><span style="font-size: medium;">There are many cropping systems which include</span></p><p></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Mono cropping or sole cropping</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Mixed Cropping </span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Intercropping</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Alley Cropping</span></li></ol><p></p><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Mono cropping or sole cropping: </b>This is a system of cropping in which only one crop is cultivated on a farm or the same piece of land at the same time. Mono cropping is usually practised by a large-scale farmer that has money to invest and produce in large quantities. The crop planted in mono-cropping includes oil palm, cocoa, rubber, kola nut, rice, millet, maize etc are grown.</span></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4kItn-GMk88AJCyQonLGSVp046kfOP3KFwXcDRt227hfdFITm8i5XDfx_8hJfMdpD-6OEdcHHGplMUaLiGKHRopqhBaSgQ66IuSj5ywCbXB2G1EBBRRofuLbckEhyphenhyphenonfPR-kuQ0m_QB3m/s1080/mono+cropping+maize.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="559" data-original-width="1080" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4kItn-GMk88AJCyQonLGSVp046kfOP3KFwXcDRt227hfdFITm8i5XDfx_8hJfMdpD-6OEdcHHGplMUaLiGKHRopqhBaSgQ66IuSj5ywCbXB2G1EBBRRofuLbckEhyphenhyphenonfPR-kuQ0m_QB3m/s16000/mono+cropping+maize.jpg" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">In mono-cropping, crops usually remain on a particular farm or land for many years where permanent crops like trees are grown, while in the case of annual crops, the farmer grows a crop e.g maize which is harvested at maturity and plants another one on this same piece of land that year.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">This system is sound and can be successfully practised in a place with plenty of farmland.</span></p><p><br /></p><h4 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Advantage of Mono cropping</span> </h4><p></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Mono cropping encourages farmers' specialisation</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">It encourages the use of machines because they harvest in large quantities.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Through mono-cropping, the management of crops is made easy because pests of other crops will not affect them. </span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">The farm yield can easily be increased by improving some farm operations.</span></li></ol><p></p><p><br /></p><h4 style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Disadvantages of mono-cropping</span></b></h4><p></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-size: medium;">The system is very risky. Farmers may lose all their crops if there's an outbreak or epidemic of pests, diseases floods or drought on the sole crop.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">There will be a surplus or good harvest that will affect the price of that particular crop. Since there are no good storage facilities.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">There may be a build of pests on the farm</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Farmers may be discouraged to produce the crop due to low pricing which could lead to scarcity in the next season.</span></li></ol><p></p><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Mixed Cropping:</b> This is a system of growing two or more crops on the same farmland at the same time, during the same growing seasons. This system is very common among small-scale farmers in West Africa. Crops grown in mixed cropping include yam, maize, cassava, cocoyam, pepper, okra and melon. The crops are planted in a mixed form on the same piece of land. Mixed cropping is practised in a country where is not enough farmland. Mixed cropping can be categorized into two forms namely: intercropping and interplanting or catch cropping.</span></p><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Intercropping: </b>This is a system cropping system mixed where a crop is grown in between other crops, and the crops that are planted first are the ones harvested last while the crops planted last is the one harvested first. For example, yam can be interplanted with melon.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The yam is planted first while the melon is planted last but the melon is harvested first. The principle of inter-cropping is that early-growing and maturing crop is planted among the late-growing maturing crop, which is normally planted first, but the short-season crops that are always annual are harvested first.</span></p><p><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Inter-planting or catch cropping:</b> This is a system of the planning of two crops at different times, and the crop planted first is harvested first before the second crop. For example, maize is planted first before yam or cassava is planted, and the maize is harvested first, while yam is harvested later in the year.</span></p><p><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b><u>Advantage of mixed cropping</u></b></h3><p></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Mixed cropping is when the two crops cannot fail at the same time. That is, it creates insurance for farmers.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Mixed cropping protects the soil from soil erosion by the root system as leaves are shed by crops</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">The spread of pests and diseases is not much in mixed farming</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Planting leguminous crops with another crop will improve the fertility of the soil.</span></li></ol><p></p><p><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b><u>Disadvantages of Mixed Cropping</u></b></h3><p></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-size: medium;">It discourages using the machine because if a machine is used to harvest one crop the other crop will be destroyed.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">It will be difficult to use chemicals e.g herbicides to control weeds which will make some plants die.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">There will be competition between the crops for nutrients like air, water, space and light which may reduce the yield and survival rate of the less competitive crops.</span></li></ol><p></p><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Alley Cropping:</b> This system is a process whereby food crops in planted between hedge rows of farm trees, which must undergo regular pruning every fix to six weeks. The species of crops that can be used in practising Alley cropping include nitrogen-fixing gliricidia and Leucaena. The spacing between plants and trees is always 4 metres, this allows enough space for the food crops. The soil nutrients are recycled through the decompression of the organic residue from trees.</span></p><p><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b><u>Advantages of Alley Cropping</u></b></h3><p></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-size: medium;">The pruned leaves which have a low survival rate help in the feeding of ruminants animals in the dry season as fodder.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">The shades that the plants provide suppress weed growth.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Alley cropping serves as a good alternative to bush following.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">The leaves that are pruned serve as mulching materials.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">The branches or stems can be used as a yam stake or firewood.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">The nitrogen-fixing plants fix nitrogen for food crops.</span></li></ol><p></p><p><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b><u>Disadvantages of Alley Cropping</u></b></h3><p></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Nitrogen supply may fall short to the crops if the non-nitrogen plants are used.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">This system may require more work to practice on a large scale.</span></li></ol><p></p><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Continuous Cropping: </b>This a system which involves growing the same types of crops, on the same piece of land every year. The system is practised in a place where there is a scarcity of land and a dense population, or where environmental conditions limit the types of crops to be planted. Crops such as millet can only be grown in the Northern parts. This system is very stressful because the farmland loose fertility quick which makes the farmer buy organic and inorganic manure.</span></p><p><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b><u>Advantages of Continuous Cropping</u></b></h3><p></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-size: medium;">A lot of time, energy, and money are saved since farmers don't have to clear the farmland every year.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">It helps in the economise uses of farmland</span></li></ol><p></p><p><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><u><b>Disadvantages of Continuous Cropping</b></u></h3><p></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Continuous cropping exposes the soil erosion</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">It leads to rapid loss of soil fertility since farmland does not rest.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">A lot of money is spent on buying fertilizers.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Encourage the low yield of crops</span></li></ol><p></p><p><br /></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b>Factors that determine the adoption of a cropping system</b></h2><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Many factors determine the use of certain Cropping systems. These includes:</span></p><p></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Climatic Factors</b> - These factors include rainfall, relative humidity, and temperature.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Soil Factors</b> - The soil Factors include topography, physical and chemical conditions, and availability of nutrients in the soil.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Economic Factors</b>- These factors include transportation facilities, marketing structures and price.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Social Factors</b> - This includes people's tastes and local beliefs, which determine the types of crops to be grown and the cropping system that should be adopted.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Technological Factors-</b> The technological advancement of any country, can in no small way contribute to the type of cropping system one may adopt.</span></li></ol><p></p><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8199375466097918094.post-63338550108254718032023-02-15T17:00:00.000+01:002023-02-19T12:56:22.060+01:00Steps on How Animals Can Be Improved - Productivity and All<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUcESSuu-NSogKmE9hU1Ae_T0RRleUQSKSAxEbjiI29vyPUbkDv-Qj1dr0GubAR5NhyphenhyphenFz_3Yr-V1j_qEUbZC5Yzpdkt0r9JfQApkrokyX2hhgIc1fFM6_icOzSHlrQ2nk-0W55S6DptyQ/s2048/20201115_064035.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Steps on How Animals Can Be Improved | Productivity and All" border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUcESSuu-NSogKmE9hU1Ae_T0RRleUQSKSAxEbjiI29vyPUbkDv-Qj1dr0GubAR5NhyphenhyphenFz_3Yr-V1j_qEUbZC5Yzpdkt0r9JfQApkrokyX2hhgIc1fFM6_icOzSHlrQ2nk-0W55S6DptyQ/s16000/20201115_064035.jpg" title="Steps on How Animals Can Be Improved | Productivity and All" /></a></div><p><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Dancing Script; font-size: x-large;">A</span>nimal Improvement refers to the ways of developing and breeding only those animals that show good quality and have good advantages under the consideration such as good feed conversion, growth rate, disease resistance, egg and offspring size, etc. It also involves the upgrading of local breeds of animals as a result of some desirable characteristics which they possess. </p><p><br /></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: Montserrat;">Aims and Objectives of Animal Improvement</span></b></h2><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The aim of animals improvement is to produce animals that give a high conversion rate of feeds to meat, egg, milk, etc</span></p><p></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-size: medium;">To produce animals that can provide high-quality products such as low back fat, thickness, yolk size, shell hardness, etc.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">To produce animals with a high growth rate </span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">To breed animals with early maturity.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">To produce animals that can adapt to climatic conditions.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">To breed animals with a high growth rate.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">To breed animals that have high resistance to diseases and parasites.</span></li></ol><p></p><p><br /></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: Montserrat;">Process of Animal Improvement</span></b></h2><p><span style="font-size: medium;">There are three methods of animal improvement which includes:</span></p><p></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Introduction</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Selection</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Breeding</span></li></ol><p></p><p><br /></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: Montserrat;">Introduction method for Animal Improvement</span></b></h2><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">The introduction method to improve animals is the process of bringing high-quality breeds of livestock with a high production capacity and other good desirable characteristics into a country or farm. Before the introduction of such exotic breeds(imported breeds), one must be very sure that such breeds possess more high-quality characteristics than local breeds. Different breeds of farm animals exist and these include local breeds, imported breeds, and the crossbreed.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">The local breeds are always small animals with slow-maturing and poor producers, but they adapted to the local environment and are resistant to many diseases. The exotic breeds (imported breeds) are big animals, early-maturing, good producers but may not adapt to the local environment and not really resistant to many diseases. To obtain a balance, so that the exotic breeds can adapt to the local environment, both breeds are allowed to mate to obtain cross-breeding which will now combine all the good qualities of the exotic and the local breeds together.</span></p><p><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: Poppins;">Advantages of Introduction </span></b></h3><p></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Breeds that are not present in the local country are introduced.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">It enhances the greater productivity of animals.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">It leads to the absence of pests if properly quarantined </span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Breeds may perform better in terms of quality and quantity if they can adapt to the local environment.</span></li></ol><p></p><p><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: Poppins;">Disadvantage of Introduction</span></b></h3><p></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">It may introduce new pest(s) and disease(s) into the area.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">It may not perform maximally.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">It may have a great problem with adaptation.</span></li></ol><p></p><p><br /></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: Montserrat;">Selection</span></b></h2><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Selection is the process of picking or selecting from a mixed population of that animals with breeding value as parents. It helps to choose animals that are capable of transmitting their genetic attributes to their own offspring. Animals with good characteristics like good meat production, egg laying, etc are selected.</span></p><p><br /></p><p><b><span style="font-family: Poppins;">Selection is grouped into two main classes</span></b></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><b><span style="font-family: Roboto Slab;">Natural Selection</span></b><span style="font-size: medium;">: This is the ability of individual animals to weather through unfavorable environmental forces to survive and reproduce. Those that are unable to survive will die.</span></li><li><b><span style="font-family: Roboto Slab;">Artificial Selection</span></b><span style="font-size: medium;">: This selection is done by using man's intelligence and influence to select animals to increase the number of animals. There are four types of artificial Selection which include:</span></li><li><b><span style="font-family: Roboto Slab;">Mass selection</span></b><span style="font-size: medium;">: Animals are selected based on their own merit</span></li><li><b><span style="font-family: Roboto Slab;">Progeny selection</span></b><span style="font-size: medium;">: Animals are selected based on the performance of their offspring. The mother of the best offspring will be retained.</span></li><li><b><span style="font-family: Roboto Slab;">Family selection</span></b><span style="font-size: medium;">: Animals are selected based on the characteristics and performance of the relatives and family</span></li><li><b><span style="font-family: Merriweather;">Pedigree selection</span></b><span style="font-size: medium;">: Animals are selected or rejected based on their ancestor's performance. This selection is based on the belief that the offspring can do like or better than the ancestors.</span></li></ul><p></p><p><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: Poppins;">Advantages of Selection</span></b></h3><p></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-size: medium;">It ensures that only the best naturally available animals are selected.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">It reduces the spread of parasites associated with breeding stocks.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Animals with poor qualities are rejected.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Animals with the best breed are bred for distribution.</span></li></ol><p></p><p><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: Poppins;">Disadvantages of Selection</span></b></h3><p></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Selection of good animals consumes time.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">It is a waste of money</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">It requires good plant breeders to select and which may be available.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">It brings about the elimination of some desirable traits of some parents' stock.</span></li></ol><p></p><p><br /></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b>Breeding</b></h2><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Breeding is the process of developing the animal by transferring inherited qualities from parents to offspring. This is possible through mating.</span></p><p><b><u><br /></u></b></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b>Types of breeding</b></h3><p></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>In-breeding:</b> This involves the mating of a more closely related variety of animals than the average of the population from which they come, e.g., the mating of father to daughter, mother to son, or brother to sister. It produces offspring with desirable characteristics because of recessive genes showing up. It also leads to in-breeding depression and it helps farmers get desired character or quality that is well developed in an animal.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Line breeding</b>: This is similar to in-breeding. It involves mating animals that are not too closely related e.g mating between cousins.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Crossbreeding:</b> This is the mating of animals of known quality. It may lead to hybrid vigor. It brings about a greater rate of growth in offspring. It produces animals that can withstand different climatic changes. It promotes animals with high yields of eggs, meat, and milk production.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Outbreeding: </b>This is the mating of unrelated individual Animals within the same breeds. Outbreeding is the opposite of inbreeding. It produces offspring with great vigor and productivity.</span></li></ol><p></p><p><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b>Advantages of Breeding</b></h3><p></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Offspring grows more rapidly and is more economical to rear (cross-breeding).</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">It helps to concentrate and preserve specific qualities in an animal</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">It results in the production of pure breeds or pure lines.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Offspring produced can withstand environmental changes.</span></li></ol><p></p><p><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b>Disadvantages of Breeding</b></h3><p></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-size: medium;">It may result in poor resistance to diseases</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">It can also result in a drop in animal products such as milk, and egg, a slow growth rate, and a loss in fertility (in-breeding).</span></li></ol><p></p><p><br /></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b>Artificial Insemination</b></h2><p><span style="font-size: medium;">This is the introduction of semen into the reproductive tract of the female by a method other than natural mating. The semester containing spermatozoa is carefully handled, diluted, and stored in a freezer at a temperature of 196°C in liquid nitrogen until it is required to use. For artificial Insemination to be successful, the semen which has been stored is introduced into the female reproductive tract during breeding so that fertilization will occur. </span></p><p><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b>Advantages of Artificial insemination</b></h3><p><span style="font-size: medium;">It is easier and less expensive than natural mating since farmers saved the money of maintaining a herd of male animals</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The semen of a bull can be used after a long time of bulls death </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">It's easier and cheaper to import the semen of exotic breeds rather than the male animals themselves.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">It makes it possible to use the best male animal to a large extent.</span></p><p><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b>Disadvantages of Artificial Insemination</b></h3><p></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-size: medium;">It really requires expertise that may be limited.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">The in-breeding effect may show up if only a few bulls are used in a particular environment.</span></li></ol><p></p><p> </p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8199375466097918094.post-88468448309638111902023-02-15T13:51:00.000+01:002023-02-19T12:55:33.591+01:00Greatest Control To The Problems of Farm Mechanisation <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEcMm4ZtZmzr_vBtq7UVygAKQcxCyUELnf8qdnmAmYGO6pp-1BfE_h_8KVby89nLrAzG4uExjhy7cA2tpQ3Je0-hCd-nCRln7t4tHj4ISAs4xCCCNN-bTYpU-4MqJ88OH4mMxZqOtpUMM/s300/20201117_151512.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Greatest Control To The Problems of Farm Mechanisation" border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="300" height="332" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEcMm4ZtZmzr_vBtq7UVygAKQcxCyUELnf8qdnmAmYGO6pp-1BfE_h_8KVby89nLrAzG4uExjhy7cA2tpQ3Je0-hCd-nCRln7t4tHj4ISAs4xCCCNN-bTYpU-4MqJ88OH4mMxZqOtpUMM/w521-h332/20201117_151512.jpg" title="Greatest Control To The Problems of Farm Mechanisation" width="521" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Farm Mechanisation can be defined as the application of engineering principles and techniques for the production of agricultural products, agricultural storage, and processing on farms.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Farm mechanization can be used in land preparation, planting, harvesting, weeding application, crop harvesting, etc for crop cultivation and used in rearing, and caring for animals. Farmechanizationon can also be used for processing and storing farm produce, by inappropriate farm machinery that fit the work.</span></p><p><br /></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b>Problems of Farm Mechanisation</b></h2><p></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Land Tenure system</b>: The type of land tenure system (communal) which doesn't allow for large farms holding suitable fomechanizationon because the land is very small.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Insufficient capital of farmers</b>: Most farmers are very poor and can't afford the cost of farm machinery like tractors and other farm implements.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Inadequate spare parts</b>: There are no spare parts available and that is the major problem the spare part is being imported and the cost of spare parts will be high.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Bad topography</b>: The topography of some lands arises rough and unconducive for farm memechanization5. <b>Inadequate technical manpower and know-how</b>: The availability of technical know-how to operate or technical manpower to work with machines is not available.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Varied Soil types</b>: Soil types are extremely varied and common machines to be used are not available locally.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Scattered Farm Holdings</b>: Scattered farm holdings are doesn't encourage the use of farm mamachines8. <b>Problems of stumps and logs</b>: During clearing, heavy stumps and logs are usually left on the farm and they added another problem in mechanization.</span></li></ol><p></p><p><br /></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b>Advantages of Farm Mechanisation</b></h2><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Timelines of Operation</b>: Farm Mechanisation allows and ensures that all the farm operations are done and completed within a short period</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>It saves labor</b>: In farm mechanization, human power is not needed as they only need a littlmanpowerer to power machines.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>It reduces drudgery</b>: Farm machines make work easy as machines do all the tedious jobs to avoid unpleasant manual jobs.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>It encourages large farming</b>: Machines can be used to work on a large farm and breathe p heavharvestsst as machines don't get tired easily.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>It increases output</b>: Mechanisation makes it possible for farmers to reap much output as the farmer worked on a large farm.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>It increases farm revenue</b>: As a result of mechanization, the farmer becomes richer due to the high yield and high reap of planted crops.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>It saves time</b>: Farm memechanizationaves time as farm machines can work on fafarmsor a long time without getting tired. MeMechanizationranslate man's brain quickly into the quality of operations.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Co-operation among farmers</b>: Farmechanizationon enables many farmers together to come together and pool their resources together, and it promotes cooperation among farmers in that community.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Improvement in quality of produce</b>: Farm mechanization improves the quality of some farm produce e g rice processing without stones in it.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Reduction in cost of operations</b>: Mechanisation reduces the cost of agricultural operations per unit output.</span></p><p><br /></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b>Disadvantages of Farm Mechanisation</b></h2><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>High cost</b>: Due to a lot of machines involved, it is usually very expensive to operate farm machines.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>It causes environmental pollution</b>: Farm mechanization can cause environmental pollution due to the smoke emanating from machines, chemicals, and fertilizer usage.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Land tenure system</b>: Farm memechanizationan hinders the efficient use of tractors due to small farms4. <b>Compaction of soil</b>: As heavy machines move on the n farm, it leads to the compaction othe f soil.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Degradation of landscape</b>: Farmechanizationon ensures the degradation othe f the landscape aa s result t continuous excavation.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Displacement of workers</b>: In farmechanizationon, very few workers are needed and hence, people will be out ojobsob whemechanizationon is introduced.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Unstable fuel supply</b>: Unstable supply of fuel can affect the working of machinery.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Spread of pests and diseases</b>: Mechanisation helps in spreading pests and diseases through contaminated machinery.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>High cost of maintenance</b>: Heavy machines usually have a high cost of maintenance involved.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Inadequate spare parts</b>: As the spare parts are not readily available, it affects the works of machines.</span></li></ul><p></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjUDtcMZr0TLnElLZYoZpoY_XamyyKo28k8TlUqzG2CsZNry3gZpwf2xtj0KtcOT05HCFJfjtEcRRQbclPtfftMEX83-6OlujbXDf2bBmCOKB6bwlaxe4OzW7qqKOZRoBIK0yu0IkgnOfi/s690/rusting+of+farm+parts.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="The Problems of Farm Mechanisation" border="0" data-original-height="499" data-original-width="690" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjUDtcMZr0TLnElLZYoZpoY_XamyyKo28k8TlUqzG2CsZNry3gZpwf2xtj0KtcOT05HCFJfjtEcRRQbclPtfftMEX83-6OlujbXDf2bBmCOKB6bwlaxe4OzW7qqKOZRoBIK0yu0IkgnOfi/s16000/rusting+of+farm+parts.png" title="The Problems of Farm Mechanisation" /></a></div><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Destruction of soil structure</b>: The soil structure can be easily destroyed due to the continuous movemenandkd usage of the machines by farmers.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Inadequate technical know-how</b>: There is always inadequate technical know-how on how the use and handling of farm machines.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Damages of crops</b>: Most crops are usually damaged during memechanizedarm operation, most of the time if care is not taken.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Few crops camechanizeded</b>: Very few crops like maize, rice millet, ts, etc, came mechanized.</span></li></ul><p></p><p><br /></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b>Limitations of Farm Mechanisation</b></h2><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Factors limiting agricultural mechanization in some developing countries will be discussed under the following major headings:</span></p><p><br /></p><p><b>(a) Economic Limitation</b></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Most farmers are poor and cannot afford most of the machines.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Machines are only available in some developing countries.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">High cost of maintenance</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">The cost of hiring machines is high.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Operators dedemandor high pay/ wages which most farmers cannot afford.</span></li></ul><p></p><p><br /></p><p><b>(b) Technical limitations</b></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-size: medium;">There is a lack of technical know-how about machines.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Very few schools exist to train agricuof tourists and farm operators.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Experts on these machines are not readily available.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">The mode of operation of most machines aristo known.</span></li></ul><p></p><p><br /></p><p><b>(c) Lack of maintenance</b></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Most machines are imported and can't be managed locally.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Replacement parts are not available.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">InInadequatelyrained personnel to repair farm machines.</span></li></ul><p></p><p><br /></p><p><b>(d) Small farm holdings</b></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Peasant farmers have sma all areas of farmland and can't use machines on them. </span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Fragmentation of lands discourages farm mechanization</span></li></ul><p></p><p><br /></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b>Possible ways of improving farm mechanization</b>. </h2><p></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Farmers should be educated to accept moa dern system of farming, especially in the aspect of farm mechanization</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Government should prprovideoans to enenablearmers puto chase farm machines m</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Simple and less expensive machines should be developed and accepted.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Farmers should form cooperative societies to enable them poto ol resources together to buy farm machines.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">The land systems should be reviewed to enable farmers to acquire large hectares of land so they can adopt farmechanizationon.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Government should establish agricultural engineering Schools and institutions to train personnel hoon w to use machines and develop machines.</span></li></ol><p></p><p><br /></p><div><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8199375466097918094.post-44694927167797597082023-02-13T01:00:00.000+01:002023-02-19T12:56:48.682+01:00How Agricultural Financing Works <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQZbH3_WPdc-bpM9kMrPXVbkdkE4LzYY0DicT0Vf5NIjg0i_nks1A53OgIoUWI02Wftx75CoZB9oyNsoKSGLTLAdZpPd3m82xYNYDawXNOJyMxudsXPWTVscjKbbfE3nSqknp8L2DIyKnQ/s690/Agricultural+Financing.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Agricultural Financing" border="0" data-original-height="688" data-original-width="690" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQZbH3_WPdc-bpM9kMrPXVbkdkE4LzYY0DicT0Vf5NIjg0i_nks1A53OgIoUWI02Wftx75CoZB9oyNsoKSGLTLAdZpPd3m82xYNYDawXNOJyMxudsXPWTVscjKbbfE3nSqknp8L2DIyKnQ/s16000/Agricultural+Financing.png" title="Agricultural Credit and Financing" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Agricultural credit and finance can simply be defined as the act of acquisition and the use of capital in agriculture. In other words, it deals with the supply of and demand for funds to invest in agriculture from the Agricultural sector of the economy. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">However, agricultural credit is a loan obtained by the farmer to start or expand his farming business. Note that this money will be paid back with interest after using it for some time, the interest depends on the source of the loan.</span></p><p><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Types of Farm Credit</span></b></h3><p><span style="font-size: medium;">There are three main types of credit. These are:</span></p><p></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Short-term Credit:</b> This is a productive agricultural credit that the borrower is expected to refund in a year or less. These funds may be used to purchase livestock feed, fertilizers, seeds, and fuel, or to pay for hired labor.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Medium-Term Credit: </b>This is the type of agricultural credit to be repaid within two to five years. These funds may be used to purchase farm machinery, breeding of livestock, and house livestock.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Long-term Credit:</b> This usually involves a huge amount of money which is expected to be paid in five to twenty years. This credit may be used to purchase costly fixed assets such as land, the building of farm buildings, dams, and some irrigation.</span></li></ol><p></p><p><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Agricultural Subsidy</span></b></h3><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Agricultural Subsidy can be defined as the non-refundable aid granted to farmers. Examples include the reduction in the price of inputs, fertilizers, improved seeds, and chemicals.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Agricultural Subsidies could include giving farmers information which includes weather forecasts, new technology, market sources, etc.</span></p><p><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Agricultural Credit Interest </span></b></h3><h4 style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Meaning of Interest</span></b></h4><p><span style="font-size: medium;">This is the amount to be paid on borrowed capital or an amount earned above the cost of a good. Whenever a farmer borrows a credit, he will pay back the money with interest.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">For example, if a farmers get an Agricultural credit of #500,000 and pay 10% interest on it, it means the amount he will pay as interest is #50,000 per annum making him pay #550,000.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Let's calculate how to get the interest</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">You will divide the interest by 100 then multiply by the capital.</span></p><p><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Difference between agricultural credit and agricultural subsidy</h3><p></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Agricultural credit will be paid back with interest but the subsidy will not be paid back.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Credit has time to return while subsidy is given and never to be returned.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Credit is always cash while subsidy can be in form of information, cash, or land.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">The government doesn't bear the part burden of a loan while government bears part of the burden in subsidies.</span></li></ol><p></p><p><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Importance of Agricultural Credit and Finance</span></b></h3><p></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-size: medium;">It increases the efficiency of the farmers.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">It enables the farmers to increase the size of their farms.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Agricultural credit enables farmers to acquire more farm inputs to increased production.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">It enables farmers to meet seasonal fluctuations in income and expenditure.</span></li></ol><p></p><p><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Sources of Agricultural Credit</span></b></h3><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Farmers can get credit or loans to finance their businesses through the following ways.</span></p><p></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Agricultural Bank</b>: There are many agricultural banks in the world from which farmers can obtain a loan. Only farmers can obtain a loan from these banks. It can also be called a farmers bank. The agricultural banks will thoroughly inspect the business before giving farmers credit.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Commercial Bank</b>: Commercial banks are the major sources of lending to farmers. Banks like Zenith Banks, and First banks have agricultural departments where farmers can obtain loans.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Money Lenders: </b>These are people who lend out their money to farmers to enable them to produce. However, the money lender will charge very high-interest rates and demand collateral for loans.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Self-finance</b>: This refers to the money that the farmer has saved which will be used to finance farm activities.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Supervised agriculture credit scheme</b>: This scheme is set up to grant farmers loans. The scheme is supervised by the Central Bank.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Co-operative Societies</b>: These are groups of people who come out and pull their resources together so that members can easily obtain loans. The commercial gives more money to cooperative societies than individual farmers.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Thrift and Saving societies</b>: Members contribute money daily, and weekly as agreed by the society. At the end of an agreed period, the money will be paid back to the members.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Individual</b>: Farmers can also borrow money from their friends and relatives.</span></li></ol><p></p><p><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Problems Farmers May Encounter From Some Agricultural Credit Sources</span></b></h3><p></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Commercial Banks:</b> Commercial banks are always biased toward large-scale farmers only. There may be a problem with the high-interest rates they demand collateral that farmers cannot provide.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Community Banks:</b> The amount they usually give out is relatively small and inadequate to meet the needs of farmers. They always insist farmers come to open an account with them.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Money Lender:</b> They always give short-term loans which might not be the needs of the farmers. The interest rates are grossly high.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Family Sources:</b> They always insist on short-term credit and provide small and inadequate credit.</span></li></ol><p></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">Implications of Agricultural Credit</span></h3><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Farmers find it difficult to get loans from banks because of the following reason;</span></p><p></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Interest Rate:</b> The high-interest rate discourage farmers from borrowing from banks while the low-interest rate encourages farmers. However, farmers can only borrow when the interest rate is reasonable.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Collateral Security:</b> Collateral is what banks will want the farmers to present before granting them a loan which may not be available and will make farmers unable to loans. Such collateral includes landed property, buildings, etc that are worth the value of the credit.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>The long gestation period of some crops:</b> Some crops like rubber, cocoa, oil palm, etc need a very long time to mature. Bank will therefore find it difficult to grant the loan to farmers.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Lack of farm records:</b> Some farmers lack farm records of all their activities which banks can use to access their creditworthiness.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Lack of insurance:</b> Farmers do not take insurance on their farm</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Unpredictable climate:</b> Unpredictable climate can lead to crop failures. Good rainfall encourages the productivity of agriculture and a lack of rainfall doom productivity. Banks are always scared to borrow farmers' credit because of the unpredictable climate conditions.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>High level of credit defaulters:</b> Farmers may not be able to obtain to repay the principal, not talk of interest, in case of natural disasters.</span></li></ol><p></p><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8199375466097918094.post-30729202850808035322023-02-12T11:45:00.000+01:002023-02-19T12:56:38.436+01:00Factors of Subsistence and Commercial Agriculture To Be Known<div><u><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi62jhayJXlupTqYGKLfMUdk1G8WHfhXWi-Wrw2pFwSzQyl-B_f2g3zkq7ScSF2CIZml6W3Q1OHVpDmvQGAsNwhcBUmMS4Hr5GcDXg9M_IHj1QKhm1Wj1XGCDn9ym8AlxEemtiTaAhC1Hg/s300/20201115_182521.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Factors of Subsistence and Commercial Agriculture To Be Known" border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi62jhayJXlupTqYGKLfMUdk1G8WHfhXWi-Wrw2pFwSzQyl-B_f2g3zkq7ScSF2CIZml6W3Q1OHVpDmvQGAsNwhcBUmMS4Hr5GcDXg9M_IHj1QKhm1Wj1XGCDn9ym8AlxEemtiTaAhC1Hg/s16000/20201115_182521.jpg" title="Factors of Subsistence and Commercial Agriculture To Be Known" /></a></div><br /><b><br /></b></u></div><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">Subsistence Agriculture</span></b></h2><div><u><b><br /></b></u><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">What is subsistence Agriculture?</span></b></h3><span style="font-size: medium;">Subsistence agriculture can be defined as the type of agriculture in which a farmer produces food to feed himself and his family only. In other words, subsistence agriculture is a system of farming where a farmer plant, cultivate, and rears animals to provide food for the family.</span><br /><br /><h4 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Characteristics of Subsistence Agriculture</span></h4><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-size: medium;">It is practiced by small-scale farmers.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Subsistence Farming requires a very small land to start up.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Subsistence Farmers need no specialization</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">They require very little capital to start up.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">There is no or little use of agrochemicals e.g insecticides, pesticides, fertilizer, etc.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">They depend on depending mainly on rainfall.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Subsistence farmers practice a mixed cropping system.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Subsistence farmer deals with unimproved varieties of crops and breeds of animals.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">It provides only the basic needs of the family.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">The return of subsistence agriculture is relatively small.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">It doesn't require machines but family labor.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">They provide food crops and little cash crops.</span></li></ul></div><div><br /><h4 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Problems of Subsistence Agriculture</span></h4>There are some problems associated with Subsistence Agriculture which include;</div><div><br /></div><div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Inadequate Capital - This leads to low farm holding and the inability of farmers to buy farm inputs like seeds and others.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">No surplus for sale - This makes farmers poor since there is no one for them to sell as they will not be able to generate some money to expand their farm size.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Crude tools are used - When tools like a hoe, axe, and cutlass are used, they result in. The low yield of farm products compared to farmers using tractors, plows, harrows, etc.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Pest and Diseases - In subsistence farming pests and diseases are not controlled due to illiteracy which leads to low farm yield.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Small farmland - Due to small farms, subsistence farmers won't have the ability to produce in large quantities and which leads them to be poorer.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Low level of specialization - The subsistence farmers always involve themselves in mixed cropping which will make them have low yield because some plants go against themselves.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Family Labour is unreliable - Since children are migrating to urban from rural areas, able men to work Illiteracy of Subsistence Farmers - Subsistence farmers have little bit no formal education, resulting in them not being able to read written instructions and being unable to adopt modern family techniques.</span></li></ol><br /><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana;">Commercial Agriculture</span></b></h2><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">What is Commercial agriculture?</span></b></h3><span style="font-size: medium;">Commercial agriculture is the type of agriculture in which farmers produce in large quantities for them to sell and make money.</span></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Attributes of Commercial Agriculture</b></span></div><div><br /><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Commercial agriculture involves very huge money to set up.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Commercial agriculture use hired labor to work.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Commercial farmers keep records.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Commercial agriculture uses agrochemicals such as fertilizer, pesticides, and insecticides to improve products.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Rich farmers are mainly the ones that practice commercial farming.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Irrigation and drainage system is used in commercial agriculture.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Commercial agriculture uses machines.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Commercial Agriculture needs a large number of land.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Commercial agriculture is based on planting mainly one crop. They don't practice missed cropping in commercial agriculture.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Improved varieties of crops and animal breeds are used in commercial agriculture.</span></li></ul><br /><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Advantages of Commercial Agriculture</span></h3>Commercial agriculture has a lot of advantages which include;</div><div><br /><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Provision of Quality Products - Most products obtained from commercial agriculture are relatively of high quality.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Provision of Cheap Product - As a result of bulk or mass production of products, farmers sell at a very cheap price because they are produced in large amounts.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Encouragement of Research Works - Since commercial farmers want more improvement in their products, researchers also try to do some research to make their products better.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Commercial Agriculture increases yield - As a result of chemicals used such as fertilizers, etc, and a large area of land, this increase the yield of crops.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Provision of work - Since commercial Agriculture is mechanized, they need some people to operate the machine for them and some others to work manually.</span></li></ol><h4><br /></h4><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Problems of Commercial Agriculture</span></h3>Everything that has advantage much also has some disadvantages too. Commercial agriculture has the following problems;</div><div><br /><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-size: medium;">High cost of Spare parts - The spare parts of machinery like tractors, and harvesters are relatively very expensive to buy.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Soil erosion - The practice of commercial agriculture can lead to soil erosion due to heavy machinery.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Inadequate skilled manpower - Farm machinery needs skilled manpower to operate but nowadays there is short of supply of skilled manpower.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Inadequate technical know-how - Inadequate technical know-how on farm machinery has made commercial agriculture difficult.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">High capital of investment - Commercial farmers invest much in machinery and other inputs making commercial Agriculture more difficult.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Unfavorable land tenure system - Unfavorable land tenure system doesn't allow commercial agriculture to be practiced.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Inadequate supply of improved varieties of crops and animals</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Improper application of farm inputs - The application of herbicides, fertilizers, etc used for commercial agriculture could affect man and the environment by imposing some health hazards on people.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Inadequate Storage Facilities - The storage facilities in commercial farming are inadequate, making some farmers waste their produce in large quantities due to the market lot moving fast.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Inadequate marketing channels - Inadequate marketing channels for agriculture are inadequate in that farmers can't market their goods very well.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Too much tax - Commercial farmers pay much tax with no subsidies in input which makes commercial agriculture hard to practice.</span></li></ol><h4><br /></h4><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Difference between subsistence Agriculture and commercial agriculture</span></h2><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-size: medium;">In subsistence agriculture, a small area of land is cultivated while a large area of land is cultivated in commercial agriculture.</span></li></ul><span style="font-size: medium;"><ul><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Crude tools are used in subsistence agriculture while complex and modern tools are used in commercial agriculture.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Production in subsistence farming is mainly for family consumption while in commercial agriculture they are produced mainly for sale or export.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">In subsistence agriculture, mixed cropping is usually practiced while mono-cropping is usually practiced in commercial agriculture.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Commercial agriculture needs storage facilities while in subsistence agriculture doesn't need storage facilities.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Subsistence requires little money to start up while commercial agriculture needs a huge amount of money</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">The return in subsistence agriculture is low while in commercial agriculture, the return is always high.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Pests and diseases are controlled in commercial agriculture while pests and diseases are not held in subsistence agriculture.</span></li></ul></span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0