<h1><strong>MEANING AND IMPORTANCE OF AGRICULTURE</strong></h1> CONTENT <ol> <li>Meaning of Agriculture</li> <li>Definition of Agriculture</li> <li>Branches of Agriculture</li> <li>Importance of Agriculture<strong> </strong></li> </ol> <strong> </strong> <h2><strong>Meaning Of Agriculture</strong></h2> Agricultural science is a subject that deals with the planting of crops, rearing of animals as well as the provision of raw materials for industries. Agriculture is derived from two Latin words ‘<em>ager</em>’ (field) and ‘<i>cultūra</i>’ (cultivation or growing). Literally it means field cultivation. Agriculture is as old as the existence of man. It is regarded as the mother of all other occupations. It is the live-blood of the nation’s economy   <h2><strong>Definition of Agriculture </strong></h2> Agriculture can therefore be defined as the act and science of cultivating the soil for the production of crops and livestock management to the processing, packaging, distribution and marketing of plants and animals products for man’s use. Simply put, <strong>agriculture </strong>is the art and science that deals with the cultivation of crops and the rearing of animals for man’s use. Agriculture is defined as the production of crops and the rearing of animals for man’s use. It involves the tilling of the soil, cultivation of crops, rearing of animals for numerous purposes as well as for food .   <h2><strong>Branches of Agriculture </strong></h2> The scope and branches (areas of specialization) of agriculture include the following:

<h1>FARM PLANNING</h1> CONTENT <ol> <li>Meaning of Farm Planning</li> <li>Importance of Farm Planning</li> <li>Factors to be Considered in Farm Planning and Design of Farmstead</li> <li>Principles of Farmstead Planning</li> </ol>   <h2>Meaning of Farm Planning</h2> Farm planning is the sketching, outlining and drawing of the farmstead as well as arrangement of the land for proper usage without the risk of land degradation. It is also the general arrangement of a farm before and after its take off. <br> <h2>Importance of Farm Planning</h2> Farm planning is important for the following reasons: <ol> <li>It helps in determining the actual dimension of the farmland</li> <li>It promotes neatness of the farm</li> <li>It helps to describe the future of the soil units</li> <li>It helps to maximize the use of labour and other factors of production</li> <li>It helps in the location of farm structures and buildings</li> <li>It can be used in the preparation of feasibility studies</li> <li>It prevents wastage of farmland and other inputs</li> <li>It is a prerequisite in the registration of farm enterprise</li> <li>It can be used as collateral for getting loans</li> <li>It helps farmers to project his yield before harvesting</li> </ol> EVALUATION <ol> <li>Define the term farm planning</li> <li>Why is farm planning important?</li> </ol>   <h2>Factors to be Considered in Farm Planning and Design of Farmstead</h2>

<h1>ANIMAL IMPROVEMENT</h1> CONTENT <ol> <li>Meaning of Animal Improvement</li> <li>Aims of Animal Improvement</li> <li>Methods/Processes of Animal Improvement</li> <li>Artificial Insemination</li> </ol>   <h2>Meaning of Animal Improvement</h2> Animal improvement is the process whereby inherited superior traits are transferred from one animal to the other of the same species. Certain characteristics such as good feeding conversion, growth rate, meat quality, high milk yield, good body form, etc. are major considerations in animal improvement.   <h2>Aims of Animal Improvement</h2> The following are the aims of animal improvement: <ol> <li>To produce animals with high yielding quality</li> <li>To produce animals with high feed conversion rate</li> <li>To produce animals with high growth rate and early maturity</li> <li>To produce animals that can adapt to varied climatic conditions</li> <li>To produce animals that are resistant to disease and parasites</li> <li>To produce different breeds of animals</li> <li>To produce animals that meets a particular purpose</li> </ol>   <h2>Methods/Processes of Animal Improvement</h2> The following are the methods/processes of animal improvement: (a) Introduction (b) Selection (c) Breeding   <h3>(a) Introduction</h3> This is bringing animals which are not native of a place but are known to have certain desirable characters into a new place from the place of origin. Such animals are called exotic. Introduction can be by physical importation either of the animals themselves or their semen. <h4>Advantages of Introduction</h4> <ol> <li>It enhances greater productivity.</li> <li>It leads to absence of pests and diseases.</li> <li>Breeds may perform better and able to adapt to local conditions.</li> </ol>