Principles of Agriculture in Food Production

Initiate Talk for Learning: Teacher puts learners in pairs to brainstorm to come up with the various farm practical activities involved in crop production. Some learners should be helped with leading questions to enable them to list the various farm practical activities involved in crop production. Others should be challenged to delve deeper by explaining the various farm practical activities involved in crop production. Learners should be allowed to surf the internet for information on the various farm practical activities involved in crop production. Also, videos, pictures or charts showing the various farm practical activities involved in crop production can be shown to learners if internet connectivity is a challenge. Ensure that all learners surf the internet or watch the video, pictures or charts on the various farm practical activities involved in crop production. Learners familiar with browsing should assist those that need help. The teacher should monitor the contents of what learners browse. Learners with visual or any form of learning impairments should be supported during the watching of videos, pictures or charts.
Project-Based Learning: In balanced ability or mixed gender groups (where appropriate), learners perform simple activities such as pH measurement using litmus paper, soil temperature using thermometer, soil texture using the fingers and soaking seeds in water to check their viability. Assign a specific task to a group and allow each group to share the observations with the rests. Learners should also be taken to the field in rotation to perform weeding using hoe and cutlass, levelling of soil using a rake and fertiliser application using drilling, broadcasting and by spraying. A special practical section outside the normal classroom period should
be used for these practical activities. The teacher should ensure that all learners participate in the practical activities. Each student should be made to produce a record of the activities performed on the field. Those that require any form of support should be assisted appropriately.
Experiential Learning: Teacher put learners in mixed-ability or gender-based groups to observe or watch video of a technician/master craftsman driving a tractor, ploughing, harrowing, performing soil nutrient test, weed control, post-harvest management of crops and how to design farm records. The teacher should arrange with the technician/master craftsman and learners when these practical activities (either video or demonstration by technician/master craftsman) should be performed outside the classroom period. It should be a time favourable and agreed by all. The teacher should consciously make all learners, especially females and learners with different forms of disability to take part in this section. Learners should be made to present a report on their observations, what activities they have undertaken and what they have learnt.
Assessment (1.3.1.AS.3). The document marks these depth-of-knowledge levels for this indicator: Level 2 Skills of conceptual understanding; Level 3 Strategic reasoning; Level 4 Extended critical thinking and reasoning.
Teaching and Learning Resources:
- Realia: farm tools and implements e.g., cutlass, hoe, plough etc.
- Video/pictures of the stages of crop production practices
- Video/pictures of the stages, activities and skills in the crop production practices
- Pest control tools and chemicals (Hand and knapsack sprayers, Boom sprayers, insecticides, herbicides etc.).