Agriculture

Agriculture

It is believed that in Africa, agriculture started about 6000 years ago. The use of discovered tools and weapons led to the development of crop cultivation and domestication of animals. True plant domestication probably began when the weakest plant were rejected and only seeds from the strongest plants were set aside for re-sowing mainly yielding grasses (cereals) and the same applied to animal domestication.

The Relationship between Agriculture, the Environment and Technological Development

Show the relationship between agriculture, the environment and technological development

Contributions of technological development to development of agriculture;

After a through look into different agricultural practices that existed in Africa, it is equally paramount to know the contributions of technology to the development of agriculture in Africa.

The increased use of iron tools amongst the different societies of Africa, led to the increase of land for cultivation, which resulted into increased agricultural productivity. The food storage skills insured an insurance against loss of future crops through natural disasters such as drought or flood thus food supply throughout the year. Some communities whose soils easily exhausted developed the use of manure which renewed the land and thus increased production. The development and use of irrigation opened up the once un-cultivatable to be productive for agriculture once again.

Not only did the technological improvement contribute to the development of agriculture but also the environment had the great bearing on the development of agriculture in Africa.

The reliable rainfall supplemented with the fertile soils in given areasresulted in the development of permanent crop agriculture or cultivation accompanied with increased agricultural production

Pest free and disease free areas were suitable for both crop and animal husbandry, as they would attract settlement. Also in place is the availability of iron technology in given societies making it possible for the making of iron tools which advanced on the methods of production and thus increased productivity.

It ensured man with reliable food supplies, The impacts of agricultural development are immeasurable as it ensured man with reliable food supplies, permanent settlement, labour specialization and surplus production and thus increase in population.

Farming was not suitable in every environment, the disadvantage of settled farming may also have been apparent through farming could support a larger population; it left the people more exposed to the dangers of famine caused by natural disasters such as drought and floods.

The Types of Agricultural Practices in Africa

Explain the types of agricultural practices in Africa

Different types of agriculture developed in the different African societies these included:

·         Permanent crop cultivation

·         Mixed farming

·         Pastoralism

·         Shifting cultivation

Successful agriculture depended on the ecology or natural fertility of the soil, adequate rainfall, technical skills of the famers and the ability to find most suitable and successful crops. However, this was not a simple task as it required patience and the ability to learn more from experience. It was the trial and error system.

Permanent crop cultivation

This involved the growing of perennial crops as potatoes, bananas, yam, beans and maize on a permanent basis. This was majorly employed in areas where there was extra land. Not every society could practice this form of agriculture but the environment dictated the terms.

Areas that received heavy and reliable rainfall were free from pests and diseases, having fertile soil did serve best for permanent crop cultivation. With the development of iron technology societies which practiced this moved from communalism to feudalism. In East Africa it was majorly practiced in the interlacustrine regions such as Buganda, Kagera Kenyan highlands, Ankole around Mount Kilimanjaro, parts of Kigoma and rungwe. In West Africa in the Fante, Yoruba, Ashanti, Ife and Akwam.

With the development of permanent crop cultivation people begn to live in larger, more permanent settlement, the permanence of settlement quickened the development of instrument production, there were increase in population as a result of improved diet, food supply became more regular and abundant, brought important social as well as technical changes many developed into centralised states for example Fante, Benin, Oyo and Meroe.

Lastly was the development of handcrafts industries such as iron smelting and social differentiation.

Mixed farming

This is an agricultural system which involves growing of crops and rearing of animals on the same piece of land. It evolved in areas which supported both pastoralism and crop cultivation. Crops grown in this agricultural practice included cereals such as millet, sorghum, cassava and maize animals kept included cattle, goats, sheep, cows and donkey.

The mixed farmers existed because the areas they lived had unreliable rainfall and their soils could easily be exhausted so one thing had to supplement the other. Mixed farmers in East Africa included the Gogo, Sangu, Sukuma, Kurya and Fipa in Tanzania, Luyia in Southwest Kenya, the Basoga and Gisu of Eastern Uganda. The relation of production was mainly communal with low production, division of labour based on age and sex

The mixed farmers in East Africa demonstrated achievement in their practices as they developed centralised political organisations for example the Busoga in Uganda under Omuloki, specialised in different activities. Specialisation in these societies resulted into development of trade, at first it was among the mixed farmers and later it resulted in the formation of long distance trade.

Shifting cultivation

This involves spending a given period of time working on land and moving from one area that is exhausted to a new fresh piece of land. It was mainly practiced by the people who lived in grassland plateaus for example Miombo wood land savanna in central Tanzania were the rainfall was little and unreliable and the soil could be easily exhausted

These soils could support the growth of cassava, sorghum, maize, millet, cowpeas, pumpkins plus many more other crops.the rearing of livestock was made difficult due to the fact that these areas were infected with tsetse flies and other livestock diseases. The soils that easily became exhausted necessitated people to move from one place to another in search of the fertile piece of land. However people in some communities were living a settled life even if they were practicing this type of agriculture.

Pastoralism

This involves the keeping of livestock. The herding of domestic animals (cattle, sheep or goats), which were real and potential source of food particularly; milk, meat, animal skins and the herds were also exchanged with the different neighboring societies.

Areas with semi arid and arid conditions like scanty rainfall, (rainfall that is just enough to support the growth of pasture), poor soils which could only support pastoralism as the major economic activity within the area. In East Africa the dry areas include the lift valley areas of Tanzania and Kenya comprising of societies like the Maasai, Nyaturu, Barbaig and the karamanjong in Uganda.

Where the people were largely pastoralists their settlement tended to be less permanent as they moved in search of varying season pastures and water.

These people had no centralised political system they used the age set system in their production and they also kept large herds because of their use value and prestige.

How Agriculture Changed Man's Life

Explain how agriculture changed man's life

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AGRICULTURE 
Agriculture is the domestication of plants and animals. Agriculture began over 10000 years ago. In Africa agriculture began in the Nile valley in Egypt around 7000 B.C
Factors that contributed to the beginning of agriculture.
1. There were plants and animals.
2. Increase of human population, natural environment could not provide adequate food.
3. Changes of climate i.e. drought or occurrence of drought.
4. Competition for food between the humans and the animals.
5. People searched for goods far away from their homes.
There were mainly three types of agriculture practiced in ancient Africa:
1. Pastoralism
2. Crop cultivation
3. Mixed farming

Crop cultivation.
 Different types of crops were grown in various regions of Africa depending on the natural resources.
Crop cultivation was divided into two
1. Shifting cultivation
2. Permanent cultivation

Shifting cultivation
In this system land was cultivated and planted for sometime for example about three years, then the farmers would shift their farming activities to a new area. This farming practice was to allow the land to regain its fertility and control diseases and pests. In Africa shifting cultivation was common in the central, western and southern Tanzania (miombo wood land) and Eastern Kenya). This system was possible where the area was low populated (moderate climate/average amount of rainfall), soil was light and fertility was easily hausted.

Permanent crop cultivation.
Permanent crop cultivation was adopted in areas or regions with dense population. There was no extra land to move to availability of rainfall, also irrigation, terracing and fertilizers(manure) were applied. Examples of these areas where permanent cultivation was carried out include the following:
1. Egypt.
2. Cambrai region in the north eastern Togo.
3. Among the Chaggas on the slopes of mountain Kilimanjaro.
4. The Lozi of Zambia.
5. The Akamba of Kenya.
6. Slopes of mountain Meru, southern highland of Tanzania and central Kenyan highland.
7. Indian Ocean coastaline, North west of Lake Victoria.

2. Mixed farming.
This was kind of agriculture which includes crop cultivation and animal keeping, mainly in glass land areas with seasonal rainfall
The glass land areas were goods for growing crops and postures for animals
-The crops grown was such as
Sorgham Maize Cassava Beans Millet
-Animals kept were:-
Goats Donkey Cattles Horses Sheeps
-This kind of agriculture was common among the Waha, Nyamwezi,Fipa,Hehe,Kikuyu etc

PASTORALISM
Pastoralism is the practice of keeping livestock such as cattle, sheep, camels and goats. One important factor in the spread of pastoralism in Africa was the presence or absence of the tsetsefly.These flies caused sleeping sickness to human and trypasonomiasis to domestic animals.The pastoralist avoided tsetsefly infected areas especially in the moist low-lying valleys and thick forest regions.Examples of pastrolists in Africa are:
The Fulani of west Africa
The Gaua and Somali of North-East Africa
Masai of East Africa
Barabaig, Karamajong of East Africa
There are two types of pastoralism
1. Nomadic pastoralism
2. Sedentary pastoralism

Nomadic pastoralisim.
Is the seasonal movement of people with their livestock in search of water and pastures. Many nomadic pastoralists lived on meat, milk and blood. They occupy the scrub land and the savannah regions. Those areas get little rain fall.
examples of nomadic pastoralists include:
Tourane’s
The Fulani
The Barbeigr
The Omomo
The karamajong
The maasai.

Sedentary pastoralism.
Sedentary means staying or living in the same area. Sedentary pastrolists did not move from place to place. Examples are the agriculturalist maasai (kwavi), the animals kept by such communities are fewer than those kept by nomadic pastoralists.
How agriculture changed man’s life.
1. It led to the production of more food in these societies.
2. Agriculture forced people to settle down in one place.
3. It encouraged social and political organizations.
4. It led to the expansion of exchange trade due to surplus.
5. It encouraged specialization of work in the society, for example people begun to practice medicine, priestly duties and different crafts.
6. Some people became wealthier than others in the society due to the presence of more land and animals.
7. The agriculturists were forced to come up with new religions that could save their animals or livestock, For example new Gods.
8. Agriculture led to the introduction of science and technology. For example in Egypt, there was need for irrigation.