Agricultural Science Waec Syllabus

BASIC CONCEPTS

1. Meaning and importance of agriculture
   • Definition and branches of agricultural science.
   • Importance of agriculture to the individual, community and nation
2. Problems of agricultural development and possible solutions
   • Problems related to:
     • land tenure;
     • basic amenities;
     • finance;
     • transportation;
     • storage and processing facilities;
     • agricultural education and extension;
     • tools and machinery;
     • farm inputs;
     • marketing system;
     • environmental degradation.
   • Possible solutions to identified problems
3. Meaning and differences between subsistence and commercial agriculture
   • Meaning of subsistence and commercial agriculture
   • Differences between subsistence and commercial agriculture based on their characteristics.
   • Advantages and disadvantages of subsistence and commercial agriculture.
   • Problems of subsistence and commercial agriculture.
4. Roles of government in agricultural development
   • Agricultural Finance:
     • credit
     • subsidy
   • Agricultural education
   • Agricultural extension services.
   • Agricultural policies and programmes
5. Role of non-governmental organizations in agricultural development
   • Meaning of non-governmental organizations (NGOs).
   • Roles of NGOs in agricultural development.
6. Agricultural laws and reforms
   • Land tenure systems in West Africa.
   • Government laws on land use in West Africa.
   • Advantages and disadvantages of the land use Act (Decree) and reforms in West Africa

AGRICULTURAL ECOLOGY

1. Meaning and importance of agricultural ecology
   • Meaning of agricultural ecology and ecosystem.
   • Components of farm ecosystem, e.g., biotic and abiotic
   • Interactions of the components in the terrestrial and aquatic agro-ecosystem.
2. Land and its uses
   • Meaning of land.
   • Characteristics of land – free gift of nature, immobile, limited in supply etc.
   • Uses of land:
     • Agricultural purposes:
       • crop production;
       • wild life conservation/game reserve;
       • livestock production, etc.
     • non-agricultural purposes:
       • industry;
       • housing;
       • transport, etc.
3. Factors affecting land availability for agricultural purposes
   • Physical factors
     • soil type;
     • topography;
     • land degradation;
     • soil pollution.
   • Economic factors
     • population pressure
     •  expansion of industries
     • mining/mineral exploitation
     • recreation/tourism
   • Socio-cultural factors:
     • land tenure system
     • religious purpose (church, mosque and shrine) etc.
4. Agro-allied industries and the relationship between agriculture and industry
   • Agro-based industries and  raw materials
     • paper industry: pulp wood;
     • beverage industry (cocoa, tea, etc.);
     • textile industry: cotton;
     • soap industry: oil,  seeds, etc
   • Relationship between agriculture and industries:
     • Agriculture provides a market for industrial products, e.g., farm machinery and chemicals;
     • Agriculture provides food for industrial workers.
5. Environmental factors affecting crop and animal distribution and production
   • Climatic factors, e.g., rainfall, temperature, light, wind, relative humidity.
   • Biotic factors, e.g., predators, parasites, soil micro-organisms, pests, pathogens and weeds; interrelationships such as competition, parasitism, and mutualism (symbiosis).
   • Edaphic factors: soil pH, soil texture, soil structure, soil type etc.
6. Rock formation
   • Types of rock:
     • igneous;
     • sedimentary
     • metamorphic
   • Processes of rock formation.
7. Soil formation and profile development
   • Factors of soil formation: the parent rock, organisms, climate, topography and time
   • Processes of soil formation
     • physical weathering;
     • chemical weathering
   • Soil profile development
8. Types, composition and properties of soil
   • Types of soil
   • Chemical and biological composition of soil:
     • soil macro and micronutrients;
     • soil water;
     • soil macro-organisms;
     • soil microbes;
     • soil air.
   • Soil pH
   • Physical properties of soil:
     • soil texture
     • soil structure
9. Plant nutrients and nutrient cycle
   • Macro and micronutrients;  their functions and deficiency symptoms in crops
   • Factors affecting the availability of nutrients in soil such as pH, excess of other nutrients, leaching, crop removal, oxidation and burning
   • Methods of replenishing lost nutrients, e.g., crop rotation, organic manuring, fertilizer application, fallowing, liming, and cover-cropping
   • Nitrogen, carbon, water and phosphorus cycles
   • Organic agriculture – meaning and importance
10. Irrigation
    • Meaning of irrigation system
    • Types of irrigation systems:
      • overhead, e.g., sprinkler;
      • surface, e.g., flooding, furrow/channel, basin, border;
      • underground, e.g., perforated pipes and drips.
    • Advantages and disadvantages of irrigation systems
    • Importance of irrigation
    • Problems associated with irrigation
11. Drainage
    • Meaning of drainage.
    • Importance of drainage.
    • Types of drainage systems
      • surface drainage, e.g., channel, furrow;
      • subsurface/underground drainage.
    • Advantages and disadvantages of drainage systems
12. Agricultural pollution
    • Meaning of agricultural pollution
    • Causes/sources of pollution of agricultural lands and fish ponds:
      • excessive application of agricultural chemicals;
      • marine and oil spillage;
      • livestock waste and dung disposal etc.
    • Effects of land/pond pollution on farmers and agricultural productivity

AGRICULTURAL ENGINEERING/MECHANIZATION

1. Simple farm tools
   • Meaning of simple farm tools.
   • Types of simple farm tools
     • cutlass, hoe, spade, shovel etc.
   • General maintenance of simple farm tools
2. Farm machinery and implements
   • Farm machinery:
     • tractor;
     • bulldozer;
     • shellers;
     • dryers;
     • incubators;
     • milking machines;
     • combine harvester etc.
   • (b) Tractor-coupled implements:
     • ploughs;
     • harrows;
     • ridgers;
     • planters;
     • harvesters;
     • sprayers etc.
3. Maintenance practices and precautionary measures
   • Reasons for maintaining farm machines
   • Maintenance of farm machinery:
     • check water and oil levels regularly
     • carry out routine service
     • keep machines clean etc
4. Agricultural mechanization
   • Meaning of agricultural mechanization.
   • Mechanized agricultural operations.
   • Advantages and disadvantages of agricultural mechanization.
   • Limitations of agricultural mechanization.
5. Prospects of agricultural mechanization
6. Farm power
   • Sources of farm power.
   • Advantages and disadvantages of different sources of farm power.
7. Farm Surveying
   • Meaning of farm surveying.
   • Common survey equipment.
   • Uses of farm survey equipment.
   • Maintenance of farm survey equipment.
   • Importance of farm surveying.
8. Farm planning
   • Meaning of farm planning.
   • Factors to be considered in farm planning.
   • Importance of farm planning.
9. Principles of farmstead planning
   • Meaning of farmstead.
   • Importance of farmstead planning.
   • Factors to be considered in the design of a farmstead.
   • Farmstead layout.

CROP PRODUCTION

1. Classification of crops
   • Classification of crops based on their uses, e.g., cereals, pulses, roots and tubers, and vegetables.
   • Classification based on their life cycle, e.g., annual, biennial, perennial, ephemeral.
   • Classification based on their morphology, e.g., monocotyledonous and dicotyledonous crops.
2. Husbandry of selected crops

   botanical names and common names of the crop, varieties/types, climatic and soil requirements, land preparation, methods of propagation, planting date, seed rate, spacing, sowing depth and nursery requirements, cultural practices: supplying, thinning,

   manuring and fertilizer requirement and application, weeding, pests and disease control, harvesting, processing and storage of at least one representative crop from each of the following crop groupings:

   • Cereals, e.g., maize, rice, guinea corn, millet;
   • Pulses (grain legumes), e.g., cowpea, soya bean, pigeon pea.
   • Roots and tubers, e.g., cassava, yam, potatoes;
   • Vegetables, e.g., tomatoes, onion, amaranthus, okra, cauliflower, spinach;
   • Fruits, e.g., citrus, banana, pineapple;
   • Beverages, e.g., cocoa, tea, coffee;
   • Spices, e.g., pepper, ginger;
   • Oils, e.g., groundnut, shea butter, sunflower, oil palm;
   • Fibres e.g., cotton, jute, sisal hemp;
   • Latex e.g. rubber;
   • Others – sugar cane etc.
3. Pasture and forage crops
   • Meaning of pasture and forage crops.
   • Uses of forage crops.
   • Types of pasture.
   • Common grasses and legumes used for grazing livestock.
   • Factors affecting the distribution and productivity of pasture.
   • Establishment of pasture.
   • Management practices of pasture.
4. Crop improvement
   • Aims of crop improvement.
   • Methods/processes of crop improvement, e.g., introduction, selection, breeding.
   • Mendel’s laws of inheritance.
   • Advantages and disadvantages of crop improvement.

FORESTRY

1. Forest management
   • Meaning of forest and forestry.
   • Importance of forestry.
   • Forest regulations.
   • Forest management practices.
   • Implications of deforestation.
2. Agro-forestry practices in West Africa
   • Meaning of agro-forestry.
   • Agro-forestry practices:
     • taungya system;
     • alley cropping;
     • ley farming etc.

ORNAMENTAL PLANTS

1. Meaning and importance of ornamental plants
   • Meaning of ornamental plants.
   • Importance of ornamental plants.
2. Common types of ornamental plants
   • Types of ornamental plants according to their uses:
     • bedding plants (mostly   flowering plants);
     • hedging plants;
     • lawn grasses etc.
   • Examples of ornamental plants.
3. Settings and location for planting ornamental plants
4. Methods of cultivating ornamental plants
   • by seed;
   • vegetative propagation.
5. Maintenance of ornamental plants

CROP PROTECTION

1. Diseases of crops
   • Meaning of disease
   • General effects of diseases on crop production.
   • Disease: causal organism, economic importance, mode of transmission, symptoms, prevention and control measures of the diseases of the following crops:
     • cereals – smut, rice blast, leaf rust etc.;
     • legumes – cercospora leaf spot, rosette etc;
     • beverages – cocoa black pod, swollen shoot, coffee leaf rust etc.;
     • tubers – cassava mosaic, bacterial leaf blight etc.;
     • fruits- citrus gummosis, dieback etc
     • fibre – black arm/bacterial blight of cotton etc.;
     • vegetables – root-knot of tomato or okro, damping off, onion twister etc.;
     • tored produce – mould etc.
2. Pests of crops
   • Meaning of pests.
   • Classification of pests:
     • insect pests;
     • non-insect pests.
   • Classification of insect pests based on mouth parts with examples
     • biting and chewing;
     • piercing and sucking;
     • boring.
   • Important insect pests of major crops; field and storage pests, life cycle, economic importance, nature of the damage, preventive and control measures of the following major insect-pests of crops:
     • cereals – stem borer, armyworm, earworm etc.
     • legumes – pod borer, aphids, sucking bugs and leaf beetle;
     • beverages – cocoa myrids (capsids);
     • tubers – yam beetle, cassava mealybugs, green spidermites, variegated grasshopper;
     • fibre – cotton stainer, bollworms;
     • fruits and vegetables – thrips, grasshoppers, leaf roller, leaf beetle, scale insect;
     • stored produce – grain weevils, bean beetle.
   • Non-insect pests, e.g., birds, rodents etc
   • Side effects of preventive and control methods:
     • chemical – pollution, poisoning;
     • biological ­- disruption of the ecosystem etc;
     • cultural – harmful effects of burning etc.
   • General effects/economic importance of pests.
3. Weeds
   • Meaning of weeds.
   • Types of weeds.
   • Effects of weeds on crops and economy.
   • Characteristic features of weeds.
   • Methods of controlling weeds:  cultural, biological, chemical, physical and mechanical methods.

ANIMAL PRODUCTION

1. Types and classification of farm animals
   • Types of farm animals: cattle, sheep, goat, poultry, pig, rabbit, fish etc.
   • Classification of farm animals   according to:
     • (i) habitat: terrestrial and aquatic.
     • (ii) uses: food, protection, pets, etc.
2. Anatomy and physiology of farm animals
   • Parts of farm animals.
   • Organs of farm animals, e.g., heart, liver, lungs.
   • Systems of farm animals, e.g., digestive system, circulatory system, respiratory system.
3. Animal reproduction
   • Meaning of reproduction.
   • Roles of hormones in the reproduction of farm animals.
   • Reproductive systems of farm animals.
   • Processes of reproduction in farm animals.
   • Egg formation in poultry.
4. Environmental physiology
   • Meaning of environmental physiology.
   • Effects of changes in climatic factors such as:
     • temperature;
     • relative humidity; and
     • light on:
       • Growth, reproduction, milk production, egg production, etc.
5. Livestock management
   • Meaning of livestock management
   • Requirements for livestock management: housing, feeding, hygiene and finishing of at least one ruminant and one non-ruminant from birth to market weight.
   • Importance of management practices.
6. Animal Nutrition
   • Meaning of animal nutrition.
   • Classification of feeds.
   • Sources and functions of feed nutrients.
   • Types of ration/diet and their uses; components of a balanced diet; production and maintenance rations.
   • Causes and symptoms of malnutrition and their correction in farm animals.
7. Rangeland and pasture management
   • Meaning and importance of rangeland/pasture to livestock and the characteristics of range land.
   • Common grasses and legumes  in rangeland.
   • Factors affecting the level of production of herbage; rainfall, grass/legume composition, grazing etc.
   • Methods of rangeland and pasture improvement:
     • Controlled stocking, rotational grazing, use of fertilizers, introduction of legumes, reseeding, weed control, burning,  pest and disease control.
8. Animal improvement
   • Meaning of animal improvement.
   • Aims of animal improvement.
   • Methods of animal improvement:
     • Introduction;
     • selection;
     • breeding.
   • Artificial insemination
     • meaning of artificial insemination.
     • methods of collecting semen.
     • advantages and disadvantages of artificial insemination.
9. • Meaning of disease
   • Causal organisms: viruses, bacteria, fungi and protozoa.
   • Factors that could predispose animals to diseases: health status of animals, nutrition, management etc.
   • Reaction of animals to diseases: susceptibility and resistance to diseases.
   • Causal organisms, symptoms, mode of transmission, effects, prevention and control of the following selected livestock diseases:
     • viral-foot and mouth, rinderpest, newcastle;
     • bacterial – anthrax, brucellosis, tuberculosis;
     • fungal – aspergillosis, ringworm, scabies;
     • protozoa – trypanosomiasis, coccidiosis.
10. • meaning of parasite.
    • types of parasites.
    • mode of transmission, life cycle, economic importance and control of the following selected livestock parasites:
      • endoparasites – tapeworm, liverfluke and roundworm;
      • ectoparasites – ticks, lice.
    • General methods of prevention and control of diseases and parasites:
      • Quarantine, inoculation/immunization, hygiene, breeding for resistance etc.
11. Aquaculture
    • Meaning of aquaculture.
    • Different types of aquaculture:
      • (i)   fish farming;
      • (ii)  shrimp farming;
      • (iii)  crab farming.
    • Meaning and importance of fish farming.
    • Conditions necessary for siting a fish pond.
    • Establishment and maintenance of fish ponds.
    • Fishery regulations – meaning and regulations.
    • Fishing methods and tools.
12. Apiculture or bee keeping
    • Meaning of apiculture or bee keeping.
    • Types of bees
      • indigenous bees;
      • exotic bees.
    • Importance of bee keeping.
    • Methods of bee keeping:
      • traditional method;
      • modern bee-keeping.
    • Bee-keeping equipment: beehives, hive tools like suits,smokers, jungle boots, brushes, etc.
    • Precautionary measures in beekeeping:
      • locate apiaries far from human dwellings;
      • put warning symbols near the apiary etc.

AGRICULTURAL ECONOMICS AND EXTENSION

1. Basic economic principles
   • scarcity;
   • choice;
   • Scale of preference;
   • law of diminishing returns.
2. Factors of production:
   • land;
   • capital;
   • labour – characteristics and classification;
   • management or entrepreneur
3. Principles of demand
   • Definition of demand.
   • Law of demand.
   • Factors affecting demand for agricultural produce.
   • Movements along the demand curve.
   • Shifts in the demand curve.
4. Principles of supply
   • Definition of supply.
   • Law of supply.
   • Movements along the supply curve.
   • Shifts in the supply curve.
   • Factors affecting the supply of agricultural produce.
5. Implications of demand and supply for agricultural production
   • Price support.
   • Price control.
   • Subsidy programme and its effects on agricultural production.
6. Functions of a farm manager
   • Meaning of a farm manager.
   • Functions of a farm manager.
7. Problems faced by farm managers
8. Agricultural Finance
   • Meaning of agricultural finance.
   • Importance of agricultural finance.
   • Sources of farm finance.
9. Classes of farm credit
   • Classification based on length of time:
     • short-term credit;
     • medium-term credit;
     • long-term credit.
   • classification based on the source of credit:
     • institutional credit;
     • non-institutional credit.
   • classification based on liquidity:
     • loan in cash;
     • loan in-kind.
   • Problems faced by farmers in procuring agricultural credit.
     • high-interest rate;
     • lack or inadequate collateral, etc.
   • Problems faced by institutions in granting loans to farmers:
     • lack of records and accounts etc.
10. Capital market
    • meaning of capital market, institutions that deal with medium and long-term loans for agricultural business.
    • institutions involved in the capital market
    • sources of funds for the capital market:
      • bonds
      • insurance companies;
      • merchant banks;
      • the stock exchange (sales and purchases of shares).
    • roles of capital markets in agricultural business:
      • mobilization of long-term funds for on-lending;
      • reduce over-reliance on the money market, etc.
11. Farm records and accounts
    • Importance of farm records.
    • Types of farm records:
      • inventory records;
      • production records;
      • income and expenditure    records;
      • supplementary or special records.
    • Designing farm records
    • Farm accounts
      • expenditure/ purchases   account;
      • income/sales account;
      • profit and loss account;
      • balance sheet.
12. Marketing of agricultural produce
    • Meaning and importance of marketing of agricultural produce.
    • Marketing agents and their functions.
    • Marketing functions
      • assembling;
      • transportation;
      • processing etc.
    • Marketing of export crops.
    • Export crops in West Africa.
    • Guidelines for exporting crops in West Africa.
    • Corporate bodies, cooperative societies, and individuals engaged in exporting agricultural produce, e.g., ANCE (Association of Nigerian Cooperative Exporters),.
    • Importance of exporting agricultural produce.
    • Problems of marketing agricultural produce.
13. Agricultural insurance
    • Meaning of agricultural insurance.
    • Importance of agricultural insurance.
    • Types of insurance policies for agricultural production:
      • specific enterprise insurance, e.g., crop insurance, livestock  insurance;
      • farm vehicle insurance;
      • fire disaster insurance or  machines and buildings insurance;
      • life assurance (farmers, farm workers, and farmers’ households).
    • Insurance premium
    • Problems with agricultural insurance:
      • uncertainties of weather;
      • losses due to natural disasters etc.
14. Agricultural extension
    • Meaning and importance of agricultural extension
    • Agricultural extension methods:
      • individual contact methods;
      • group contact methods etc.
    • Agricultural extension programmes in West Africa, e.g., ADP, NDE, Agro-service centres, state ministries of agriculture and natural resources
    • Problems of agricultural extension in West Africa. e.g. illiteracy among farmers, inadequate transport facilities etc.

PRACTICAL AGRICULTURAL SCIENCE

1. AGRICULTURAL ECOLOGY
   • Soil
   • Soil profile
   • Rocks
   • Laboratory work on the physical properties of soil
     • Mechanical analysis by sedimentation and also by the use of hydrometer method or sieves
     • Determination of bulk density and total pore space.
     • Determination of moisture content of a moist soil sample.
     • Determination of maximum water holding capacity.
     • Determination of wilting point.
     • Determination of capillary action.
   • Laboratory work on chemical properties of soil.
     • Determination of soil acidity using a pH meter and/or any other gadget or simple equipment.
     • Common types of chemical fertilizers.
     • Organic manure:
       • green manure;
       • farm yard;
       • compost.
   • Irrigation and drainage
2. AGRICULTURAL ENGINEERING/MECHANIZATION
   •  Farm tools and equipment
   • Tractor and animal-drawn implement
   • Harvesting, processing, and storage equipment.
   • Farm tractor
   • Use and maintenance of horticultural tools and implements.
   • Livestock and fishing equipment
   • Farm surveying equipment
3. CROP PRODUCTION 
   • Seeds, seedlings, fruits and storage organs of crops.
   • Main pests and diseases of crops
   • Planting dates, seed rates, plant population and seed quality tests of the more common local crop plants.
   • Preparation of seedbeds, fertilizer application, mulching, use of pesticides, watering, vegetative propagation, germination tests etc.
   • Forest products and by-products.
   • Methods of propagation of horticultural plants.
   • Common weeds
4. ANIMAL PRODUCTION
   • Common breeds of animals and types of animals available in the locality.
   • Major internal organs of farm animals, e.g., organs of the digestive system, reproductive and excretory systems.
   • Animal by-products.
   • Animal feeds and feedstuffs and their local sources.
   • Main pests and parasites of farm animals.
   • Diseases of farm animals.
   • Routine management practices in farm animals, e.g., selection of livestock and poultry for breeding, culling, ear-notching, tattooing, horn or skin branding, debeaking, dehorning, castration.
   • Fish harvesting and preservation.