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AGRICULTURAL SCIENCE
PREAMBLE
This syllabus has been designed to portray Agricultural Science as an applied science with emphasis on the acquisition of knowledge and skills associated with the content. A general review of the Junior Secondary School Agricultural Science syllabus is presumed.
Candidates will be expected to answer questions on all the topics set out in the column headed syllabus. The notes therein are intended to indicate the scope of the questions which will be set, but they are not to be considered as an exhaustive list of limitations and illustration.
Every school offering Agricultural Science must:
(i) establish a farm where crops are grown;
(ii) keep at least one species of ruminant and one non ruminant;
(iii) establish a fish pond where feasible.
Candidates should have practical notebooks which should contain records of individual activities based on laboratory and individual observations carried out on the school farms, field trips and also records of specimens collected. In order to enhance effective teaching/learning process and better performance of candidates, continuous assessment of candidates is recommended.
Since the main objectives of the Senior Secondary School Agricultural Science Curriculum are to:
- stimulate and sustain students’ interest in agriculture;
- enable students acquire functional knowledge and practical skills to prepare them for further studies and occupation in agriculture;
it is recommended that the study of Agricultural Science in the Senior Secondary School be supplemented by visits to well established government and private experimental and commercial farms, agricultural research institutes and other institutions related to agriculture.
EXAMINATION SCHEME
There will be three papers: Papers 1, 2 and 3 all of which must be taken. Papers 1 and 2 will be a composite paper to be taken at one sitting.
PAPER 1: Will consist of fifty multiple choice questions to be answered within 50 minutes for 50 marks.
PAPER 2: Will consist of six essay questions with each drawn from at least two themes in the syllabus. Candidates will be required to answer five of the questions within 2 hours 10 minutes for 90 marks.
PAPER 3: Will be a practical paper for school candidates and alternative to practical paper for private candidates. It will consist of four questions, all of which should be answered within 1½ hours for 60 marks.
DETAILED SYLLABUS
CONTENTS | NOTES |
A.
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Assessment would include incidence of pests and diseases, vagaries of weather, labour and government policy.
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Assessment would cover past and present programmes e.g. OFN, ADP, Farm Settlement, Agricultural Sector Rehabilitation Project (ASRP) and National Aids Coordination Secretariat.
Examples of NGOs West African Rice Development Association (WARDA), International Institute for Tropical Agriculture (IITA), International Livestock Centre for Africa (ILCA), International Crop Research Institute for Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) would be assessed.
Assessment would include land use Act (Decree), Land Reforms in West Africa. |
B.
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Interaction of farm crops/animals with other components of the ecosystem in farm settings such as mono or sole cropping system, mixed cropping system, mixed farming system, fish ponds and forest (rain or savannah) would be assessed.
Assessment would include of uses of land for aquaculture, forestry and apiculture.
Non-agricultural uses of land such as health centres, church/mosque, mining, recreational centres, schools and markets would be assessed.
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Assessment would include other agro-based industries and raw materials e.g. leather industry – hides and skin, canning industry – meat and fish.
Assessment would include other relationship between agriculture and industries. |
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Assessment would cover identification, description and examples of rock types.
Assessment would cover how igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic rocks are formed.
The role played by each factor in soil formation would be assessed.
The meaning, importance, identification and description of each horizon of the soil profile would be assessed.
Assessment would cover types of soil and their separation into sand, silt and clay fractions, water holding capacity, porosity, capillarity, consistency etc.
Determination of soil pH, causes and correction of soil acidity/alkalinity would be assessed. |
CONTENTS | NOTES | |
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Macro-nutrients such as N, P, K, Ca, Mg, S and Micro–nutrients such as Zn, Fe, Mo, Co, Bo, Cu would be assessed.
Types of fertilizers and methods of fertilizer application would be assessed.
Assessment would include the description and importance of nitrogen, carbon and water cycles.
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(vii) combine harvester etc.
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Ways of minimizing land/pond pollution would be assessed.
Assessment would include identification, description and uses of each of the tools.
Assessment would include the meaning, uses/functions and identification of different parts of each of the farm machinery and implements. Engineering details are however not required.
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Assessment would include precautionary measures in the use of farm machinery.
Mechanized agricultural operations: ploughing, harrowing, planting, harvesting, milking etc would be assessed.
Possible ways of improving agricultural mechanization such as developing less expensive machines and establishing agricultural engineering schools for personnel would be assessed.
Engineering details are not required. | |
D. CROP PRODUCTION
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Assessment would cover site selection, location of structures and sketching of farm layout.
A general knowledge of husbandry of all the crops listed is presumed. | |
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Assessment would include the botanical names and characteristics of common grasses and legumes used for grazing livestock.
Assessment would include the meaning of crop improvement. Definition of some genetic terms: characters or traits, chromosomes, genes, Mendel’s 1st and 2nd laws would be assessed. | |
CONTENTS | NOTES | |
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Common tree species suitable for agro-forestry practices would be assessed.
Assessment would cover identification of various types of ornamental plants.
The common and botanical names would be assessed.
Importance of each method and examples of ornamental plants propagated through such method would be assessed.
Reasons for carrying out maintenance operations: watering, mulching, pruning etc would be assessed.
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CONTENTS | NOTES | |
measures of the diseases of the following crops:
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Assessment would include at least two fungal, two viral, two bacterial and one nematode diseases of the crops chosen from the list.
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CONTENTS | NOTES | |
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Nature of damage, economic importance, preventive and control measures of each of the non-insect pests would be assessed
Common and botanical names would be assessed.
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H.
(c) Systems of farm animals e.g. digestive system, circulatory system, respiratory system.
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Drawing and labeling of parts of farm animals would be assessed. Identification of important organs and their functions would be assessed.
Assessment would include the digestive system of poultry, differences between the monogastric and ruminant digestive systems.
Assessment would include oestrus cycle, heat period, mating, gestation period, parturition, lactation, colostrum, mammary glands, signs of heat, ovulation etc. | |
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Assessment would include extensive, intensive and semi-intensive systems of management and record keeping in livestock management. The biochemical details of the nutrients are not required.
Assessment would include the types of diet for the various classes of animals, their characteristics and supplementary feeding. Assessment would include malnutrition related conditions such as ketosis, rickets. | |
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Assessment would include differences and similarities between breeds (local, exotic and cross/hybrid) and performance of animals.
The economic importance of the diseases would be assessed. | |
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Assessment would include aeration, stocking, feeding, harvesting, processing and preservation of fish. | |
CONTENTS | NOTES | |
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Rural-urban migration and how it affects labour availability in agricultural production would be assessed. | |
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– loan in-kind.
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Assessment would include the meaning of farm management | |
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(iv) roles of capital markets in agricultural business:
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Assessment would include the meaning of agri-business.
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(d) Farm accounts: (i) expenditure/ purchases account; (ii) income/sales account; (iii) profit and loss account; (iv) balance sheet.
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Assessment would include terms such as salvage value, appreciation, farm budget, depreciation, inventory, their importance and their uses in calculating profit and loss of farm items like crops, livestock, farm machinery and tools in the farm.
Advantages and disadvantages of the marketing agents would be assessed. | |
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(ii) farm vehicle insurance; (iii) fire disaster insurance or machines and buildings insurance; (iv) life assurance (farmers, farm workers and farmers’ household).
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Qualities of a good extension worker would be assessed.
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CONTENTS | NOTES | |
PRACTICAL AGRICULTURAL SCIENCE A. AGRICULTURAL ECOLOGY
| Soil samples are to be examined for texture by manual feeling of wet and dry soil. Examination of fertile and infertile soils and note distinguishing features of soils – colour, texture and structure, presence of organic matter and living things.
Simple description and identification of soil profile would be assessed.
Identification of common rock types: igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic would be assessed.
Identification, methods and rates of application of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and compound fertilizers would be assessed.
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(d) Organic manure: (i) green manure; (ii) farm yard; (iii) compost.
B. AGRICULTURAL ENGINEERING/MECHANIZATION
| Identification, method of preparation and application of compost would be assessed.
Identification and uses of irrigation and drainage equipment e.g. watering can, sprinkler, pump, pipes would be assessed. Assessment would include identification, description, uses and maintenance of various garden tools and equipment e.g. hoe, cutlass, garden trowel, hand fork, shovel, spade, rake, sickle, secateurs, shears, long handle hoe, pruner, budding knife, emasculator. Assessment would include identification, description, uses and maintenance of tractor and animal-drawn implements e.g. ploughs, harrows, ridgers, planters, cultivators; identification of the major parts of the implements and their functions. Assessment would include identification, description and uses of harvesting, processing and storage equipment e.g. dehuskers, shellers, winnowers, dryers, processors, graters, refrigerators, cutlasses, scythe, groundnut lifters. Identification of the major components of the farm tractor, servicing and maintenance would be assessed.
Identification, uses and maintenance of the following horticultural tools: shears, dibber, pruning knife, secateurs, budding knife, measuring tapes, hand fork, hand trowel, hoe, fork would be assessed.
Identification, description, uses and care of livestock and fishing equipment e.g. waterers, feeders, milking machines, nets, hook and line, branding machine, egg candler would be assessed. | |
| Assessment would include identification, uses, and care of simple surveying equipment e.g. measuring tape, pins or arrows, ranging poles, plum bob, offset staff, compass, gunter’s chains, pegs, theodolite.
Identification of seeds, seedlings, fruits, storage organs and essential parts of the common crop plants, pasture grasses and legumes would be assessed.
Assessment would include identification and control of the main field and storage pests e.g. cotton stainer, yam beetles, weevils etc and the damage they cause to crops; identification of main diseases of crops, their causal agents and characteristic symptoms, prevention and control.
Assessment would include the following propagation methods – direct sowing, transplanting, layering, grafting and budding. External features, mode of dispersal and methods of controlling weeds on the farm would be assessed.
Identification of breeds, methods of restraints, handling and grooming of farm animals would be assessed.
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| Assessment would cover identification and functions of the major internal organs. Identification of animal by-products e.g. hides and skin, fur, feather, horn would be assessed. Assessment would cover the identification and uses of feeds and feed stuffs(e.g. fish meal, groundnut cake, rice bran); types of diets/ration. Assessment would cover identification of common ectoparasites(e.g. ticks, lice) and endoparasites(e.g tapeworms, liver flukes, roundworms); the damage caused on their hosts and their control; and their life cycles.
Methods of prevention and control of diseases of farm animals, e.g. drugging, drenching, dipping, spraying and simple methods of farm sanitation would be assessed. Assessment would cover the identification of equipment/tools used for routine management practices.
Methods of harvesting, processing and preservation of fish would be assessed. |