(a) Define land. (b) State the two major classifications of land based on uses and give two examples in each case. (c) List six factors that influence the a...

Answer Details

(a) Definition of land [2 marks]

Land is the solid part of the earth's surface, together with all the natural resources on, above and beneath it (soil, water, minerals, air and vegetation), that man uses for agricultural and other purposes. In economics it is a free gift of nature and a factor of production.

(b) Two major classifications of land based on uses, with two examples each [4 marks]

• Agricultural land use: land used for growing crops (arable farming) and for grazing/rearing livestock. Examples: cultivating maize/yam; keeping cattle on rangeland.
• Non-agricultural land use: land used for purposes other than farming. Examples: building of houses/roads (construction) and mining/industrial or recreational use.

(c) Six factors that influence availability of land for agricultural production, explaining two [6 marks]

Six factors: (1) land tenure system, (2) population pressure/urbanisation, (3) topography and soil condition, (4) climate/rainfall, (5) government policy, (6) presence of pests and diseases (e.g. tsetse fly).

Explanation of two:

• Land tenure system: Where land is communally or fragmentally owned, a farmer cannot easily acquire a large continuous piece of land, and insecurity of tenure discourages permanent investment; this reduces the land available for serious farming.
• Population pressure and urbanisation: As population grows and towns expand, land is taken up for housing, roads, schools and industry, so less land is left for agriculture, and remaining farmland becomes overused.