(a) Mention six ways by which the government is contributing towards self-sufficiency in food production (b) List five methods Of conserving soil fertility....

Answer Details

(a) Six ways government contributes towards self-sufficiency in food production

1. Granting agricultural loans and credit facilities to farmers at low interest.
2. Subsidising farm inputs such as fertilizers, improved seeds, agro-chemicals and machinery.
3. Providing agricultural research and extension services to teach farmers modern methods.
4. Constructing irrigation schemes, dams and boreholes so that farming can continue in the dry season.
5. Guaranteeing fair, stable prices for produce and establishing marketing boards to buy surplus crops.
6. Providing storage, processing and preservation facilities (silos, cold rooms) to reduce post-harvest losses.

Other acceptable points: building access roads to farms, mechanisation programmes, and training of farmers.

(b) Five methods of conserving soil fertility

1. Crop rotation, especially including leguminous crops that fix nitrogen.
2. Application of organic manure and inorganic fertilizers to replace lost nutrients.
3. Bush fallowing, resting the land to allow natural nutrient recovery.
4. Mulching and cover cropping to protect the soil and add humus.
5. Preventing erosion by contour ploughing, terracing and avoiding bush burning.

(c) How three named agricultural practices destroy the balance of an ecosystem

(i) Bush burning: it kills soil micro-organisms, insects and small animals, destroys vegetation that provides food and shelter, and exposes the soil to erosion. Food chains are broken and biodiversity is reduced.

(ii) Use of pesticides and herbicides: these chemicals kill non-target useful organisms such as bees, earthworms and predators. They accumulate along the food chain (bioaccumulation), poisoning higher consumers and upsetting predator-prey relationships.

(iii) Deforestation / clearing land for monoculture: removing natural forest destroys the habitats of many species, lowers biodiversity, alters the water cycle and local climate, and encourages soil erosion, all of which disturb the natural balance.