(a) Describe three characteristics of subsistence agriculture in Nigeria. (b) Outline four advantages of subsistence agriculture. (c) highlight three disadv...

(a) Three characteristics of subsistence agriculture in Nigeria

• Farming is on a small scale, on tiny scattered plots, to feed the farmer and his family with little or no surplus for sale.
• Simple tools such as the hoe and cutlass are used; there is little or no mechanisation.
• It relies on family labour rather than hired workers.
• Mixed cropping (growing several crops on the same plot) is common, and bush fallowing is used to restore soil fertility.
• Output is low and depends heavily on the weather; few or no chemical fertilisers or improved seeds are used.

(b) Four advantages of subsistence agriculture

• It provides food directly for the farmer and his household, ensuring food security at family level.
• It requires little capital, land and simple tools, so it is affordable to poor rural people.
• Mixed cropping reduces the risk of total crop failure and gives a varied diet.
• It provides employment and occupation for rural families.
• Bush fallowing and mixed cropping help conserve soil fertility and reduce erosion.
• Any small surplus can be sold to earn some income.

(c) Three disadvantages of subsistence agriculture

• Output is low, producing little or no surplus for sale or for feeding the growing urban population.
• It cannot support agro-based industries because raw material supply is small and irregular.
• Use of crude tools and small plots keeps productivity and farmers' incomes low.
• It is difficult to mechanise because of small, scattered fragmented holdings.
• Heavy dependence on the weather makes yields unreliable.