Which of the following is NOT a function of livestock in agriculture?

Answer Details

The question asks which option is NOT a function of livestock in agriculture. Three of the options are universally recognised livestock functions:

• Plowing fields (mechanical power) - draught animals such as oxen, horses, and donkeys have been used for tillage and transport for thousands of years.
• Providing meat and milk - the most fundamental purpose of keeping livestock.
• Supplying manure for soil fertility - animal dung is a major source of organic fertiliser, especially in smallholder farming systems.

Supplying fiber for clothing is the least standard livestock function in the context of tropical African agriculture. While wool-producing sheep exist in temperate regions, the hair-type sheep and goat breeds predominant in West Africa do not yield textile fiber. In the JAMB agricultural science syllabus, the recognised products from livestock are meat, milk, eggs, hides and skins, draught power, manure, and income - not fiber for clothing. "Fiber" as a raw material for textiles is far more commonly associated with crops (cotton, jute, sisal) than with livestock in this context.