These
articles will emphasis mostly on the environmental factors affecting
agricultural production, especially in Nigeria. The environment in any particular
place determines the types of soil that can be formed in the place, the type of
crops and animals that thrive in the place and their rate of multiplication or
decrease.
As
a result of the limited resources available to Nigerian farmers, farming business
is affected, to a greater extent, by the capacity of the soil to provide
nutrients and to hold water. Nigeria falls within the area designated as
tropical region and it is characterized by high temperature and heavy rainfall,
throughout the year.
3 Main Environmental Factors Affecting Agricultural Production
Environmental factors that influence the extent of crop
agriculture are terrain,
climate, soil properties, and soil water. It is the combination of these four factors that
allow specific crops to be grown in certain areas.
Below listed are the environmental factors affecting agricultural
production:
1.
Environmental/Climatic factors
2.
Soil Factors (Edaphic)
3.
Biotic Factors
Let look on details
1. Environmental/Climatic
factors
The
environment factors affecting agricultural production in Nigeria can be grouped
into climatic, soil or edaphic factors and biotic factors.
Climate
is the average weather condition. Its factors are insulation, temperature,
pressure, wind and rainfall.
Each
of these factors has its own influence on agriculture.
i. Temperature:
This is about the most important factor influencing the physiological
functioning of plants. Variation in temperature influences agricultural practices
in different parts of Nigeria. The average monthly temperature varies between
210c and 350c. The range is increasing from the coast towards the interior, but
the northern part has hotter days and cooler nights giving rise to higher yield
of some crops like tomatoes in some areas of the north than in the south.
Tomato thrives more in a condition of hot days and cooler nights.
Also
with increase in altitude, temperature becomes cooler and this is the cause of
excellent performance of tea and Arabica coffee on the Mambila Plateau, in
Nigeria. As a result of high temperature, some temperate crops that thrive in
Nigeria cannot flower because they need a period of exposure to cold to induce
flowering.
The
low productivity of our livestock is mainly blamed on the effect of high
temperature; while poultry could still be comfortable at 350c, the cattle can
no longer cope at a temperature above 32.20c.
High
temperature may give rise to all or some of the following conditions in farm
animals:
a.
reduced feed intake or loss of appetite
b.
decrease in productive processes of growth, rate of egg laying, rate of milk
yield etc.
c.
reduced body weight d. embryonic death and dwarfing e. reduced fertility in
exotic male animals. Attempts have, however, been made to modify the
environment of crops and animals to the extent of the level of our technology.
For
instance, shade treatment is given to our crops from nursery through all the
juvenile stages of the cocoa plant. Grazing animals are also provided shade in
their paddocks and are also sheltered at night. Grazing pattern also designed
to ensure that the animals are under shelter in the afternoons.
ii. Relative humidity:
This is the amount of moisture in the atmosphere; low humidity can cause heat,
while high humidity reduces evapotranspiration. The effects on crops and
animals include change in rate of heat loss and decrease in water consumption,
in spite of increase in frequency of drinking.
The
effect of situation is increase in heat loss which can disorganize the
metabolic system of the animal. Changes in temperature aggravate the effect of
relative humidity.
In
low humidity areas of Nigeria, evaporation takes place rapidly such that
evapotranspiration balance is in jeopardy. Similarly, in hot humid areas of the
country, evaporation takes place slowly, hence, the rate of heat loss in both
plants and animals.
All
these have some serious effects on agricultural productivity in Nigeria.
a. Day Length:
Short-Day Plants There is almost a constant day length phenomena, throughout
the year, in Nigeria. However, the little difference that exists has more
remarkable effects on plants and animals. Plants are therefore classified into
(1) Short-day (2) Long-day and (3) Day neutral. Short-day plants are those that
starts flowering when the length of day is short e.g. okra (Hibiscus
esculentus). The short-day variety is the early maturing ones which complete
their life cycle within 60-72 days.
b. Long-day Plants:
These are plants that will start flowering when day length is long- e.g. a
variety of okra which stays in the field for about 270 days before flowering
(i.e. the late maturing variety).
c. Day Neutral Plants:
These are plants which start flowering at any period, irrespective of day
length- i.e. non-photosensitive plants e.g. tomatoes (Iycoperiscon esculentus).
Farmers
are advised to take advantage of the photoreaction of our different local crops
while planning for their farming activities.
iii. Rainfall:
Rainfall has the greatest control over agricultural production activities in
Nigeria. The types of crop grown in different ecological zones of the country
are direct response to the pattern of rainfall in these parts. As we move from
the southern part to the northern part of the country, the amount of annual
rainfall decreases, and becomes more unevenly distributed. Associated with this
change is the gradual transition from rainforest vegetation, through wood land
to savanna vegetation.
The wettest parts of the country have two rainfall peaks separated by a short period of insufficient rainfall (usually, August) for crop growth and this interval demarcates the early and late starting seasons. To the northern part, especially the far north, unevenly distributed rainfall per year lasts 3 months which (baring supplemental irrigation) allows only one planting season per year.
The crops with short life span, especially small grains are suited for this
zone. Cashew can, of course, grow well in many parts of the North; while other
trees crops which require a lot of water are better suited for the southern
zones.
The
effect of rainfall on land productivity is highly remarkable in all the
ecological zones of the country. In the rain forest zone of the south, the soil
tends to be infertile because of the impact of heavy rainfall which causes
leaching and erosion, thereby resulting in low yield. In the North,
insufficient and irregular pattern of rainfall also makes crop yield
unpredictable.
For
example, except sorghum and millet are planted with the first rains, the
resultant establishment problems may necessitate replanting or reduced plant
population; both of which may lead to reduction in yield or total crop failure
if rains cut off abruptly at the critical reproductive period of the crops. The
seasonal pattern of rainfall in Nigeria also affects livestock production
activities.
Rainfall
pattern affects ultimately the amount of feed that can be produced for
livestock, the length of time forage will maintain high quality, the grazing
pattern to adopt, and the requirement for stored and supplementary feed
supplies.
In
all, the southern part of the country experiences an average of 7 months of
rainfall and about 5 months of fairly dry season, while in the northern part
the opposite is the case.
To
reduce these adverse effects of environmental factors, Nigerian scientists have
continually reviewed the requirements of crops and animals in a bid to modify
the existing production systems, so as to attain self-sufficiency in crop and
livestock production.
iv. Air movement:
This is air in motion; and the rate affects evaporation of transpired water
droplets from plant leaves. At moderate temperature, the more rapid the
movement of air is, and the more effective it will be in reducing heat load of animals
when moisture is present on the skin. It also influences the amount of radiant
energy that plants and animals receive by altering the temperature of
surrounding objects. To ensure free flow of air movements through tree crop
plantations, cultural practices like weeding, pruning and spacing suitable for
each crops is adopted.
v. Solar radiation:
Solar Radiation is very important in agriculture; this is because it is the source
of energy used by plants during photosynthesis. The amount of this energy
received on the earth surface (isolation) tallies with the latitude of the area
and season of the year.
It
affects the rising and roosting of animals and also accounts for the opening
and closing of the petals of certain flowers- e.g. sunflower. It is, as well,
necessary for the maturity and germination of seed. Lack of solar radiation
leads to etiolating as plants will become yellow and thin.
In
Nigeria there is sufficient solar radiation throughout the year. However, the
amount of solar radiation received on the earth surface each day depends upon:
i.
The intensity of the radiation
ii.
The amount of the cloud cover
iii.
The length of day.
2. Soil Factors (Edaphic)
Soil
is the home of crops. Crops get their food from the soil in form of solution.
The nutrients in the soil are dissolved by water and thereafter picked up
through the roots of plants. Without the soil therefore, there cannot be
agriculture. The type of soil, its richness or otherwise and the type of
minerals available in it determine the crops that grow on it.
The
soil has different qualities. For example, there are differences in texture,
structure, nutrient content and even content of poisonous and harmful materials.
There are differences in soil-pH; crops will grow on soils that have qualities
that they can tolerate. In the same way, animals including man, feed on the
plants that they can tolerate, and survive more in places where those things
they want abound.
In
general, the soil may be acidic (pH less than 7), neutral (pH is 7) or alkaline
(pH higher than 7) poor crop growth obtained in acid soils may be due to
aluminum toxicity, calcium and magnesium deficiency or manganese toxicity.
Liming of such soils reduces the toxic effect.
3. Biotic Factors
The
biotic factors influencing agriculture include pests, diseases and soil micro-organisms
that exist in the neighborhood of plants and animals. We have micro-organism
that lives in the soil and the air. These are predators i.e. organism that
feeds on other organisms. There are parasites and saprophytes. Parasites are
living organisms that depend on other living organism for their food, while
saprophytes are living organism that lives on dead and decaying remains of other
living organisms.
There
is competition among living organisms for all the necessities of life. The
success or failure of any crop or animal in any particular place is affected by
its relationship with the other organisms that live in the same place and
interact with it.
Conclusion on Environmental Factors Affecting Agricultural Production
Climatic factors influence agricultural production in Nigeria, while rainfall distribution, more or less, determines the rate and distribution of agricultural products. Hence, adequate presence of these factors definitely leads to a bumper harvest.
You have been exposed to the environmental factors
influencing agricultural production in Nigeria. These factors determine
production and yield during the season, especially for both crop and animal
production.
0 Comments