PROPOSE QUESTIONS

CONDUCT OF A PRODUCTION SYSTEM IN A PERSPECTIVE OF SUSTAINABILITY 1

1. What do you understand by Sustainable Agriculture (2mks)

2. Name and explain five measures you will put in place to ensure sustainability in your
production unit. (10mks)
3. Identify six physical properties of the soil. Briefly explain three of the identified
properties (8mks)

ANSWERS

1. Sustainable Agriculture refers to the use of biological products and ecological

services in a manner and in a rate that does not reduce or limit the system’s ability
to provide those products to future generations.

2. – Soil Conservation: Many soil conservation methods including contour cultivation,

contour bunding, strip cropping, cover cropping, reduced tillage, etc help prevent
lost of soil due to wind and water erosion.
1. Crop diversity: Growing a greater variety of crops on a farm can help reduce risks
from extremes in weather, market conditions or crop pest. Increase diversity of
crops and other plants such as trees and shrubs also can contribute to soil
conservation, wildlife habitat and increase populations of beneficial insects.
2. Integrated Pest Management (IPM): IPM is a sustainable approach to manage pest
i.e. combining biological, cultural, physical and chemical tools in a way that
minimizes health and environmental risks.
3. Rotational Grazing. New management intensive grazing systems take animals out of
barn in to the pastures in a rotational system to provide high quality forage.
4. Agro-forestry. Trees and other woody perennials are often incorporated in to our
farming systems for example alley cropping, silvo-pastoral etc help conserve soil and
water.
5. Cover crops. Growing plants such as Pillipesera in the off season after harvesting a
crop can provide several benefits including weed suppression, erosion control and
soil quality.
6. Water quality and water conservation. Mulching, micro irrigation techniques are
important ways to conserve and protect water in agriculture.
7. Marketing strategies. Improve marketing strategies can enhance profitability
through direct marketing of agricultural products from farmers to consumers.
8. Physical properties of the soil:
-soil texture
-soil structure
-soil density
-soil consistency
-soil colour
-soil thickness

1. Soil texture refers to how coarse or fine a soil is ie how much sand ,silt and clay it
contains
2. Soil structure refers to the way in which the soil particles are packed together I a soil
or form aggregates when a soil is broken up for tillage. It has to do with air water and
mineral contain of the soil.
3. Soil colour. The different horizons or levels of soil can generally be distinguished by
differences in colour. It can also depend on geographical locations, mineral
composition, organic matter etc.
 Conduct of a production system in a perspective of sustainability 2

1. Most farmers in Cameroon have increased the size of their farms over the last 20 years and
converted to the use of synthetic fertilizers. Describe:
1. The advantages of synthetic fertilizers in modern industrial agriculture (4mks)

2. The disadvantages of synthetic fertilizers in modern industrial agriculture (4mks)

2. Describe one sustainable fertilization method you know and explain in detail six ways why
it is more sustainable.(12mks)

Model Answers
1. a)
1. Works immediately
2. Contains all necessary nutrients that are ready to use
3. Affordable
4. Convenient to use
b)

1. Leaching happens
2. Some are not affordable
3. Accumulation of toxic wastes
4. Too much is not a good thing

5. -Organic manures including compost, fowl dropping, animal dung (pig, cow, goat, rabbit,etc),
farm yard manure, green manures
These forms of fertilization are sustainable because
1. –The improve soil structure and texture
2. –provides a favorable environment for micro bacterial action
3. – Adds minerals to the soil
4. –Enables the soil to hold water for a longer time
5. –Organic products cost expensive
6. –reduces the impact of falling rain drops that.
7. –Supply the nutrient need of plants
8. – Help buffer the soil by proving optimum PH
9. Provide a house for cation/ anion exchange capacity.

• Big savings, increase farmers self reliance.

• Increases yields.
• Improves soil tilt and structure.
• Increases water-holding capacity of the soil.
 • Improves aeration.
• Provides humus or organic matter, vitamins, hormones, and plant enzymes which
are not supplied by chemical fertilizers.
• Acts as buffer to changes in soil pH.
• Kills pathogenic organisms, weeds and other unwanted seeds when temperatures of
over 60oC is reached.
• Mature compost quickly comes into equilibrium with the soil.
• Different materials can be blended or mixed which can increase the nutrient content
of the compost fertilizer

Conduct of a production system in a perspective of sustainability 3

Question 1
Conservation agents often recommend that farmers implement a variety of control measures
to help reduce the effects of agro pastoral activities on the environment.
a. Explain 2 effects of agro pastoral activities on the environment (4pts)
b) Describe four erosion-control measures( 8pts)

Question 2

Define mechanization (2pts)

State and explain 4 factors to consider when choosing equipment for agro-pastoral production
(6pts)

Model Answers

Question 1

1. - destruction of biodiversity(habitat loss, over exploitation of natural resources,

pollution, introduction of non-native species………)
1. Erosion
2. Desertification
3. Loss of soil fertility
4. Climate change

b)
Increase vegetation
-Crop Rotation
 -Reforestation
-Strip cropping
-Resting soil fertility
Control of grazing
Terracing.
Wind breakers.
Contour plouhing
Providing ground cover
Application of mulch
Reduced tillage
1. Minimum till
2. Conserve till
3. No till
DAM BUILDING
FALLOWING
COVER CROPPING
Question 2

Mechanization is the provision of mechanical assistance of all forms, at any level of sophistication, to
agricultural production to reduce human drudgery, bring more land under cultivation, Improve
timeliness and on the quality of agricultural production

The cost of the machine

The availability of spare parts
Topography of the land
The capacity of the machine
Availability of operator