Observation

Question 1 was the most popular question and candidates’ performance was above average. However, some candidates only mentioned the reasons why agriculture is the bedrock of the economy of West Africa but did not explain; thus losing marks.

The expected answers include:

1. (a)        Reasons why agriculture is regarded as the bedrock of the economy of

West Africa

            (i)         Provision of food
Agriculture provides food e.g. meat, milk, cereals, fruits, vegetables for the populace of West Africa

(ii)        Provision of materials for shelter
Agriculture provides building materials like timber and other forest products

(iii)       Generation of foreign exchange/revenue
Agriculture generates foreign exchange for nations in West Africa through the export of raw agricultural products like cocoa, cotton, timber

(iv)       Provision of materials for clothing
Agriculture provides clothing materials like fibre, cotton, hides and skin, wool for West African countries

(v)        Provision of employment opportunities
Millions of people are employed directly and indirectly by agriculture and agro- based industries

(vi)       Provision of raw materials for industries
Agriculture supplies the raw materials needed by agro-based industries e.g. latex, hides and skin, fruits, cotton

(vii)      Income generation
Agriculture generates income from sale of agricultural products like fish, crops, animals for farmers in West Africa

(viii)     Provision of tourism and recreational facilities
Agriculture provides avenue for tourism and recreation through horse racing, polo, games reserve, zoological gardens

(ix)      Provision of market for industrial goods
Agriculture provides market for industrial goods such farm machinery, agro chemicals and equipment

(x)        Provision of medicinal products
Extract from various leaves, barks, roots, seeds and fruits of crops are used in pharmaceuticals. Most people rely on herbal/alternative medicine.

(b)       Farm operations that require the use of electrical power                                   
-   Candling                                        -   Dehorning                        -   Feed milling/mixing
-   Grating of cassava                         -   Packaging of produce      -   Pasteurization 
-   Defeathering/plucking of feathers  -   Shearing of animals        -   Debeaking
-   Milking                                         -   Threshing                         -   Pumping water
-   Parboiling                                      -   Shelling of grains             -   Incubation
-   Winnowing                                   -   Brooding                           -   Egg grading
-   Grinding of farm produce             -   Drying of farm produce 
-   Refrigeration/Freezing/Cold Storage

(c)        Disadvantages of using electrical power for farm operations
-   Supply is not always regular/erratic supply
-   Can be dangerous if carelessly handled
-   Must be strictly controlled or regulated
-   Maintenance cost may be high
-   Very expensive to install/use
-   Can cause fire hazards/damage equipment
-   Cannot be widely used in field operations
-   Required skilled manpower to operate and maintain