(a) Name six Government and four Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) that are involved in the improvement of agricultural production in West Africa.
(b) Mention five ways in which Non-Governmental Organisations contribute to agricultural productivity in West Africa.
(c) Explain briefly six ways by which the application of science and technology last helped to boost crop production in your country.
Explanation
(a) Governmental Organisations involved in improving agricultural production in West Africa include: (i) Agricultural Development Projects (ADPs) (ii) River Basin Development Authorities (iii) National Agricultural Land Development Authority (NALDA) (iv) Agricultural Development Bank (ADB) or Any Agricultural Bank e.g N.A.C.B (v) Nation Agricultural Insurance Company (NAIC) (vi) Any of the National Agricultural Research Institutes. e.g. National Cereal Research Institutes (NCRI) Badegi, Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria (CRIN) Ibadan,etc. Non-Government Organisations involved in improving agricultural production are: (i) International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) (ii) West African Rice Development Agency (WARDA) (iii) International Livestock Research Institute (I.L.R.1) (iv) International Crop Research Institute for SemiArid Tropics (ICRISAT) (v) Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) (vi) Farmers Cooperatives (vii) World Vision International (in Ghana) (viii) Hunger Project (in Ghana) (ix) Adventist Relief Agent (both in Ghana and Gambia) (x) Catholic Relief Services (Gambia)
(b) Ways in which NGOs contribute to agricultural productivity in West Africa are: (i) Assist in rural development by providing social ammenities, e.g. road, water supply health centres, etc. (ii) Research to improve or develop new crop varieties. (iii) Research to improve or develop breeds of animals. (iv) Control of weeds, pests and disease organisms. (v) Provision of support/funding for agricultural extension projects (i.e provision of any financial assistance). (vi) Improvement of farmers' awareness and agricultural knowledge. (vii) Socio-economic research to understand the peasant farmer with a view to assisting him. (viii) Funding research for better farming methods/ implements.
(c) Ways by which the application of science and technology has helped to boost crop production in Nigeria are: (i) Man's understanding of the weather conditions enables him to determine what and when to plant. (ii) Inventions of machines help to make farming easier and faster. (iii) Development of better roads to facilitate movement of agricultural products from farms to markets. (iv) Construction and use of farm buildings to facililtate crop processing. (v) Provision of storage facilities e.g. silos. (vi) Development and application fertilizers which have increased yields. (vii) Disease control, using various types of chemicals. (viii) Weed control. (ix) Application of genetics and breeding to produce better crop varieties . (x) Improved processing technology. (xi) Irrigation practices. (xii) Improved farm management system, e.g crop rotation, mixed farming, etc