SUBJECT: AGRICULTURAL SCIENCE
Curriculum
TOPIC
1. Animal Nutrition (malnutrition)
2. Agricultural Extension
3-4. Fish Farming
5-6. Animal improvement
7. Artificial insemination
8-9. Agricultural financing
10. Agricultural insurance
WEEK ONE
ANIMAL NUTRITION (MALNUTRITION)
MALNUTRITION IN FARM ANIMALS
Malnutrition is said to occur when a ration (amount of feed provided to an animal per day)
does not provide all the food nutrients(carbohydrate, protein,fats and oils, vitamins,
minerals, water and other feed additives) in adequate quantities. Those nutrients wanting
are said to be deficient which eventually results in nutritional disease.
Nutritional deficiency is therefore defined as a disease condition which emanates from
inadequate nutrition. It is indicated by specific symptoms when particular nutrients are
absent or unavailable in the diet.
The table below shows some nutritional disease, their causes, symptoms and how they can
be corrected.
MALNUTRITION DISEASES OF ANIMALS
MALNUTRITION CAUSES SYMPTOMS CORRECTION
DISEASE
Ricket(Osteomalaci Lack of Ca,Pand Flexible and curve Add fish meal,bone
a) VitaminD bones,soft egg meal or Oyster
shell shell
Perosis or Slipped Lack of Chicken lie down Add Vitamin B Co
tendon. choline,folicacid,Ca on their Kneel. and bone meal.
,P in diet.
Ketosis Lack of sufficient Loss of appetite Feed CHO to
energy intake by animals.
farm animals
Milk Fever Low blood sugar. Loss of appetite, Feed Oyster Shell,
constipation and bone meal and
nervousness. Carbohydrate.
Baby pig Anaemia Low iron in blood. Loss of appetite Inject iron dextrin
and nervousness. into the body.
Night Blindness Lack of Vitamin A Inability to see Feed yellow maize.
clearly in dim light.
Scurvy Lack of vitamin C Lesions around the Feed vegetable and
connective tissue. fruits to animals.
Beriberi Lack of VitaminB1 Lack of appetite, Feed yeast,cereals
fatigue and loss of and vegetables.
weight.
Ricket (osteomalacia):A disease caused by lack of Vitamin D and disappearance of calcium
saltswhich prevent the body from using Calcium.Ricket causes softing and sometimes
bending of the bones.
Tendon:A tough, strong band or cord of tissue that joins a muscle to a bone or some part and
,transmits the force of the muscle to the part.
Scurvy: A disease caused by lack of Vitamin C in diet. It’s characterized by swollen and
bleeding gums, extreme weakness and livid spots on the skin.
Tetany: A disease characterized by sudden abnormal involuntary contraction of the muscle.
Beriberi: Disease affecting the nervous system accompanied by muscular
paralysis,weakness, extreme loss of weight, pain andswelling.It is caused by lack of vitamin
B in diet.
(a) Ricket in sheep (b) slipped tendon (perosis) in poultry
RATION/DIET
A ration is defined as the feed that is regularly offered to or consumed by the animal. Diets
are formulated to meet specific metabolic or physiological functions which include growth,
lactation, reproduction, maintenance of pregnancy, egg laying, weaning, fattening etc
BALANCED RATION
A balanced ration is the feed containing all essential nutrients in the right or correct and
adequate proportion for feeding animals.Components or compositions of a balanced ration
include carbohydrate,protein,fats and oil, minerals, vitamins and water.In balancing ration,
the nutrients values of the feeding stuffs are known. The nutrient requirement or the
standards are also known.
IMBALANCED RATION
An imbalanced ration is the feed that does not contain all essential nutrients in the correct
and adequate proportion for feeding livestock.
There are two categories of balanced ration.
1. Maintenance ration: This is the type of ration that supplies the animal with just the
quantity of nutrients that are enough to enable the animal carry on with vital body
activities without losing or gaining another substance. In other word, a maintenance
ration is the amount of feed needed to prevent an increase or decrease in the weight
of the animal. The ration will just be enough to maintain the supplies of energy and
protein for all metabolic activities such as respiration, blood circulation, digestion,
locomotion, maintenance of body temperature.
2. Production ration: is the quantity of ration that can supply the requirement
nutrients above the maintenance to enable the animal produce the form of animal
product for which the livestock is kept. The production ration can be for meat,
growth,milk wool and egg production. The food is supplied in excess of maintenance
requirements.
Categories of farm animals that requires production ratio include:
1. Lactating animals for milk production.
, 2. Weaning animals for increase growth.
3. Pregnant animals for maintenance of the foetus.
4. Fattening or finishing animals for extra meat or flesh.
5. Broilers for rapid growth.
6. Layers for egg production.
7. Steaming up or flushing for animal before making to produce more ova.
Factors to consider when deciding type of ration to feed an animal incudes:
1. age of the animal
2. palatability of feed stuff
3. familiarity of feed to animal
4. cost of feed
5. physiological status of the animal
6. availability of feed stuff
7. composition of feed nutrient
WEEK TWO
AGRICULTURAL EXTENSION
Agricultural extension is the process, system or service which assists farmers or farm people
through educational procedures in improving farming methods and techniques. In other
words, Agricultural extension is the process whereby the beneficial products of research are
taken to the farmers and the problems of farmers taken to research institutions for solution.
Agricultural extension is an informal out-of-school voluntary agricultural educational
program that involves the spread out dissemination of information on improvement in
agriculture from researchers to farmers
OBJECTIVES OF AGRICULTURAL EXTENSION
1. To educate farmers and enable them abandon less productive traditional ways of
farming for improved and scientific farming techniques
2. To help improve the standard of living of the rural dwellers
3. To help identify proper marketing channel
4. To help farmers access and supervise agricultural loans
5. To link farmers with research institutes
6. To help accelerate the development of rural area
PRINCIPLES OF AGRICULTURAL EXTENSION
1. Extension education should start where the people are
2. Gain confidence of your audience
3. Work together with or involve the farmers in creating a programme
4. Extension programmes should meet the need of the participant
5. Programmes must undergo continuous evaluation
6. Programmes should be flexible
Target groups of extension agents incudes and is not restricted to:Commercial farmers,
Community development associations, Farmers’ cooperative societies, Fisher men, Bee
keepers etc.
EVALUATION
1. State seven objectives of agricultural extension.(WASSCE: 2009 question 9b, 2005
question 10a).
2. List five principles of agricultural extension.
ROLES OR FUNCTIONS OF AGRICULTURAL EXTENSION
1. It encourages farmers to increase their production of food crops, cash crops and
livestock.
Curriculum
TOPIC
1. Animal Nutrition (malnutrition)
2. Agricultural Extension
3-4. Fish Farming
5-6. Animal improvement
7. Artificial insemination
8-9. Agricultural financing
10. Agricultural insurance
WEEK ONE
ANIMAL NUTRITION (MALNUTRITION)
MALNUTRITION IN FARM ANIMALS
Malnutrition is said to occur when a ration (amount of feed provided to an animal per day)
does not provide all the food nutrients(carbohydrate, protein,fats and oils, vitamins,
minerals, water and other feed additives) in adequate quantities. Those nutrients wanting
are said to be deficient which eventually results in nutritional disease.
Nutritional deficiency is therefore defined as a disease condition which emanates from
inadequate nutrition. It is indicated by specific symptoms when particular nutrients are
absent or unavailable in the diet.
The table below shows some nutritional disease, their causes, symptoms and how they can
be corrected.
MALNUTRITION DISEASES OF ANIMALS
MALNUTRITION CAUSES SYMPTOMS CORRECTION
DISEASE
Ricket(Osteomalaci Lack of Ca,Pand Flexible and curve Add fish meal,bone
a) VitaminD bones,soft egg meal or Oyster
shell shell
Perosis or Slipped Lack of Chicken lie down Add Vitamin B Co
tendon. choline,folicacid,Ca on their Kneel. and bone meal.
,P in diet.
Ketosis Lack of sufficient Loss of appetite Feed CHO to
energy intake by animals.
farm animals
Milk Fever Low blood sugar. Loss of appetite, Feed Oyster Shell,
constipation and bone meal and
nervousness. Carbohydrate.
Baby pig Anaemia Low iron in blood. Loss of appetite Inject iron dextrin
and nervousness. into the body.
Night Blindness Lack of Vitamin A Inability to see Feed yellow maize.
clearly in dim light.
Scurvy Lack of vitamin C Lesions around the Feed vegetable and
connective tissue. fruits to animals.
Beriberi Lack of VitaminB1 Lack of appetite, Feed yeast,cereals
fatigue and loss of and vegetables.
weight.
Ricket (osteomalacia):A disease caused by lack of Vitamin D and disappearance of calcium
saltswhich prevent the body from using Calcium.Ricket causes softing and sometimes
bending of the bones.
Tendon:A tough, strong band or cord of tissue that joins a muscle to a bone or some part and
,transmits the force of the muscle to the part.
Scurvy: A disease caused by lack of Vitamin C in diet. It’s characterized by swollen and
bleeding gums, extreme weakness and livid spots on the skin.
Tetany: A disease characterized by sudden abnormal involuntary contraction of the muscle.
Beriberi: Disease affecting the nervous system accompanied by muscular
paralysis,weakness, extreme loss of weight, pain andswelling.It is caused by lack of vitamin
B in diet.
(a) Ricket in sheep (b) slipped tendon (perosis) in poultry
RATION/DIET
A ration is defined as the feed that is regularly offered to or consumed by the animal. Diets
are formulated to meet specific metabolic or physiological functions which include growth,
lactation, reproduction, maintenance of pregnancy, egg laying, weaning, fattening etc
BALANCED RATION
A balanced ration is the feed containing all essential nutrients in the right or correct and
adequate proportion for feeding animals.Components or compositions of a balanced ration
include carbohydrate,protein,fats and oil, minerals, vitamins and water.In balancing ration,
the nutrients values of the feeding stuffs are known. The nutrient requirement or the
standards are also known.
IMBALANCED RATION
An imbalanced ration is the feed that does not contain all essential nutrients in the correct
and adequate proportion for feeding livestock.
There are two categories of balanced ration.
1. Maintenance ration: This is the type of ration that supplies the animal with just the
quantity of nutrients that are enough to enable the animal carry on with vital body
activities without losing or gaining another substance. In other word, a maintenance
ration is the amount of feed needed to prevent an increase or decrease in the weight
of the animal. The ration will just be enough to maintain the supplies of energy and
protein for all metabolic activities such as respiration, blood circulation, digestion,
locomotion, maintenance of body temperature.
2. Production ration: is the quantity of ration that can supply the requirement
nutrients above the maintenance to enable the animal produce the form of animal
product for which the livestock is kept. The production ration can be for meat,
growth,milk wool and egg production. The food is supplied in excess of maintenance
requirements.
Categories of farm animals that requires production ratio include:
1. Lactating animals for milk production.
, 2. Weaning animals for increase growth.
3. Pregnant animals for maintenance of the foetus.
4. Fattening or finishing animals for extra meat or flesh.
5. Broilers for rapid growth.
6. Layers for egg production.
7. Steaming up or flushing for animal before making to produce more ova.
Factors to consider when deciding type of ration to feed an animal incudes:
1. age of the animal
2. palatability of feed stuff
3. familiarity of feed to animal
4. cost of feed
5. physiological status of the animal
6. availability of feed stuff
7. composition of feed nutrient
WEEK TWO
AGRICULTURAL EXTENSION
Agricultural extension is the process, system or service which assists farmers or farm people
through educational procedures in improving farming methods and techniques. In other
words, Agricultural extension is the process whereby the beneficial products of research are
taken to the farmers and the problems of farmers taken to research institutions for solution.
Agricultural extension is an informal out-of-school voluntary agricultural educational
program that involves the spread out dissemination of information on improvement in
agriculture from researchers to farmers
OBJECTIVES OF AGRICULTURAL EXTENSION
1. To educate farmers and enable them abandon less productive traditional ways of
farming for improved and scientific farming techniques
2. To help improve the standard of living of the rural dwellers
3. To help identify proper marketing channel
4. To help farmers access and supervise agricultural loans
5. To link farmers with research institutes
6. To help accelerate the development of rural area
PRINCIPLES OF AGRICULTURAL EXTENSION
1. Extension education should start where the people are
2. Gain confidence of your audience
3. Work together with or involve the farmers in creating a programme
4. Extension programmes should meet the need of the participant
5. Programmes must undergo continuous evaluation
6. Programmes should be flexible
Target groups of extension agents incudes and is not restricted to:Commercial farmers,
Community development associations, Farmers’ cooperative societies, Fisher men, Bee
keepers etc.
EVALUATION
1. State seven objectives of agricultural extension.(WASSCE: 2009 question 9b, 2005
question 10a).
2. List five principles of agricultural extension.
ROLES OR FUNCTIONS OF AGRICULTURAL EXTENSION
1. It encourages farmers to increase their production of food crops, cash crops and
livestock.
