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Available courses
RURAL SOCIOLOGY
TEACHING OBJECTIVES
At the end of the course; students will be able to:
i. Appreciate agriculture in the rural setting
ii. Be aware of the different social networks in rural Ghana and how they promote agricultural performance
iii. Understand rural conflicts, their sources and how to resolve/ manage them
iv. Understand rural-urban migration and its effect on agricultural development
v. Have a grasp of the basic concepts of gender, gender mainstreaming and the tools for gender analysis
COURSE LEARNING OUTCOMES
i. capacity built in rural sociology and gender responsiveness
ii. Knowledge base of students broadened with practical exposure in rural conflicts and management and gender analysis.
iii. Students' skills developed on the application of gender tools in their day-to-day activities
iv. Students adequately prepared to fit the job market and could occupy gender positions in local and international organizations and be gender advocates
v. Identify gender roles in agriculture that are traditionally played by males, females and both sexes
vi. Identify positive and negative implications of women and men changing roles in production and value-chain Agriculture
vii. Apply challenging gender stereotyping in their society
viii. Conduct gender analysis in farm families
ix. Plan and implement gender-sensitive and social inclusion programmes in Agriculture
Cattle, Sheep and Goat Production
Ruminant Animal Production is a second-year two-unit course for the degree programme in Animal Science, Animal Production or AnimalProduction and Health. The course can also be offered by any other student of agriculture interested in ruminant animal production. Animals are categorised into two main types; RUMINANTS and NON-RUMINANTS. This division is based on some features exhibited in the anatomy and physiology of these animals. This course is concerned with the farming and management of ruminant animals. This entails knowing the different local and some of the exotic breeds of cattle, sheep and goats in the tropics and their management principles
SOIL SCIENCE
Soil Science is the study of soil as a natural resource on the surface of the earth including soil formation, classification and mapping; physical, chemical, biological and fertility properties of soils. It has traditionally been an umbrella for soil physics, soil chemistry, soil microbiology, soil fertility, soil morphology and soil technology. There are several disciplines involved in studying soil science.
VEGETABLE PRODUCTION
Vegetables are complex groups of a wide variety of different types of plants. Some species grow from
year to year; others grow and die within one or two years. They have diverse forms of propagation: by
seeds or vegetative parts. They may be herbaceous, viny, shrubby, or tree in growth habit.
They differ in growth requirements. Many vegetables can be grown under a wide range of conditions;
while others have more exact requirements for water, temperature and light. Thus, in one place several
species can be grown throughout the year, but there are others that can be grown only during certain
times of the year. Irrigation is an absolute necessity for many species, but a few can be grown under
rain-fed conditions.
Vegetables can grow in the wild or have to be cultivated. The distribution of species that are used as
vegetables may be worldwide or limited to specific areas of certain regions. They can be produced in
fields of specialized production areas, outskirts of urban areas, villages, or gardens around the home.
Different parts of a plant may be used as a vegetable, depending on localities and culture. In general,
developing countries utilize more parts of a particular plant as a vegetable than developed countries.
Most vegetables are high in water which makes them bulky and highly perishable, particularly the
leafy ones.
LAND SURVEY AND AGRO-CLIMATOLOGY
Farmers need to be able to properly describe the nature of their lands in terms of size and slope. This knowledge plays a huge role in determining what resources, and in what amounts, would be needed for effective agricultural production. It will even provide more direction as to where to place certain structures on the farm to ensure sustainability. Knowledge of the weather conditions in which they also find themselves will direct the farmers to provide certain interventions, if necessary, to basically maximize environmental conditions for animal and crop growth.
This course introduces students who are to become a fine breed of technological farmers, to the importance of surveying for agriculture, instruments and principles of land surveying. There is a strong focus on mapping and the use of basic ICT tools for mapping and surveying.
The agro-climatology aspect is designed to give students in-depth knowledge of agro-climatology concepts and applications in agriculture. It also exposes students to instrumentation and basic data collection on agro-climatic parameters. Students would acquire knowledge to be able to manage climate-associated risks in agricultural production through climate-smart agriculture interventions.
This training manual makes sure that students have all the information they need to excel in land surveys and agro-climatology-related activities. They can in turn support already existing farmers who may not even know of existing technologies, and eventually improve agricultural productivity in the Ghanaian setting.
Information Communication and Technology
Information and communication technologies (ICTs) in agriculture technology comprise those networks, mobiles, devices, services, and applications that aid the processing, management, and exchange of data, information, or knowledge with a target audience. They include a broad range of converging technologies, including traditional telecommunications, television and video, radio, CD-ROMs, cell phones and smart devices, and several modern technologies such as computers and the internet, sensors, Geographic Information Systems, satellites, and the like. Essentially, the purpose of ICT is to transfer information from one point to another.
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INTRODUCTION TO ECONS AND BUSINESS STATITICS
Economics has not been easy to define. This has resulted in many economists defining the
subject to suit their interests. Economics can be defined as the social science concerned with the
efficient use of limited or scarce resources to achieve maximum satisfaction of human material
wants. However, the economics definition by Prof. Lionel Robbins has generally been accepted.
He defines economics as a “Science which studies human behaviour as a relationship between
ends and scarce means which have alternative uses”
Economic forces, the forces of scarcity, is always working. Market forces, which are rationed
by changing prices, are not always allowed to work. Economic reality is controlled and directed
by three types of forces: economic forces, political forces, and social forces. Under certain
conditions, the market through its price mechanism will allocate scarce resources efficiently.
Economics can be divided into microeconomics and macroeconomics. Macroeconomics
examines the economy as a whole which includes inflation, unemployment, business cycles and
growth whiles microeconomics focuses on specific units of the economy.
Economics can be subdivided into positive economics, normative economics, and the art of
economics. Positive economics is the study of what is, normative economics is the study of what
should be, and the art of economics relates positively to normative economics.
Examples: positive statement: “The unemployment rate in several European nations is higher than
that of the United States”
FAMILY NUTRITION
Definition
a. Food is anything solid or liquid that contains one or more nutrients that when taken into the body nourishes it.
b. Food is any substance that after consumption, digestion and absorption by the body promotes growth, and repairs worn-out tissues and all the body processes.
Definition of nutrition
a. Nutrition is the science that deals with the study of foods in relation to nutrients which are substances in foodstuffs which provide the body with growth, energy and protection or maintenance.
b. It is the study of nutrients in relation to the functions of the body
c. Nutrition is the science of nourishing the body. It deals with the value of food, functions, sources of nutrients and deficiencies.
