Crop production
Most farmers in West Africa are engaged in the production of crops. Agricultural crops can be divided into two main categories:
(a) food crops, and
(b) cash crops.
Food crops are produced primarily to provide food for the entire population. Such
1.0. food crops include yam, cassava, millet, rice, corn, guinea corn, beans, cow peas, onions and tomatoes.
1.1. Cash crops, on the other hand, are produced primarily for export as raw materials for the industries. Examples of cash crops are cocoa, rubber, cotton, groundnut, palm oil, palm kernels. Until very recently most of these are for export.
Problems Associated with Crop Production
Important problems facing crop production include:
(1) Shifting Cultivation: Farmers continue to practise traditional method whereby a plot of land is used for about three years, then left fallow (i.e., unused) for another two or three years to regain its fertility before being cultivated again.
(2) Lack of Capital: There is generally poor supplyof capital both in terms of cach as well as in terms of modern agricultural machinery.
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