Page 24 - Agriculture_Form_3

Agriculture for Secondary Schools

Principles and practices of maize production
Successful maize cultivation requires proper management at every stage to ensure
high yields and good-quality grain. Proper management is guided by related
principles and practices. The main principles in maize farming involves timely
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and proper land preparation, timely and proper sowing, use of high-quality and
improved seeds, effective pest management, good soil and water management,
proper use of farm machines and inputs, environmental concerns and protections,
as well as adhering to farm production economics. The management practices
for growing maize include site selection and land preparation, sowing, soil water
and nutrient management. Other practices are pest and disease management,
harvesting and postharvest handling and marketing.

Planning for maize production
Planning for production is an important step in maize crop farming. In planning,
one needs to consider the following: the purpose of production (domestic use or
source of income), target market (internal and or external markets), availability
of high-yielding and suitable seed varieties and suitable time for land preparation
and timely planting and soil fertility, climatic factors. If there are possibilities of
applying irrigation, the type of irrigation to adopt should consider the edaphic
and climate characteristics of an area and the associated costs. Also, plan for the
type of farm power, tools, machinery for farm operations and transportation of
produce. Plan for operational capital and how the enterprise will be financed,
whether own sources or borrowing from financial institutions.

Activity 2.2
1. Based on the agroecological zone of your area, design a maize production
calendar that will guide you on maize production at your School.

2. Identify tools, implements, materials and supplies that will be needed when
implementing the plan.

3. Identify the right time for implementing your calendar on the school farm up
to the land preparation stage.

Site selection and land preparation for maize production

Maize is a tropical crop that grows best at temperatures around 24 °C, in areas
between 0 and 2400 metres above sea level, with annual rainfall between 480 and
880 mm. For dryland maize cultivation, an annual rainfall of at least 500 to 750

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