The incorporation of agriculture within the primary school curriculum brings learning to life.

Practical subjects like Agriculture are very vital in the education system of Zimbabwe
because they provide a hands-on experience to the learners. It is in light of this view that this
write up seeks to look at the significance of teaching Agriculture in primary schools. The two
words that will be defined are teaching and Agriculture. After defining the two key terms the
writer will then move on to the main discussion and a suitable conclusion will be given.

On the words of Dessus, Mandin and Zampa (2008) teaching is defined as “the imparting of
knowledge, developing of skills and attitudes and meeting of special needs in various ways
ranging from structured to individualised activities instructional support activities which aid
and enrich the teaching-learning process.” From this definition, teaching can be described as
the passing of knowledge or the sharing of knowledge between the facilitator and the learners
which includes the development of skills and attitudes.

As stated by Harris and Fuller (2014), “The term Agriculture is derived from two Latin words
ager or agri meaning soil and cultura meaning cultivation. Agriculture is an applied science
which encompasses all aspects of crop production including horticulture, livestock rearing,
fisheries, forestry, etc. It is an art, science and business of producing crops and livestock for
economic purposes”. On the other hand, Birishawa (2012) defines agriculture as “The science
and art of cultivating the soil, including the allied pursuits of gathering in the crops and
rearing live stock; tillage, husbandry, farming (in the widest sense).” This means that
agriculture can be viewed as the field of crop production, cultivating the soil, livestock
keeping, fisheries, forestry, apiculture as well as the allied pursuits of gathering in the crops
and rearing livestock, tillage, husbandry and farming.

The teaching and learning of agriculture in primary schools helps to instill in learners a spirit
of conservation of resources. Many of the available resources especially in Zimbabwe need to
be conserved so that the future generations may also use them to sustain themselves. For
example, the Agriculture syllabus is comprised of topics like water, soil, plants and animals.
Learners are firstly taught how to conserve all these resources before they can use them for
Agricultural purposes. This is stated in one of the aims of the Agriculture syllabus which
aims to help learners to “develop environmental awareness and actively participate in
conservation projects within the school and in their community (Ministry of Primary and
Secondary Education, 2015). This means that through learning Agriculture at school learners
also learn how to take care and conserve their environment. This is very important especially
in Matebeleland regions where there is little rainfall and the communities face water
challenges. For example, in the classroom, the learners are taught ways of saving water such
as using a watering can or bucket instead of using a hosepipe when watering plants or crops.
Also, learners are taught methods of saving water like dry planting whereby they plant their
seeds in well dug holes with enough Compound D fertilizer applied so that when it rains the
rain water will collect only where there are seedlings.

Agriculture teaching is very important in primary schools because it helps learners to

appreciate the value of Agriculture in the country. Agriculture has always played a vital role
in the socio-economic development of most countries. In most rural areas it is a major source
of livelihood (Juma, 2007). The agricultural sector is important in all African economies
because it provides food, employment and raw materials for industry. The recognition of the
centrality of agriculture to development has led to national and international interests to
engage young people more in agricultural activities among other sectors. This means that
when learners see the importance of Agriculture in sustaining the country’s economy, they
will appreciate and value Agriculture in their lives. For example, in the classroom the learners
learn about cash crops such as tobacco, cotton and wheat which can be sold or exported
outside the country to earn foreign currency for the country of Zimbabwe. This way the learn
get to know and understand the real power of doing Agriculture as some may have attitudes
that it is a hard and dirty field. The syllabus of Agriculture also aims to help learners to
“develop a positive attitude towards Agriculture and its study as a science (Ministry of
Primary and Secondary Education, 2015)”. Therefore, the inclusion of Agriculture into the
primary school curriculum is important because it helps learners to appreciate the value of
Agriculture.

Consequently, teaching agriculture in primary schools helps to breed learners who are
entrepreneurs. Many learners especially in rural communities come from poor families who
cannot afford to buy them school resources such as exercise books and pens. Agriculture is a
perfect tool to overcome such challenges because it empowers learners with innovative
farming and livestock keeping skills that produce results. For example, learners can grow
their own crops at home or at school using the knowledge that they learn at school, after
which they can sell the produce to earn money to buy their school resources such as
stationery. If the projects they do are big enough like keeping chickens for eggs and meat,
they can earn money that can cover all their education costs such as levies and school fees.
The focus of school agriculture is to provide a hands-on learning experience for primary
school children through an outdoor learning laboratory, and also a source of income through
engaging in agricultural based projects at school as well as nutritional improvement for the
primary school learners (FAO, 2005). This entails learners get to learn how to sustain
themselves at a very young age which is as early as Grade three through engaging in
Agricultural activities and selling the produce for profit. Another added advantage is that
learners acquire business skills in doing agriculture as well as enterprise skills.

More so, the inclusion of Agriculture into the primary school curriculum can help learners to
develop positive attitudes towards manual labour. Learners need to understand that there is so
much money to be made through the Agricultural sector as evidenced by how it sustains the
economy of the whole nation of Zimbabwe. The learners get to develop the spirit of
Ubuntu/Unhu/Vumunhu in them which means will not judge people according to their
occupations in life. For example, at school during the Agriculture lessons, the learners are
required to do the work themselves which means if there is need to get their hands dirty they
will do it either way. Learners can be going to the agricultural sites almost each and every
day at school and this will make them to get used to the manual labour they do at school such
as weeding, watering the crops, cleaning the livestock premises and feeding them. Also, the
farm book keeping will also be done by the learners which means they will be the one
calculating the profits and once they see how much profit is made from agricultural activities
they will have a different perspective on manual labour. The Ministry of Primary and
Secondary Education (2015) asserts that Agriculture can enable learners to “value the dignity
of labour and harness available opportunities for enterprise”. This means that when learners
are involved in agricultural activities they get to appreciate the need and importance of
manual labour.

Moreover, the inclusion of Agriculture in the primary school curriculum helps with the
provision of food for the feeding schemes at schools so that the learners stay healthy and fit
during their learning. The government of Zimbabwe introduced the feeding schemes in
schools since the year 2017 when the new curriculum was introduced and some schools have
been facing challenges with what to feed the learners. This is mostly evidenced in rural
schools where the learners will be coming from poor communities that cannot afford to buy
food for the school to feed their children. As the government provides the maize, there is
need for the schools to meet the government halfway and raise funds for food stuffs like
sugar and relish. This means the teaching of Agriculture in primary schools can help teachers
and learners to grow their own crops and keep livestock such as goats, pigs, chickens and
cattle so that they can produce their own relish and food for the feeding scheme. This way
both the school and the learners can save money by cutting cost for buying food for the
feeding scheme because if the school does not have its own ways of producing its own food it
will have to seek assistance from the parents and guardians of the learners. Fox and Sekkel
(2006) reveal that another line of economic reasoning which leads to the inclusion of food
crop farming in the curriculum is that many of the rural schools and boarding schools can
keep their costs relatively low only if part of the food at least is produced by the school itself.
This means that the teaching of Agriculture in primary schools helps to minimise school
expenditure on purchasing food stuffs for the feeding scheme especially when schools start to
grow their own food.

Adding on, when learners do agriculture at primary school level they acquire problem solving
skills. When learners acquire problem solving skills it means that their cognitive abilities are
also improving. There are many problems and challenges that the learners can face while
doing agricultural activities. For example, problems such as water shortages, soil erosion,
infertile soils and unavailability of food will require the learners to apply their agricultural
knowledge to solve them. For instance, in the issue of water shortages, the learners can opt
for the drip irrigation system which saves water when watering the plants. Also, on the issue
of infertile soils, the learners have been taught how to make their own manure through
compost making. Which means they can make the soil fertile by applying their own manure
which they made from locally available resources such as newspapers, grass and dead plant
and animal matter. The Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education (2015) entails that
“this five year learning phase (Grade 3-7) will provide learners with opportunities to identify,
investigate, solve problems, carry out agricultural activities and assess their viability in a
sustainable manner”. This means that through doing agriculture at school helps learners to
develop problem solving skills.

In summation, the inclusion of Agriculture in the primary school curriculum is very essential
due to aforementioned advantages in the essay. The writer has revealed that including
agriculture in the primary school curriculum helps to equip learners with entrepreneurship
and enterprise skills. Learners also get to appreciates the value of agriculture in sustaining the
country’s economy as well as respecting the value of manual labour. Also, the essay has
found out that the teaching of Agriculture in primary schools helps to provide food for the
feeding schemes that have been introduced since the year 2017. More so, the writer revealed
that when learners do agriculture at primary school level they acquire problem solving skills
References

Biriwasha, L. (2012). Agriculture in the School Curriculum in Zimbabwe. FAC Early Careel
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Dessus, p., Mandin, S. and Zampa, V. (2008). What is teaching: Cognitive-based tutoring
principles for design of learning environment. Pierrie: University press.

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). (2005). Setting up and
running a school garden: A manual for teachers, parents and communities. Rome: FAO.

Fox, L. and Sekkel, M. (2006). Work in Progress: Job Creation and the Quality of Growth in
Africa - Poverty Reduction and Economic Management Department. Africa Region. The
World Bank.

Harris, David R. and D. Q. Fuller (2014) Agriculture: Definition and Overview. In

Encyclopedia of Global Archaeology (Claire Smith, Ed.). Springer, New York.

Juma, A. (2007). Promoting Livelihood Opportunities for Rural Youth: Some Lessons from
Tanzania. Paper for IFAD Governing Council Roundtable: Generating Remunerative
Livelihood Opportunity for Rural Youth.

Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education (2015). Agriculture Junior (Grade 3-7)
Syllabus (2015 - 2022). Harare: Curriculum Development and Technical Services.