As an art:

Involves use of learned skills and performing them manually (by hand). E.g.

• Tilling of land.
• Construction of farm structures.
• Measuring distances.
• Machine operations.
• Harvesting of crops.
• Feeding and handling animals.
• Marketing of Agricultural produce.

As a science:

It involves experimentation and application of scientific knowledge e.g. in areas such as:
1. Soil science (pedology) - study of soil.
2. Crop pathology - Study of crop diseases.
3. Entomology - Study of insects and their control.
4. Agricultural Engineering - soil and water conservation and farm power.
5. Genetics - Plant and animal breeding.

Production

- These are activities that increase the quality and quantity of something.
Crop production activities include: land preparation, planting, fertilizer and manure application, weeding, pest control, disease control and harvesting.
Livestock production activities include:
a) Selection and breeding
b) Feeding
c) Rearing the young stock
d) Parasite and disease control
e) Housing
f) Obtaining products from animals

Branches of Agriculture

1. Crop production: e.g. Field crop farming, pomology, Floriculture, olericulture.etc.
2. Livestock production: e.g. Apiculture, Poultry keeping, aquaculture.etc.
3. Soil science
4. Agricultural Economics
5. Agricultural Engineering

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a) Crop farming or Arable farming is the cultivation of crops on cultivated land. E.g. In pure stands (monocropping) or mixed stands (intercropping).
It Includes:
i) Field crops: Are crops grown on large areas of land. Are either Annual crops like cereals and pulses or perennial crops e.g. coffee, tea, sisal, cane etc.
ii) Horticultural crops: Are perishable crops and are exported to earn foreign exchange. Include:
a) Floriculture: Growing of flowers e.g. tuber rose, roses, and carnations.
b) Olericulture: Growing of vegetables e.g. French beans, cabbages, tomatoes.etc.
c) Pomology: Growing of fruits e.g. avocado, mangoes and citrus.

b) Livestock farming include:
i) Pastoralism (mammalian livestock farming) - Is the rearing of farm animals on pastures. E.g. cattle, goats, pigs, sheep, camels and rabbits.
ii) Fish farming (Aquaculture) - Is the rearing of fish in fish ponds. Fish is a cheap source of proteins.
iii) Bee keeping: ( Apiculture) - Is the rearing of bees in bee hives. Bees provide ; Honey and Wax, income, Medicine, pollination of flowers.etc.
iv) Poultry keeping - Is the rearing of birds for meat and eggs, manure, income. Etc. Include classes of birds such as chicken ( most common), Ducks, geese, Ostrich, pigeon and Turkeys etc.

c) Agricultural Economics: Deals with utilization of scarce resources i.e. of land, labour, capital and management. It aims at maximizing output while minimizing costs.

d) Agricultural Engineering: Deals with use and maintenance of farm tools and equipment, farm machinery and farm structures.

- A farming system is an organization of the farm and all the enterprises in relation to each other.
- It can be extensive or intensive.

Extensive system

Characteristics
1. Large tracts of land.
2. Low capital investment per unit area.
3. Low labour per unit area.
4. Low yields per unit area.

Intensive system

Characteristics
1. Small tracts of land.
2. High capital per unit area.
3. High labour investment per unit area.
4. High yields per unit area.
Extensive or intensive farming can be carried out on small or large scale of land.
The scale of production depends on:
- Level of technology.
- Land availability.
- Capital availability.
- Skilled labour available.

i) Large Scale

Farming Characteristics - Large tracts of land.
- Heavy capital investment.
- Skilled labour and qualified man power.
- High level of management.
- It's for commercial purpose.
- Low operation costs per unit of production since it makes use of economies of scale.
- Depends on efficient transport.
- Requires good market system.
- Most of the work is mechanized.
- Provides more employment.
It includes plantation farming and Ranching.

a) Plantation farming

Characteristics
- Large tracts of land.
- Production of only one crop.e.g. Tea plantations in Kiambu and Kericho, Coffee in Kiambu, Sugarcane in Muhoroni, Sisal in Mombasa, Pineapple in Thika.

b) Ranching

- It is the keeping of livestock ( beef animals) in marginal range areas.
- It is an improved pastoral-nomadism because:

• Animals are enclosed in an area.
• Diseases are controlled.
• Pastures are improved.
• Supplementary feeds and water are provided.
• Pests and parasites are controlled.
• There is provision of extension staff.

N.B The livestock carrying capacity is low because of limited pasture. Ranching is becoming more and more common in Kenya because of:
- High meat demand.
- High population pressure on high potential areas.
- Arable farming is becoming smaller.

ii) Small Scale

Farming Characteristics:
- Small piece of land.
- Use of improved technology.
- Production of crops and livestock is spread throughout the year.
- Goods are produced for subsistence or commercial purpose I,e sale of surplus goods.
- Does not require heavy capital investment.
Advantages
- Little capital is required.
- Source of livelihood to small scale farmers.

i) Mixed Farming

- This is the growing of crops and rearing of animals on the same farm.
Advantages of Mixed Farming
- It is a method of diversification whereby should one enterprise fail, the farmer can benefit from the other.
- There is mutual benefit between the crops and livestock where crops provide feed for livestock and animals provide them with farm yard manure.
- There is maximum utilization of resources.
Disadvantages of Mixed Farming
- Labour intensive.
- High initial capital required.
- Farmer's attention is divided.

ii) Nomadic Pastoralism

- Pastoralism: This is the practice of rearing livestock on natural pastures.
- Nomadism: This is the practice of moving from one place to another
- Pastoral –nomadism is therefore the moving of animals from one place to another in search of pasture and water.
- This is common in the arid and semi-arid areas.

iii) Shifting Cultivation

- Farming on a piece of land continuously until it is exhausted after which the farmer moves to a new more fertile land.
• It is applicable where;

1. Land is abundant
2. Population is sparse
3. Number of livestock per unit area is low
4. Land is communally owned

Advantages of shifting cultivation
i) It has low capital requirement
ii) There is no pests and diseases build-up
iii) Soil structure is maintained
iv) No land disputes as land ownership is not individualized.
Disadvantages of shifting cultivation
i) Total yields per unit are is low
ii) Farmers have no incentive to develop land and conserve water and soil
iii) A lot of time is wasted when the farmer is shifting and building structures.
iv) Not applicable in areas of high population density or where there is high population increase.

iv) Agroforestry

- Agroforestry involves growing of trees and crops and keeping of animals on the same piece of land at the same time.
- Suitable tree species for agroforestry
Leucaena leucocephala
Gravillea robusta
Calliandra catothrysus
Mangifera indica
Sesbania sesban
Lantana camara
Cajanus cajan
Advantages of Agroforestry
i) Saves labour since some operations can be done at once for both plants and trees
ii) Gives higher combined yield
iii) Provide wide variety of agricultural produce iv)Reduces the risks of total failure
v) Crops benefit from nitrogen fixing trees. vi)Trees help in holding the soil firmly
vii) Some trees act as livestock fodder.
viii) Provides a wider variety of agricultural produce.
Disadvantages of Agroforestry
i) Mechanization is difficult.
ii) Use of pesticides and fertilizer may be difficult.
iii) Productivity may suffer because the skills for managing the different trees