INTRODUCTION

This S.B.A is based on Agriculture. Agriculture can be defined as the rearing of

animals and cultivation of crops for human consumption. Agriculture has a major

role in the community, it provides employment opportunities for people living in

rural areas in developed or developing countries. This S.B.A was done to

investigate and obtain information about Agriculture in the community and how it

affects the community.

AIM

The aim of this study is to find the characteristics of farming at Esmeralda Road

Cunupia and to ascertain its importance to the community.

METHODOLOGY

● HOW?: ​My class and i were taken on a field trip where farmers were

interviewed using questionnaires which was my primary source of data, all

secondary data was found using maps and text books.

● WHEN?: ​The field trip was conducted on the 15th of May, 2018 from 8:00

a.m to 2:00 p.m.

● WHERE?: ​Esmeralda Road, Cunupia, In the County of Caroni, Trinidad

PRESENTATION OF DATA

Fig. 1
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Fig. 3
ANALYSIS OF DATA

The research conducted for this S.B.A was aided by farmers at Esmeralda Road,

Cunupia. All the farmers answered questionnaires consisting of eighteen (18)

questions on Agriculture. The data collected stated that the farm sizes were around

the sizes of twelve (12) to thirty (30) acres. The farms were located about five (5)

miles away from the nearest town Chaguanas. All farmers describes their soil type
to be of a sandy loam to a clayey loam, this type of soil was described to be a near

perfect soil for cultivation of crops. All of the farmers obtained their water supplies

from the Ghandia River, they used a sluice gate which is a contraption that controls

the levels, flow rates and flooding of the water from the river and canals. They also

used sprinklers, tubing systems and, they also depend on rainfall. Roughly 50% of

the farmers owned private land alone whilst about 50% of the farmers owned both

private and lease land. Some of the farming practices used by the farmers were;

Machinery for preparation, Underground Irrigation, Crop Rotation, Rest Land,

Integrated Pest Management (I.P.M) which is a eco-friendly product, conservation

of the soil and leaving the grass to prevent soil erosion. All of the farmers used

both organic and inorganic fertilizers, the organic fertilizers used were manure and

compost which is made of decaying matter. The inorganic fertilizer used was

N.P.K ( Nitrogen Phosphorus and Potash [Potassium]).

The data showed that 50% of the farmers were between the ages of 31-45, 25%

were between the ages of 46-60 and 25% were between the ages of 61-70.

Approximately 75% of the farmers had hired help and, all of the farmers had help

from their family. Every farmer thinks that Agriculture is economically feasible

but, it requires a lot of work, the more input equals greater output. The main crop

which was planted and which also brings in the most income was sweet potatoes.
Majority of the farmers’ land were used for this crop, this crop took about five (5)

to seven (7) months to harvest. This crop was mainly sold to Farmgate. Roughly

75% of the farmers grew other crops such as; hot peppers, ground provisions ,

cucumber, paw paw and plantain. These crops usually take six (6) months to one

(1) year to harvest and are normally sold to the Macoya Market or a Middle man.

All farmers faced problems in many ways and forms like; weather conditions

which can lead to floods or lack of water supply, predial larceny, lack of labour,

marketing and, disease. The farmers attempted to resolve these problems by;

proper drainage for floods, hire foreign labour and learn to speak their language,

post warning signs for trespassers to prevent predial larceny and, spraying for pests

and diseases. All farmers stated that they were born into a family of an Agricultural

background and chose it as a career due to tradition.

CONCLUSION

It was proven that the farming system most prevalent amongst the farmers at

Esmeralda Road, Cunupia was large scale commercial farming, due to their

fluctuation of input and output of crops. A variety of mixed crops was planted by

some farmers. Some of the crops cultivated were; paw paw, cucumber, sweet

potato, hot pepper, plantain and, other ground provisions where sweet potato being

the most cultivated and selling crop on the market, most of the farmers’ land were

used for this crop. After completing this S.B.A, it was shown that Agriculture s

beneficial towards the community as it provides income opportunities for persons

within the community and also for the markets. The Agricultural department is a

labour intensive department since it requires a lot of hard work to succeed and

mental readiness to be prepared for the problems faced such as; floods, diseases,

lack of labour and praedial larceny. It also requires patience for the physical part

and also attentive care for the machinery used on the fields. In conclusion,

Agriculture has a major effect on the community.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Complete Geography Course For CSEC

By: Vohn A. M. Rahil – Fifth edition 2010

Morrissey, M. Longman Caribbean School Atlas – third edition, Pearson Education

Limited, England, 2002.

APPENDIX