Who is a Farmer
When it comes to the definition of a farmer, many authors shy away from it, because they assume everybody should know the meaning of whom a farmer is. Simple as it may sound, researchers, teachers, and agricultural stakeholders need the meaning of a farmer for reference purpose or argue to back up a particular fact or point. Whatever a person is doing, whether he/she is a farm cultivator, agricultural labourer, floriculturist, sharecropper, poultry and livestock rearer, fisherman, beekeeper, gardener, pastoralist, agricultural processor, feed producer, sericulturist, vermiculturist, or agro-forester, the person is known as a farmer.
A farmers is a person who is in the business of growing crops such as such rice, cowpea, yams, and rearing farm animals like goat, sheep, using simple farm tools or modern farm machine for the production of agricultural products for sales or personal consumption. A Farmer usually involves in growing crops, rearing of farm animals, and productions of other agricultural products for personal and economic benefits.
A farmers is a person whose occupation is basically the production, processing, and marketing of agricultural products either in small quantities ( peasant farmers) or large quantities( commercial farmers) intended for consumption or stored for sales for agro-based industries.
Business wise, A farmer is an entrepreneur who employs factors of production such as land, capital, and labour to maximize profits.
Classification of a Farmer
A farmer whatever the name may be, is classified into two, basically
(1) Peasant Farmers
(2) Commercial Farmers
Who is a Peasant Farmer?
A peasant farmer is a person whose occupation is basically the production and processing of agricultural products in small quantities for family consumption or with little or nothing for sales. They cultivate small pieces of land, usually between 0.5 hactare to 1hactare and rearing farm animal either in an extensive or semi intensive system. They make uses of simple farm tools such as a cutlass, hoes,spades, sickles, rakes, watering cans, and wheel barrow. Most of these farmers don’t have farm record to record the day to day activities that occur in their farm nor keep a record of the transactions in their farm and since they don’t keep record, to don’t pay cooperate taxes. This set of farmers makes use of family labour.
Commercial Farmers
Commercial farmers are the direct opposite of the peasant farmers, they involve in production, processing, and marketing of agricultural products for export, local market and agro processing industries. They cultivate large expense of land usually in estates and rear farm animal in intensive system. They make uses of modern and precision instrument such as tractor, bulldozer, planter, ridge, GPRS, incubator, Sheller etc. They operate mostly monocropping or monoculture or single farming, unlike the peasant farmers who operate mixed farming. Commercial farmers well organized leadership structure ranging from manager, assistant manager, accountant, production manager, marketing manager, quality control manager, security staff, and receptionist. They keep detail documents of the or record the day to day activities that occur in their farm nor the transaction in their farm, and since they pay cooperate taxes.
Farmers in the Digital Era
The operation, functions, and roles of farmers is changing due to the presence of technology. There has been a paradigm shift in the operational activities in agriculture as most of the activities is been taking over by technology.Mostly the commercial farmers are digital farmers because they depends on digital technology to increase production, processing, and marketing of agricultural commodities. Farmer adopts and applies digital agricultural innovations such as e-extension services, mobile-based advisory systems, and precision tools to increase the cultivation of crops or rearing of farm animals, or production of agricultural products for sales or personal Consumption. These farmers uses many agricultural innovations, particularly digital innovation to access and receive extension advisory support, implement innovative farm practices, and have agricultural innovation at their fingertips. These digital innovations has improved agricultural access to new information, or improved ideas, products, or service. Examples of digital technology as artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, and cloud services.
What Does a Farmer Produce?
Farmers produce many agricultural products, ranging from raw farm produce to process agricultural products.
- Raw Produce: farmers produce raw material that are used in the processing industries for the make other products. These include: yam, cassava, millet, rice, cowpea, oil palm, rubber latex, cocoa, cotton, among others, and animal by-products such as egg, meat, skin, hoof, and hair
- Processed Product: Farmers can processes raw materials in their raw state into finish and semi finish products. For example, cassava can be processed into cassava garri, starch. And flour, Rubber latex into plastic, animal skin into lather, and more.
Roles of a Farmer
There are many roles of a farmer; they include
- Provision of food: farmers remain the only source through which food is available. Farmers cultivates crops and rear farm animals, which serve as a source of energy for humans and animals. They grow crops such as yam, cassava, millet, cowpea, and animals such as goat, sheep, cattle, and more, which serves as a source of protein for man.
- Provision of raw material for industries: raw materials such as rubber latex, oil palm, cassava, sugar cane, timber, cowpea, which are important raw material for agro-based industries.
- Contribute to national development: farmers produce crops and animals which become major export and thereby contributes to gross domestic products.
- Employment: farmers mostly the commercial farmers, provide employment by employing illiterate, semi-literate, and literate farmers. These farmers earn salaries that serve as their livelihood.