Basic Farming  Crops of Nigeria: Corn, Rice, Yams, Cocoa, Peanuts, Cassava and Sorghum  The farming uses about 70% of the country’s labor force  Farms make 80% of the food from 30% of Nigeria’s land  Diverse climate and water supports tropical crops

Peanuts and Cocoa  Nigeria produces 11% of the world’s peanuts  Nigeria had potential to produce large amounts of cocoa but urbanization cut the labor force  Nigeria produces 5% of world’s cocoa when its potential is about 10%  Mostly traded to European nations

Yams  The tuber parts of yams can grow to 2.5 meters and 70kg  Nigeria the largest producer of yams. Producing about 70~76% of the world’s yams  Weeding, planting, staking and harvesting makes the production of yams hard  Expensive but scarce labor force increased its price  Different species from sweet potato New Yam Festival celebrated in August by offering yams to gods and distributing among people  Are planted with sisal rings for moisture

Kola Nuts (Cola)  A common tree in Africa that is bitter and contains caffeine  Were used for Coca – Cola  Some tribes give the nuts to children for protection  Some tribes pass and bite it to wish long life in marriage  Contains high amounts of toxic material

Pictures

Major Food  Puff - Puff: frying a dough mixture into circular balls dipped in sugar  Suya: Pieces of meat spiced up and baked over a grill with vegetables  Fun fun: made by drying cassava and making it into a powder. Then it is mixed into boiling water to a smooth texture

Yam Food  Ojoj o: Water yams are cut up and fried in oil  Asaro: Yams are peeled and cubed and cooked with ground tomatoes, peppers, meat and spices  Amala: Ground and dried the yams and then boiled in water until it has a smooth structure

Quotes  ‘“Thank you. He who brings kola brings life. But I think you ought to break it,” replied Okoye, passing back the disc.’  This shows that kola is regarded highly among the members of the tribe. It was an honor to break the kola so they are letting the other to break it to be nice.

Quotes  “But the year had gone mad. Rain fell as it had never fallen before. For days and nights together it poured down in violent torrents, and washed away the yam heaps….The yams put on luxurious green leaves, but every farmer knew that without sunshine the tubers would not grow.”  This shows that yams could grow in the harshest rainy seasons but the tubers under them wouldn’t grow unless there was sunshine. This points that Nigeria was perfect for yams since there was water and sunshine.

Questions  Why would yams have become a more delicious luxury instead of an everyday meal?  Why would the foods mostly include boiling in hot waters?  Why might have Nigeria failed to achieve their full potential for cocoa?

Bibliography  "MOTHERLAND NIGERIA: FOODS AND DRINKS (By Boomie O.)." MOTHERLAND NIGERIA (By Boomie O.). 27 Apr  "Agriculture - Nigeria." Encyclopedia of the Nations - Information about countries of the world, United Nations, and World Leaders. 27 Apr  "Cocoa." UNCTAD.ORG >> Home. 27 Apr  "DETERMINANTS OF YAM PRODUCTION AND ECONOMIC EFFICIENCY AMONG SMALL-HOLDER FARMERS IN SOUTHEASTERN NIGERIA.." Journal of Central European Agriculture Vol 7 (2006) No June Apr  "Yam Festival." A Multicultural Thanksgiving at FamilyCulture.com. 27 Apr  Okorie, Rev. Dr. A. M.. "Igbo Social Life & Customs -- Chiamaka: African Language & Cuture." Chiamaka: African Culture. 27 Apr  "The Best of Everything: The Best Part of The Song "The Lion Sleeps Tonight."." The Best of Everything. 27 Apr