Farmer and teacher, who is more important: The question as to farmers and teachers who are more important is a common topic for debates and argumentative essay. Having an element of argumentative essay, a stance need be taken.

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Farmers and teachers, who are more important in the society?

Unarguably, farmers and teachers are necessary and indispensable contributors to livelihood. On determining which is more important, balance is to be placed and weighed on the indispensability of each in the society and the amount of value supplied.

A farmer is a person skilled in agricultural and livestock keeping and works in an agricultural farm of which the end product of the labour done is the production of food and raw materials. A teacher is a person formally employed in an academic institution for the purpose of impacting knowledge on the students, and performing such other functions which regularizes the studentship of students.

For the farmers, the agricultural sector has become one of (if not the most) money yielding and economy boosting sector in most countries, Nigeria inclusive. Farming can be in a small, medium or large scale. Farming has been in existence from history and is in fact as old as history itself. Since then till now, its relevance and indispensability has never been questioned, rather the farming sector keeps developing into the use of machineries as opposed to man power.

The contribution of farmers to the society and the environment is massive. Agricultural field such as horticulture is a branch that sees to cultivation of plants. Remember that plants contributes positively to the ecosystem, thereby making our environment habitable. Plants breathe in carbon dioxide which is breathed out by humans in exchange for oxygen which humans breathe in. most plants are sources of food and raw materials. Human beings need food to survive. In other words, food is a basic need of man.

Asides that, production of foods from plants contributes to trade and commercial activities. Good number of citizens make their living because they are into food and fruit trading. Also good number of raw materials are gotten from plants. Raw materials such as fibres, barks, leaves, saps, woods, latex etc. from plants, products such as medicinal herbs, cotton, etc is produced. Let’s not talk about the health benefits of farming produce.

Availability of these keeps one healthy, living and away of hospital. These farm produce are made available because they are people who are in charge. They are known as farmers. Plants are in fact the main source of food.

Floriculture is a branch of horticulture which is also beneficial to the environment. This is the branch that sees to the farming of flowers. Flowers also contribute to a healthy environment by production of oxygen which humans breathe in, purifying air, keeping a cool and attractive surrounding, and also medicinal benefits, etc. Olericulture is the branch dealing with the production, storage and processing of vegetables.

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Animal husbandry is another branch of agriculture which foresees rearing of animals, usually domestic animals. The benefits of these animals being reared and preserved by farmers are quite much. Their contribution to healthy living, commercial activities and the economy at large cannot be overemphasized. Without these animals, there would be no meat for man to devour. Meat is a good source of protein and vitamins. Meat is also a source of raw material such as the animal skin, bones, etc. From animals like cow, milk is extracted. From chicken and other birds, egg is gotten. And may more.

Agriculture is so relevant that it has become a subject and course being taught in school. This does not mean that to be an agriculturalist or a farmer, that a formal education is required. In fact, most farmers had no formal education. Having a formal education is never a prerequisite for being a farmer. Remember that farming may be in a small scale, medium scale or large scale.

Therefore anyone can be a farmer at any point in time. There are no limitations. This shows how much relevant and obtainable farming is, and how much their produce is need. On the other hand, being a teacher is restrictive and demands formal education and other protocols. This shows how much a teacher can be done without, but for farmers? No, their services and end produce are always needed and in fact indispensable.

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Another point is this. A teacher can as well be a farmer. If teaching job is enough, and if farming is not that relevant, why would a teacher and in fact most teachers also engage in farming activities? Yes, teachers also engage in farming activities usually in a small or medium scale. Mere planting of trees, crops, plants, flowers and rearing of livestock is already an act of farming.

Another point is this. A farmer can as well be a teacher. For instance, a farmer who works in an agricultural institute can as well have the role of teaching and grooming agriculture students, and such teaching would even be more effective because it usually should be more of practical and sparing theories.

A teacher is always on a fixed salary, whereas a farmer’s income is unliquidated.

Yes, teachers impact knowledge on students, yet one can comfortably live with ignorance as long as there is food. Teachers need food and they in fact utilize the farming produce for survival, whereas the services of teachers are not necessarily needed by farmers. Foods produced by farmers supplies energy to the human body, and nutrients from farm produce is essential for proper functioning of the brain.  One may argue that farmers need in fact be taught by teachers certain skills such as business skill, application of certain agricultural theories. However, this is not entirely true.

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Business skill can be inherent and be personally developed without recourse to a formal academic setting. Before the emergence of formal education, farming has been. This does not in any way dispute the fact that teachers skills as a teacher cannot facilitate agricultural production. Sure it can. However, agricultural industry can still operate independently and comfortably without farmers meeting the four walls of an academic institution.

In fact, agricultural technicalities has been in practice as far as the history. What academic institution actually does is merely to incorporate existing agricultural practical into a readable a permanent and informative format in form of theories, as well as modifying and incorporating newly discovered theories.

Farming is a source of employment. It creates employment for individuals, corporate bodies and for the society at large. Farming encompasses all aspect of humanity and livelihood, being a means by which one of the basic needs of man is actualized. It did not stop there. Farming went as far as being a means and source of providing resources and raw materials for production of various human needs and wants.

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It would simply be correct to say that farming is life because the end products supports life itself, facilitate smooth life, and still provide means for attaining other life necessities. The federal government of Nigeria had at a time advised her citizens to go back to their farmland and start cultivating. They never gave an advice for teachers to go and face the writing board. The government had in fact shown more interest in the agricultural sector than they would ever do in education sector.

This is simply a natural attitude supporting the utmost importance of farming over teaching. This line does not in any way speak less of the importance of education to a developing country. It simply attempts to establish the fact that the vitality of the end produce of farming preponderates over the end services of teachers.

Edeh Samuel Chukwuemeka ACMC

Edeh Samuel Chukwuemeka, ACMC, is a lawyer and a certified mediator/conciliator in Nigeria. He is also a developer with knowledge in various programming languages. Samuel is determined to leverage his skills in technology, SEO, and legal practice to revolutionize the legal profession worldwide by creating web and mobile applications that simplify legal research. Sam is also passionate about educating and providing valuable information to people.