AGBON TOWNS

Agbon Towns The people of Okpara and Kokori are predominantly subsistence farmers. The economy is anchored on farming. They are self-sufficient farmers. They however produce little above their subsistence needs to exchange for their complementary needs. The topography of Okparaand Kokori allows for the cultivation of such crops as yams, cassava, Okro, pepper, maize, melon, red-beans (locally called Isha) among others. Apart from tilling the soil they also exploited the palm trees for the production ofsoap, food and palm kernel as well as brooms. They had ponds they harvested often annually. The community owned the major ponds. These were either harvested every three years or more.Okpara and Kokori lie within the same geo-climatic zone. They both experience the rainy season, which begins in June and ends in early November; and the dry season, which begins in late November and ends in late may There is also the northeasttrade wind, which affects the area. During this season, deciduous plants and trees shed their leaves. And the burning ofbush usually marked it. These three seasons influenced the agriculturalroutine of pre-colonial Okpara and Kokori people.For instance, during the rains, less farm work was done. The men turned to fishing in the streams and rivers. Towards the end of the rainy season when thewater was subsiding, theyused Uge-a kind of fish trap-in trapping the fish. They practiced slash and burn system of farming. So it was commonly realized that the rain would not allow the weeds to dry, so that theycould burn them. Thus planting was normally done in the dry season, which favoured the preparation of the farmland. The men clearedthe farms and left it for some days to dry. After which their wives set fire on it and cleared the weeds. They usually waited for the first rain of the year before planting. However some farmers planted and waited for the first rain. Planting wasnormally done by the women.