The debate topic, Agriculture is better than crude oil is one that needs utmost hearing because of the technicalities surrounding it. Both are great sources of the nation’s economic growth and are very crucial to helping the country.
Agriculture is a gift from nature, and it doesn’t cost much for production, and the gains are multiple-fold. Well, in today’s debate, I will be proposing the motion that says agriculture is better than crude oil with 10 convincing points.
Read Also: Crude Oil Is Better Than Agriculture (10 Debate Points)
10 Debate Points For Agriculture Is Better Than Crude Oil
1. Agriculture Provides Food
First and foremost, agriculture gives us food, which is the most important thing every human being needs to survive. Without food, no one can live, no matter how much money they have.
Crude oil cannot be eaten, but agriculture produces rice, yams, beans, maize, and fruits that sustain life. Even if crude oil gives money, when there is hunger, money becomes useless.
A hungry person cannot drive a car filled with fuel or wear expensive clothes; they will first need food. This is why agriculture is better than crude oil, because it is the foundation of survival.
2. Agriculture Creates More Jobs
Agriculture is better than crude oil because it provides more jobs than crude oil ever can. Farmers, traders, transporters, food processors, and even marketers all depend on agriculture for their daily bread.
Crude oil only employs a small number of people who work in oil companies. These workers usually have certifications that are required in that field, but this is not applicable to agriculture.
If we depend only on crude oil, many people will remain jobless. But with agriculture, even uneducated people can find a job and survive. It reduces poverty and gives dignity to people, unlike crude oil, which benefits only a few.
3. Agriculture Is Renewable
Agriculture is renewable because crops can be planted again and again, and animals can reproduce to give us more. Crude oil, on the other hand, is a natural resource that can be exhausted one day because it is non-renewable.
This means agriculture is sustainable, and we can depend on it forever. If we finish eating one bag of rice, we can plant more. But once crude oil is extracted from the ground, it is gone forever, and the country will suffer.
4. Agriculture Supports Industrial Growth
Agriculture supplies raw materials for industries. For example, cotton is used for textiles, cocoa for chocolate factories, and palm oil for soap and cream production. This shows that agriculture supports many sectors of the economy.
Crude oil only supports fuel and petrochemical industries, but the agriculture branches into food, clothes, cosmetics, and even medicine. Agriculture is better than crude oil when it comes to industrialisation.
5. Agriculture Provides Foreign Exchange
Nigeria and many African countries used to earn huge foreign exchange from agricultural exports like cocoa, groundnuts, and palm oil before crude oil was discovered.
Even today, countries that export coffee, tea, or rice are very rich. These are all farms (agricultural produce), and it is yet another key reason why agriculture is better than crude oil.
Crude oil prices can fall at any time, and the economy suffers, but the demand for food never ends. Foreign countries will always buy food, making agriculture a more reliable way of earning foreign exchange than crude oil.
6. Agriculture Promotes Health
Agriculture produces nutritious food that gives us vitamins, proteins, and energy. Good health begins with good food, and without agriculture, there will be no balanced diet.
Crude oil cannot give health; instead, it can even cause pollution that makes people sick, but agriculture offers the opposite. This is yet another reason why agriculture is better than crude oil.
Healthy citizens are productive citizens. If we eat well, we can work well, go to school well, and live longer. That is why agriculture is better than crude oil, because it ensures both survival and health.
7. Agriculture Reduces Hunger And Poverty
Agriculture is better than crude oil because countries that focus on agriculture have less hunger and poverty. For example, China used agriculture to lift millions out of poverty.
In Nigeria, many people are still hungry despite having crude oil. This shows that crude oil wealth does not automatically translate to food security. But when agriculture is given priority, people can feed themselves and also sell excess crops to make money.
Poverty and hunger are reduced by a large percentage with the help of agriculture, and this gives it supremacy over crude oil.
8. Agriculture Is Environmentally Friendly
Agriculture, when practised properly, is friendly to the environment. It encourages tree planting, soil conservation, and even animal protection. Crude oil, on the other hand, causes oil spills, air pollution, and climate change.
The Niger Delta is a sad example of how crude oil destroys the environment and kills aquatic life. Agriculture builds nature, but crude oil destroys it. Clearly, agriculture is better for our planet.
9. Agriculture Is Inclusive
Everybody can practice agriculture. Old people, young people, men, women, and even children can farm at different levels. But crude oil is restricted to only a few highly skilled engineers and company workers.
This means agriculture carries everybody along and empowers the masses. Crude oil is controlled by a few people, which leads to inequality and corruption. Agriculture, therefore, is more democratic and inclusive.
10. Agriculture Ensures National Security
A country that cannot feed itself is never safe. Imagine a nation depending on foreign countries for food; in times of war or crisis, it will suffer hunger and starvation. But a country that has strong agriculture will always survive.
Crude oil cannot guarantee security, because even if you have fuel, you still need food to eat. Agriculture is the key to independence and true freedom for any nation.
Conclusion
From the beginning of creation, agriculture has existed, and it will continue until the end. The Bible and history show us that farming is as old as mankind. Crude oil was only discovered recently and may vanish tomorrow.
Agriculture is better than crude oil because it is natural and eternal, while crude oil is temporary. Finally, a wise nation should build its future on agriculture, not crude oil. Thank you for reading.
