Aro

ARO: This is simply a farm cooperative. It is a gathering of farmers who form themselves into a particular group to help a fellow farmer clear land for farming, sow seeds and crops such as cocoyam, millet, maize, yams, and vegetables. They also help during the harvest season to gather crops to take back to the village or the market for sale. Early in the morning the members of the Aro would rise, and proceed to the farm. Women would go with them only as food preparers for when the farmers would need breakfast, lunch or even a snack The work will proceed until dusk when the farmers come back home. This sense of cooperation would be extended to other farmers in the group when it is their turn to clear their farms or to harvest. The instance of Aje is apparent in this example of aro. The farm products would be taken to the market and sold and the farmer would reap the profits of the sale. The importance of agriculture in our economy cannot be overemphasised. In the olden days cocoa farmers or (agbe onikoko) as they were called made a lot of money planting and harvesting that cash export crop. Even today there is a big edifice in Ibadan still referred toas Cocoa House.