Agricultural Science (AS)·General agriculture · NSSCAS 1.2b
Alternative farming, climate change & water security
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A farmer near Mariental watches the rain fail for the third year running, while a farmer in the Zambezi loses a whole field to floodwater in the same season. Both are living the same story: a changing climate and a shrinking supply of clean water. So how do we keep growing food when the weather turns against us? In this lesson we meet soil-free farming like hydroponics, weigh up what climate change and globalisation are doing to African agriculture, and learn which watering method wastes the least of every precious drop.
What you'll learn in this lesson
By the end you should be able to (NSSCAS Agricultural Science (AS) 1.2b):
- Describe and evaluate alternative methods of farming that preserve the environment, including hydroponics
- Briefly explain aquaponics and vertical farming as related soil-free methods
- Discuss the effects of climate change on agricultural practices, including drought and flood
- Discuss the positive and negative effects that globalisation has on agriculture in Africa, including the role of technology
- Compare the range of irrigation methods for water security, including drip, sprinkler and flood irrigation, and their efficiency
- Explain how soil moisture sensors save water
- Describe mulching as a method of maintaining water security
- Evaluate which watering methods are best suited to a dry country like Namibia
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