Lesson summary
Students will examine the regenerative farming principle ‘Diversity is key’. They will explore how using things like crop rotation, intercropping, and polyculture can improve productivity and how encouraging biodiversity improves overall farm health.
Learning intentions:
Students will..
- understand the difference between diversity and biodiversity
- explore how using crop rotation, intercropping and polyculture can assist in crop production and sustainability
- understand how regenerative agricultural techniques support productivity, biodiversity and farm health.
Success criteria:
Students can..
- explain the need for diversity in cropping to ensure soil health and the need for biodiversity for the overall health of the landscape
- outline the value of regenerative farming practices to farming productivity, soil health and the environment.
Lesson guides and printables
Lesson details
Skills
This lesson is designed to build students’ competencies in the following skills:
- communication
- creativity
- curiosity
- digital literacy
Curriculum Mapping
Australian Curriculum (v9.0) content descriptions - Geography Year 9
Students learn to:
- challenges to sustainable food production and food security in Australia and appropriate management strategies (AC9HG9K04)
- the environmental, economic and technological factors that impact agricultural productivity, in Australia and a country in Asia (AC9HG9K03)
General capabilities: Literacy, Digital Literacy
Cross-curriculum priority: Sustainability.
Relevant parts of Year 9 Geography achievement standards:
Students analyse the interconnections between people and places and environments. Students analyse strategies to address a geographical phenomenon or challenge using environmental, social or economic criteria.
Level of teacher scaffolding: Low to medium - assist students as required, guide supported students, lead discussion as required
UN Sustainable Development Goals
Target 2.4: By 2030, ensure sustainable food production systems and implement resilient agricultural practices that increase productivity and production, that help maintain ecosystems, that strengthen capacity for adaptation to climate change, extreme weather, drought, flooding and other disasters and that progressively improve land and soil quality
Target 15.3: By 2030, combat desertification, restore degraded land and soil, including land affected by desertification, drought and floods, and strive to achieve a land degradation-neutral world
Resources Required
- access to an online infographic tool such as Canva
- Infographic Assessment Rubric
- internet access
- laptop
- screen (for viewing videos)
- Regenerative Farming fact sheet
- Soil and Climate Change fact sheet
- Student Worksheet - one per student
- Sustainable Agriculture fact sheet
Additional Info
Special thanks to:
This lesson has been developed with the support of the Macdoch Foundation.
This lesson includes video content of the brilliant new feature documentary from WildBear Entertainment, New Town Films and Regen Studios - go to Rachel’s Farm to see the entire film.
Cool.org's curriculum team continually reviews and refines our resources to be in line with changes to the Australian Curriculum.
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