AC9TDE8K04 Years 7 to 8 Technologies

Content descriptor analyse how food and fibre are produced in managed environments and how these can become sustainable

Elaborations

• • Elaboration analysing traditional First Nations Australians’ food and fibre sources for potential species that offer benefits in sustainability, such as conserving water use and resources needed for processing
• • Elaboration comparing land and water management methods in contemporary Australian food and fibre production with a country in Asia, for example comparing the use of robotics, drones, global positioning system (GPS) technologies, minimum-tillage cropping, water-efficient irrigation and smart farm monitoring and controlling systems for increasing efficiency of farm operations and crop protection, and the impact of cash crops versus staples on social sustainability
• • Elaboration investigating how animal and plant crops are grown and the ethical and sustainable techniques used to increase food production, for example comparing the use of herbicides or medicines when producing food and fibre products and recognising the need to increase food production using cost-efficient, ethical and sustainable production techniques
• • Elaboration outlining physical and chemical characteristics of soil and their effects on plant growth when producing food and fibre products, for example comparing the effect on soil characteristics of different farming practices
• • Elaboration investigating different animal nutrition strategies such as grazing and supplementary feeding, and their effects on quality when producing food and fibre products, for example meat tenderness, wool-fibre diameter (micron), milk fat and protein content
• • Elaboration recognising the importance of food and fibre production to Australia’s food security and economy, including exports and imports to and from countries across Asia, for example exports of Tasmanian Candy Abalone (wild-caught dried abalone)