Understanding Matters of Concern

Understanding Matters of Concern

   How were things in the past?

How can harvesting rainwater and ukuGalesha improve soil-moistue retention in heritage food gardening?

Watch this YouTube video on the agricultural practices Rainwater Harvesting and ukuGalesha.

Baba Cele told the class how it is important to capture water in the soil over the winter months because we can never know when the rainy season will start or whether it will be a drought year. The Xhosa captured soil water at the end of the season when Orion’s Belt was clearly visible in the night sky He described how Communities would put cattle into their croplands into to eat the remaining stalks of the summer crops and also fertilise the lands for the next season. They would then break the soil and dig in humus to hold the moisture from the light winter rains. The cleaning of the lands (ukuGalesha) at the end of the season that followed, was a mystery in early colonial times. Colonists saw it as one of many cultural rituals to
close the cropping season.

How are things today?

Watch the Youtube video on how rainwater are captured today?

Did you know?

Most drains are designed to take storm water away quickly but this normally causes problems down stream. New suburbs are now designed to have retention drains that still take the flood waters away but slow them down into basins that hold the water for a few days. This allows it to slowly seep away into the ground water.
These wide drains are ideal places for planting wild wetland and grassland species that will attract back many of the species of birds whose habitats were lost when houses were built in the area.

Wide drains are important to stop local flooding but they can also become wetlands with the right plants to suck up more water and provide a habitat for interesting birds and insects.

Unit 1.1: Composting

What does this mean for us today?

Below are some examples of enquiry activities relating to the topic of composting. These work-out activities include:

  • SDG wheel concerns
  • Forest floor compost
  • Forest organism interdependence
  • Izalane

Practical Learning Activity

For this lesson’s practical, you will be designing and making your own classroom kit to teach composting. Remember to take many pictures, as you will need these images to include in your task for the week.