YEAR 8 GEOGRAPHY- ‘ARCHIBULL’ EXPLORING THE Impact of Climate Change on the Wool Industry
This term in Geography, Year 8 (classes 8S & 83) have been studying the effects of climate change on the wool industry, particularly in Australia. The classes have been fascinated by their examinations of different problems which are key to this crucial and contemporary issue. In different groups classes explored the impact of climate change on: crops, pastures and fodder; animals; farming environments; the water cycle and the economic effect on farms in general.
Students learned that extreme weather events including drought and flooding are on the increase. Living in the Central West means that we are all too familiar with these impacts and many KWS students have first-hand knowledge of drought conditions, helping families on the land hand-feed cattle and sheep at present.
Ideas on each key topic were ‘brainstormed’ in groups and then presented in a logical storyboard, which highlighted the interconnection between the impacts and affects on livestock (animal health and production) and livelihoods (wool prices, land & stock prices and even the well-being of producers).
The key topics included:
Animal Health
Crops, Pasture and Fodder
Water Resources
Wool Production
Land Ownership & Management
This term in Geography, Year 8 (classes 8S & 83) have been studying the effects of climate change on the wool industry, particularly in Australia. The classes have been fascinated by their examinations of different problems which are key to this crucial and contemporary issue. In different groups classes explored the impact of climate change on: crops, pastures and fodder; animals; farming environments; the water cycle and the economic effect on farms in general.
Students learned that extreme weather events including drought and flooding are on the increase. Living in the Central West means that we are all too familiar with these impacts and many KWS students have first-hand knowledge of drought conditions, helping families on the land hand-feed cattle and sheep at present.
Ideas on each key topic were ‘brainstormed’ in groups and then presented in a logical storyboard, which highlighted the interconnection between the impacts and affects on livestock (animal health and production) and livelihoods (wool prices, land & stock prices and even the well-being of producers).
The key topics included:
Animal Health
- Students identified that climate change was responsible for extreme weather events, including prolonged drought and severe flooding (most common events affecting wool producing areas of Australia) and that both of these events had the potential to cause a multitude of problems for the health of sheep.
- Drought means an interruption in nutrition for a sheep, which can have an impact on the quality (micron), strength (fleece breakage) and growth of the wool. A lack of nutrition also means the sheep is more susceptible to disease and parasites.
- Floods on the other hand, can also see a nutrition deficit while pastures are underwater- however there is also an increase in parasite numbers during wet times and issues such as foot rot are also more prevalent.
Crops, Pasture and Fodder
- Are severely affected by drought and flooding.
- During drought, the ability to grow pasture and crops to feed sheep is dramatically reduced. Graziers are forced to buy fodder once hay stores have been exhausted, which is costly and stressful especially once large areas are affected by drought, like present in NSW.
- Flock numbers are reduced, limiting production not only in the year of the drought or flood but for subsequent years too as re-stocking can be expensive.
Water Resources
- Are dramatically reduced during a prolonged drought, to the point where graziers are forced to destroy sheep.
- Graziers may have to buy water to sustain animals, or look at adding further infrastructure alternatives like bores and pipes.
- Students identified water quality as issue during both floods and droughts, including the , outbreak of blue green algae during dry times and silt/mud build up during floods.
Wool Production
- Climate change is impacting wool producers in 2018 with a general consensus among students that times on the land have continued to get ‘tougher’. Both drought and floods (which are becoming more common) have a serious impact on sheep numbers, wool quality and strength.
- On a more positive note, global demand for wool remains strong which has seen a resurgence in recent wool prices.
Land Ownership & Management
- Tough times (especially during prolonged drought) can see many graziers and farmers forced off the land. Land prices are often negatively affected and farmers see their land as ‘worthless’. Unable to repay debt, they will have to look at outside employment to simply make ends meet.
- Farm management basics, like weed control, fencing and pest management will often be pushed aside during stressful times of flood and drought- often because the cost and time intensive nature dealing with these, overwhelm graziers entirely.
- In addition to this, more serious land management issues like salinity and erosion are worsened during flood and drought and once again, are pushed to down the list of priorities.
- This task saw both classes engaged in the activity and quite a bit of fun creating the storyboard, which provided not only a visual representation of their knowledge but also illustrated the flow-on affects of climate change and the interconnection between the impacts.