Question Bank (F.

2) New Added Questions @ 2010

Section 6 : Farming the wrong way?

Section 6 Farming the wrong way?

Data Based Questions

Study the photos below and answer the following questions.

A B

a. Which type of farming do A and B belong to respectively according to their outputs?

(2 marks)
A: __________________________________________
B: __________________________________________
b. Where can these types of farming be found? List one example respectively. (2 marks)
A: __________________________________________
B: __________________________________________
c. Which one can provide a more stable source of income for farmers? Explain. (3 marks)
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d. Compare and contrast the agricultural inputs of A and B in the following aspects.
(i) Level of mechanisation (2 marks)
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(ii) Yield per capita (2 marks)
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e. Match the different types of farming with their corresponding characteristics. Write the numbers
in the correct boxes. (Some of the cells may left blank.) (4 marks)
(Example: (ii) Sheep herding in Northwest China)

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 Question Bank (F.2) New Added Questions @ 2010
Section 6 : Farming the wrong way?

(i) Wheat farming in North America

(ii) Sheep herding in Northwest China
(iii) Cattle ranching in Australia
(iv) Market gardening in Hong Kong
(v) Rubber planting in Malaysia

Fig.1 Farming system

f. Study Fig.1. What are I, II, III and IV respectively? □ (1 mark)

Ⅰ Ⅱ Ⅲ Ⅳ
A Outputs Inputs Feedback Processes
B Inputs Processes Outputs Feedback
C Inputs Feedback Outputs Processes
D Inputs Processes Feedback Outputs
g. Give two examples of IV. (2 marks)
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Marks: ______/18

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Section 6 : Farming the wrong way?

##
a. A: Mixed farming
B: Wet rice farming
b. A: Australia
B: South China
c. Mixed farming./ Farmers rear sheep in summer and grow wheat in winter./ Therefore agricultural
outputs can be produced throughout the year./ Rice is the only output in rice cultivation in China,
the harvest will be greatly affected if there is bad weather, such as typhoons or rainstorms.
d. (i) Farm A has a higher level of mechanisation./ Farm A usually uses large farm machines such
as large tractors, combine harvesters and aeroplanes while Farm B uses small farm
machines, such as small tractors, ploughs and pumps.
(ii) Farm A has a higher yield per capita/ mainly because the input of labour in the farm is
much lower than Farm B.
e.

f. B
g. Money/ seeds/ manure (Any 2)
##

Study the figure below and answer the following questions.

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 Question Bank (F.2) New Added Questions @ 2010
Section 6 : Farming the wrong way?

Fig.1 Area of arable land in China, 1961-2006

a. (i) What was the trend of the area of arable land in China before 1981? (1 mark)
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(ii) How is it related to urbanisation? (1 mark)
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b. How can the Chinese government maintain the soil fertility of farmland? (3 marks)
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c.

“The total grain yield for Guangdong Province in 2009 was 13.14
million tonnes, an increase of 5.7% compared to 2008, the highest
level on record.”

Which type of crop is most commonly cultivated in Guangdong? (1 mark)

__________________________________________________________________________
d. Describe and explain how the natural environment of South China favours the cultivation of (c)
in the following two aspects. (2 marks)
(i) Climate
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 Question Bank (F.2) New Added Questions @ 2010
Section 6 : Farming the wrong way?

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(ii) Topography (2 marks)
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e. Which months do not favour the growth of (a)? Explain. (2 marks)
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f. (i) “It is not a new technology. It is a traditional Chinese farming method that has been handed
down thousands of years. It is a sustainable farming method.” This statement is most
probably describing which type of farming? (1 mark)
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(ii) What are the weaknesses of this type of farming? (2 marks)
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Marks: ______/15
##
a. (i) It was decreasing
(ii) Rapid urban development takes up the farmland, leading to a decrease in arable land.
b. The government can monitor the use of pesticides, extremely toxic and ecologically destructive
pesticides are banned./ Encourage farmers to use environmentally friendly measures including
afforestation, contour ploughing, crop rotation and terracing in order to reduce soil erosion and
hence protect land and water resources./ Control population growth in order to lower the demand
for food and relieve the pressure on the land.
c. Paddy rice
d. (i) South China has subtropical monsoon climate./ It is hot in summer and cool in winter.
There are ten months with temperatures higher than 15°C. The average annual temperature
is high./ For the rainfall, it is humid in summer and dry in winter. There are six months with
rainfall more than 120 mm. The average annual rainfall is high.
(ii) There is hilly with little flat land. Rice is mainly grown in river valleys and deltas.
e. November to January./ The monthly rainfall in these few months is only about 50 mm which is
insufficient to support the growth of rice.
f. (i) Organic farming
(ii) They usually yield less./ The farm produce is more expensive./ Crops may have worm-
holes as no chemicals and pesticides are used. (Any 2)
##

Study the information below and answer the following questions.

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 Question Bank (F.2) New Added Questions @ 2010
Section 6 : Farming the wrong way?

Farm A (152 ha, 3 full-time labours)

Crop areas (ha) Yields per ha Number of animal raised
(tonnes)
Sugar beets 20 85.4 Dairy cows 143
Wheat 20 8.5 Yearlings 51
Onions 10 57.1 Calves 53
Grass seed 10 1.4
Potatoes 20 61.9
Leys 40 12.7
Maize 20 14.8
Crop rotation
Onions  ley  potatoes  wheat  sugar beets  maize  potatoes 
grass seed  wheat  maize  sugar beets

a. Explain why Farm A belongs to

(i) mixed farming (2 marks)
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(ii) commercial farming (2 marks)
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(iii) extensive farming (2 marks)
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b. Why can this farming system help to conserve the soil? (4 marks)
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c. List another farming method which can also help to conserve the soil. (1 mark)
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d. Farm A will most probably use large or small machines? Explain. (2 marks)
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e. What problem may arise as a result of mechanisation? (1 mark)
__________________________________________________________________________
Marks: ______/14

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Section 6 : Farming the wrong way?

##
a. (i) Apart from growing crops such as onions, livestock are also raised in the farm, like cows.
(ii) Most of the farm products are for export due to their large quantity.
(iii) The farm size is large, however agricultural inputs per hectare of land is low. For example,
there are only three labours employed in the farm.
b. Manure of livestock is a natural fertiliser that can improve soil fertility./ Crop rotation helps to
protect land and water resources./ Different crops use different nutrients and help to maintain and
restore soil fertility.
c. Dry farming
d. Large machines./ As the farm size is large, bigger machines can be used./ As machines are used
to replace manual labour, few labours are employed.
e. Unemployment of farm workers
##

Study the figure below and answer the following questions.

Fig.1

a. Which agricultural region does the shaded area represent? (1 mark)

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b. How does the climate favour the development of this type of farming? (4 marks)
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Section 6 : Farming the wrong way?

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c. Which region in Australia are farming activities most commonly found? (1 mark)
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Read the following article.

‘Big Dry’ hits Australian farmers

More than 10 000 Australian farming families have had to leave their land
as a result of the country's ongoing drought. Australia is presently in the
grip of what's known locally as the "Big Dry" - the worst drought in a
century.

The figures released by the Australia Bureau of Statistics revealed that the
number of farmers in Australia has dropped by a third in just 20 years.
They have been hit not just by the difficulties of farming water-starved
land, but interest rates which are at a 12-year high. It is a particularly
vicious cycle: farmers borrow heavily to buy seeds for crops which yield well
below average harvests.

Neither is this a problem restricted solely to Australia. One of the main

reasons why global wheat stocks are at their lowest levels since 1979 is
because of the ongoing Australian drought. Normally, the country would
hope to harvest about 25m tonnes of wheat - in 2006 the crop yielded less
than 10m tonnes.
2-5-2008

d. What difficult is faced by farmers in Australia as mentioned in the article? (1 mark)

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e. Is this problem commonly found in area A or B shown in Fig.1? Explain. (1 mark)
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f. What methods are used to overcome this problem? (4 marks)
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g. Apart from these, what other measures are used by the local farmers to increase their yields?
(3 marks)
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 Question Bank (F.2) New Added Questions @ 2010
Section 6 : Farming the wrong way?

__________________________________________________________________________
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h. Is controlling the population growth of Australia an effective measure to minimise food
insecurity arises from decreasing agricultural outputs? Explain. (2 marks)
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Marks: ______/17
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a. Wheat-sheep farming belt
b. Annual rainfall is low. The rate of evaporation is high in summer, therefore the climate is dry and
is suitable for rearing sheep./ In winter, the rate of evaporation is low and the climate is wet,
therefore wheat can be grown.
c. The Murray-Darling Basin
d. Drought
e. A / Rainfall is unevenly distributed in southeast Australia./ There are droughts in summer and
floods in winter.
f. Improvement in farming environment, for example the Snowy Mountains Scheme provides
farmers with irrigation water./ Practicing dry farming and crop rotation to preserve water and
nutrients in the soil.
g. The use of large farm machines to do the farm work more efficiently./ Large amounts of chemical
fertilisers and pesticides are applied to increase the fertility of soil and protect the crops from
pests and diseases./ Improved varieties of sheep and crops are also developed.
h. No./ As most of the farm products are for export,/ controlling the population growth of Australia
is not an effective measure to lower the demand for agricultural products.
##

Study the information below carefully and answer the following questions.

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 Question Bank (F.2) New Added Questions @ 2010
Section 6 : Farming the wrong way?

Fig.1 Agricultural inputs in China

a. Match A, B and C with the agricultural inputs below. (3 marks)

Fertiliser □ Machinery □ Labour □
b. Why do A and B keep increasing in recent years? (4 marks)
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c. What negative impacts may be resulted when overusing these two agricultural inputs?
(4 marks)
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d. Suggest two other scientific farming methods that are used in China. (2 marks)
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e. What physical constraints are faced by the farmers in South China? (2 marks)
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f. Refer to the photos below. Describe how can they solve the problems mentioned in (e)?
(4 marks)

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Section 6 : Farming the wrong way?

Photo A Photo B

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g. What are the difficulties when implementing these measures? (3 marks)
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h. Why do some people strongly oppose to these measures? (2 marks)
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Marks: ______/24
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a. Fertiliser B Machinery A Labour C
b. Advancement in farming technology / increase in the income of farmers / declining soil fertility
after a long period of cultivation/ and rapid urban development taking up a lot of farmland,
farmers prefer to use machines and fertilisers so as to improve yields to fulfill the demand.
c. Mechanisation may lead to unemployment of farm workers./ The overuse of chemical fertilisers
will deplete the soil of essential nutrients and loses its fertility in the long run./ They may be
washed into rivers, lakes and seas and pollute the drinking water and poison the plants and
animals, leading to environmental pollution./ They may cause risk to human health if left on the
farm produce.
d. Spraying of pesticides/ building of irrigation systems/ terracing/ drainage of wetland/ reclamation
along riverbanks and coasts/ building of greenhouses/ developing new varieties of crops and
livestock (Any 2)
e. Bad weather, such as typhoons, rainstorms and droughts,/ soil erosion,/ shortage of land/ and
pests and diseases (Any 2)
f. Greenhouses protect crops from extreme weather./ Farmers can improve the variety, quality and
quantity of crops by monitoring the light, temperature and humidity inside the greenhouses./ The
hybrid rice can resist pests and diseases and largely increase the output.
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 Question Bank (F.2) New Added Questions @ 2010
Section 6 : Farming the wrong way?

g. Lack of capital,/ low level of technology and education of farmers./ Building and maintaining a
greenhouse needs a lot of money as they need to hire some skilled labours./ The growing of
hybrid rice requires a large amount of fertilisers which increases the cost greatly.
h. Greenhouses give lower yield which may not be able to meet the increasing food demand./ The
application of a large amount of fertilisers for growing hybrid rice may lead to problems of
environmental pollution and soil erosion.
##

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