Agriculture and the World We Live in

Student: Mohan, Perwin

What I learned that didnt know before

I didnt know the world population was growing so rapidly. That the world population is
estimated to reach around 9 billion in 2050.
To feed all these people you need food. Food that meets the world standards. Food
producing countries will profit from this world phenomenon namely the rapidly growing
population. So it is wise to invest in agriculture.
The largest part of the population, about 60%, lives in Asia. But Africa will experience the
biggest growth in coming times resulting in a possible food shortage there.
Another threat is the global warming resulting in more regions turning to deserts. This will
in turn result in bigger food shortages.
Today agriculture is practiced in a modern fashion in regions where this was impossible
50 years ago. An example being China, who grows rice on mountainous terrains.
Agriculture offers future perspectives to the world.

What Can I Use in My Classroom

In the fourth year of Secundary school we discuss a chapter about the problems in
the developing countries.
One of the biggest problems of the developing countries is de fast growing
population. I can show them in a table just how fast the population is growing and
what could be the outcome.
That we as a country, Suriname, can profide an important contribution in the area of
agriculture simply because we have the ideal environment for it and the climate is
our friend.

What Can I Use in My Classroom

We also talk about the fact that developing countries have to contend with backward
agricultural methods.
We as a developing country, we are too much busy with a spade, a cutlass or a shovel
while nowadays more modern techniques are being used in agriculture.
Efficiency in agriculture to produce more.
.

Old

Modern Way

What Can I Use in My Classroom

I want to motivate my students during the lesson to have interests in agriculture. Not
in the primitive way in which our forefathers did it, but with modern techniques where
you must be taught en where you will also need ict to determine your production, to
produce more en above all to earn more.

What I did during the course

There were 4 modules in this course which was allotted 4 weeks.
I did this course from 11 January till 9 February.
Every week you had to watch 10 videos. After each video you had to do a popquiz.
At the end of each week when you had watched the videos, you had to make an
assessment of 10 multiple choice questions.

What 21st Century Skills This Course Develops

This course teaches you in an educational manner how you can do modern
agriculture using modern techniques and IT.
Also, this course conveys the message that there has to be a mind shift in the field of
agriculture and that we should think in terms of sustainable agriculture in an efficient
manner.
Agriculture is not only planting something in the soil, but it starts with making plans,
thinking ahead., applying efficiency in agriculture, less physical labour in the fields
and that the work should be done by machines.
That the farmer only needs to plan, contact buyers and oversee de quality of his
crops.

How This Course Will Enhance My Teaching

Now I have more information about agriculture and the possibilities in agriculture
which enables me, as a teacher, to coach my students about agriculture, not only
from a historical perspective, but that I can also motivate them to participate in
agriculture as well.
That agriculture can contribute greatly in the future in Suriname.

Certificate