Question 1 Part a

a)

Aquaculture is the cultivation of the natural produce of water.There are two kinds of aquaculture:
extensive and intensive aquaculture. Extensive aquaculture is based on local photosynthetic
production and intensive aquaculture, in which the fish are fed with an external food supply.
Management of these two kinds of aquaculture systems is completely different.

i)

ii)

Intensive aquaculture : Intensive Aquaculture often involve highly controlled systems which are
designed to boost production for the available volume or area of water resource. The fish densities
are high.

Extensive aquaculture : The available food supply by natural sources, commonly zooplankton feeding
on algae or animals, such as crustaceans. Most fish are carnivorous, and therefore they occupy a higher
place in the trophic chain and therefore only a tiny fraction of primary photosynthetic production will
be converted into harvestable fish. As a result, without additional feeding the fish harvest will not
exceed 200 kilograms of fish per hectare per year, equivalent to 1 per cent of the gross photosynthetic
production.

iii)
Question 1 part b
b) i)
The extensive aquaculture levels were constant through years 1-2 at a production rate of about 0.8-0.10 hundred of
tonnes. The production level then slightly increased in year 3 and made a significant increase in year 4 and 5. From
year 5 to 9, there was a steady increase of production. In year 5 there was a production of 4 hundred tonnes and in
year 9 there was a production of 8 hundred tonnes. Production was doubled by year 9.
Intensive aquaculture in the year 1 had no production. In year 2 there was a slight increase to 0.4
hundred
tonnes. From year 2, production continued to increase. From year 5 there was a steady increae to year 8 and then a
larger increase in year 9. In year 5, there was a production of 4.8 hundred tonnes and year 8 had a production of 8
hundred tonnes. In year 9, the production level was at almost 10 hundred tonnes.
In marine aquaculture, there was a high constant level of production in year 1 and 2 of 8 hundred tonnes. From year
three, production began to fall at a constant rate. In year 3, production dropped to 6.8 hundred tonnes. Production
eventually decreased to about 0.12 hundred tonnes in year 9.

ii)

One of the two methods which would have a great effect of the environment is Intensive Aquaculture.
Intensive aquaculture relies on technology to raise fish in artificial tanks at very high densities. The
biggest problem caused by intensive aquaculture is the difficulty in properly dealing with the effluent .
Effluent contains high levels of both organic and inorganic nutrients like ammonia, phosphorus,
dissolved organic carbon, dissolved organic nitrogen and dissolved organic phosphorus. If not disposed
of correctly the effluent could cause a number of problems including eutrophication.
c)

Aquaculture can be damaging to the environment. Some species of fish such as salmon are maintained
in net contained environments and unused feed and waste products can contaminate sea floor and fish
can escape. The fish that have escaped can now compete with wild fish for food and spread disease.

Also, fish waste is organic and composed of nutrients necessary in all components of aquatic food
webs. In high-intensity operations, increased waste can decrease dissolved oxygen levels in water.

Question 3 part a.
a) Farmers in Toco Village have been practicing mono cropping. This is where the same crop is
repeatedly grown on the same area of land.
Since this soil is only receiving one type of crop, the same nutrients are taken up and used by
this crop each time it is planted and therefore soils would weaken due to loss of a particular
nutrient. Since this nutrient is not being allowed to replenish, the soil continues to weaken and
eventually become useless and would not be able to aid in proper plant growth.
Soil erosion would occur due to lack of properly structured plant systems and weak soils. The
roots of plants would not be properly grown and soils would loosen and erosion will occur.
In soil erosion, the soil would erode into waterways therefore depositing its sediments and
contaminating the water.
Chemicals to help in strengthening soil would be sprayed and would overtime damage soil
even more by disturbing the natural makeup of the soil. These chemicals would contribute to
further depletion of nutrients in soil. These chemicals would also run off into water ways and
pollute them.
In mono cropping, pests associated with that crop would overtime be immune to pesticides
and etc being sprayed. These pests would also know where to go to get their adequate amount
of food continuously. They would have a dependable source. These pests would therefore
spread very quickly and also spread diseases to plants and decrease yields.
Farmers would therefore spray more and more of these chemicals to try to get rid of the pests.
These chemicals would run off into waterways and therefore contaminate and degrade the
water supply in that area.
b) Crop Rotation is where the cultivated crop is changed every year or season depending on the
growing period.
Crop rotation protects the fertility and preserves the nutrient content of soil. Different crops
would not use of the same kind of nutrients repeatedly as mono cropping and therefore
nutrients would have time to replenish themselves and strengthen soil which would in turn
increase yields.
Pests would not be established in a crop rotation system. This is a way to control pest
populations.
Crop rotation would decrease and control soil erosion which would contribute to growing and
maintaining more yields.
Crop Rotation would decrease the amount of chemicals needed in a plant system and aid in
decreasing pests which would in turn improve yields.
Crop rotation would ensure there is a crop growing every season so farmers could have a
steady income or steady food supply. This would be a type of increased yield production.
Since soil erosion would be controlled, water ways would be clear and pollutant free water
can be used on crops. Healthy water would ensure plants are healthy and improve yields.

Question 3 part c
i) Crop Rotation

ii) Crop rotation is the practice of growing a series of different types of crops in the same area in sequential seasons.
Crop rotation gives various benefits to the soil. It aids in replenishment of nitrogen in soils.Crop rotation also
mitigates the build-up of pathogens and pests that often occurs when one species is continuously cropped, and can
also improve soil structure and fertility by alternating deep-rooted and shallow-rooted plants.

d) No-till farming is a way of growing crops without disturbing the soil through tillage. no-till
agriculture allows a farmer to plant the crop and control weeds without turning the soil. No till
Agriculture means no ploughing of land. If the land is not ploughed it means that soil structure would
be maintained, beneficial organisms would live, soil erosion would decrease and soil would not be
compacted.
ii) No tillage farming does not affect the soil content as other methods do. Since the soil would not be tampered
with, the soil structure will remain strong and erosive conditions would not be able to get through to the soil. No till
system methods keeps soils covered with crop residue, reduces soil disturbance and attempts to maximize the
number of days in the year when living roots grow in soil.