Teaching and Learning of ‘Water for Agriculture’ in Primary Schools in Lesotho, South Africa and Zimbabwe

Abstract

Teaching youths about the subject of water for agriculture is vital in southern Africa where climate adaptation is imperative. Fresh water is a critical natural resource experiencing dangerous scarcity globally, with climate change and variability being key drivers. Agriculture consumes most of the allocated water in most of the southern African countries, so this sector needs particular water harvesting and conservation education. The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) reported that 93% of cultivated land in southern Africa was rain-fed at the beginning of the 21st century. Drought hinders effective agricultural practices in poor-rainfall areas and is a common feature in most southern African countries. Increasingly frequent drought events affect Lesotho, South Africa and Zimbabwe chronically due to climate variability and change. These three countries have school curricula that carry agricultural and sustainability learning to varying extents. Agriculture is taught as a science subject, and tends to be inclined towards normative technicist approaches at the expense of traditional and innovative sustainability practices. This omission in curriculum development and teaching may miss the opportunity to learn from lessons offered by these traditional and innovative systems that have demonstrated resilience to climate variability and change. This paper explores the opportunities and enablers of sustainability learning and relevance in the primary school  agriculture curricula of these three countries. The paper argues for inclusion of sustainable agricultural water learning as an act of educational quality and  relevance that reflects 21st century socio-ecological, agro-climate and  socioeconomic challenges in southern Africa.

Key words: primary school, water for agriculture, rainwater harvesting and conservation, learning.