Gaps and opportunities for perennial crops

Educational value

• This is a valuable resource for the food and fibre component of the science and geography curriculums for years 8 to 10. It is of considerable value for the Science as a Human Endeavour strand in years 8 and 10, particularly for the content descriptions about how science understanding influences the development of practices in areas of human activity such as agriculture, and how the values and needs of contemporary society can influence the focus of scientific research. The interviews with the scientists attending the FAO workshop reveal their commitment to breeding perennial crops as a contribution to sustainable agriculture and environmental stewardship.
• The video is also of use for the year 9 geography unit of study, Biomes and food security. It is relevant to content descriptions about the environmental, economic and technological factors that influence crop yields in Australia and across the world, and the capacity of the world's environments to sustainably feed the projected future population to achieve food security for Australia and the world. As seen in the video, genetic breeding of perennial crops has the potential to enhance food security, diversify crop uses and possibly increase overall crop yields.

Year level

8; 9; 10

Topics Technologies Soil degradation Crops Plant cultivation Environmental management Environmental influences Sustainable development Breeding Asia Australia Values (Psychology) Food technology Water resources Climate change Food availability Research questions Crop yields Agricultural scientists