Post on 25-Jan-2022
Lesson 14
Topic:Crop farming in South Africa
Grade: 4
Presented By:
Miss A. MaharajhPitlochry Primary School Educator
Created by: Miss A. Maharajh – Pitlochry Primary School
Crop farming in South AfricaSome plants are grown to produce food. The produce is
called crops. Three important crops grown in South Africa
are maize, wheat and sugar cane.
Created by: Miss A. Maharajh – Pitlochry
Different kinds of fruit grow in different parts of
the country:
⦿ Tropical fruit grows in hot, wet places. Mangoes, bananas,
pineapples and avocado pears are tropical fruits.
⦿ Deciduous fruit grows well in places where there are cold winters
and dry summers. Deciduous trees lose their leaves in winter.
Grapes, apples, peaches and pears are examples of deciduous
fruits.
⦿ Citrus fruit becomes ripe in the cold, winter months. Oranges,
lemons and naartjies are citrus fruits.
Created by: Miss A. Maharajh – Pitlochry Primary School
Maize and Wheat
Maize and wheat are called cereal crops. We use the seeds
or grain from the plants. Wheat grain is made into flour,
which is used to make bread. Maize seed is used to make
mealie meal. Most people in South Africa eat bread and
mealie meal. cereal crops: plants grown for their seeds or grain
Maize grows best in places with hot, wet summers and
cold, dry winters. It is grown in the eastern half of South
Africa where the climate is like this. Wheat grows best in
Western Cape, where there are hot, dry summers and
cool, wet winters. Wheat is harvested in the summer.
Created by: Miss A. Maharajh – Pitlochry Primary School
Sugar Cane
Sugar cane is used to make sugar. The stalks (or canes)
of the plant are cut off and trucks take it to sugar mills.
At the mills the canes are crushed and the syrup inside is
made into sugar. Sugar cane will only grow in a hot, wet
climate. The best areas in South Africa are the eastern
parts of KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumalanga.
Created by: Miss A. Maharajh – Pitlochry Primary School
Activity: Summarise important crops in
South Africa.
Created by: Miss A. Maharajh – Pitlochry Primary School
Fruit farming in South Africa
South Africa has many climates, which means farmers grow various types of fruit in
different parts of South Africa. On commercial farms fruits, such as apples, pears,
plums, pineapples, oranges and bananas, are grown.
⦿ Different crops are grown in different parts of South Africa depending on the
climatic conditions. Each crop is suited to grow in specific climates. Some crops
grow best where it is hot and there is a lot of rain. Other crops grow well where
there is less rain or where the winters are cold.
⦿ Maize (mealies) is grown in many parts of South Africa. Many people eat mealie
meal every day. Sugar cane grows well where it is warm, and it rains in summer.
The Free State has fields of sunflowers. The seeds from the flower are used to make
cooking oil. Created by: Miss A. Maharajh – Pitlochry Primary School
A grape and wine farm in Western Cape ( Case Study 1)
Read about a commercial grape farm in the case study below:
The Du Toit family own a grape farm near the town of Paarl in Western Cape.
Mr Du Toit has two hectares of land for table grapes and 20 hectares for
wine grapes. (One hectare is the same size as a soccer field). The table
grapes are large, juicy grapes that people eat fresh. The wine grapes are
crushed and made into wine. Mr Du Toit sells the wine grapes to a wine co-
operative in Paarl. He exports his table grapes to other countries. Grapes grow on plants
called vines. To make sure the vines get enough water Mr Du Toit waters each one. Water
drips out of the tiny pipes directly on to each vine. Mr Du Toit spends a lot of money on
fertilisers so that his grapes are always good quality.
Mr Du Toit employs 20 full time workers. He employs extra workers to pick
grapes at harvest time. Mr Du Toit has two tractors on the farm. He has bought a spraying
machine to spray the vines against disease. He also has a large truck to
transport grapes to Paarl.Created by: Miss A. Maharajh- Pitlochry Primary School
Find information from a case study
1. Is this a commercial or subsistence farm?
_______________________________________________________
2. Give a reason for your answer.
_______________________________________________________
3. Identify the crop grown on this farm.
_______________________________________________________
4. List six expenses that Mr Du Toit has.
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
Created by: Miss A. Maharajh- Pitlochry Primary School
5. How does he make money out of his farm?
_______________________________________________________
6. How many people work there all year round?
_______________________________________________________
7. Why does Mr Du Toit need extra workers?
_______________________________________________________
8. Explain the difference between table and wine grapes.
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
Created by: Miss A. Maharajh- Pitlochry Primary School
Story of a mango farmer : Case Study 2
Makgoro Mannya grew up in a village north of Polokwane, in Limpopo Province. To
make a little money, she cooked and sold mango chutney, which is also called atchar.
Makgoro Mannya’s atchar was good and people wanted to buy more of it. Makgoro
could not get enough mangoes. Makgoro found a farm for sale. The soil was good
and there was enough water. She could grow tropical fruit on the farm. She went to
the bank and got a loan to buy the farm.
Now Makgoro is a farmer. Over 100 farm workers work on her farm. They grow
mangoes, as well as avocado pears, guavas and litchis. There is a factory on the farm
that makes mango atchar for all the shops. Makgoro sells the other fruit. The avocado
pears are even sold in Europe!(Adapted from Finance Weekly, 17 January 2008)
Created by: Miss A. Maharajh- Pitlochry Primary School
Use the information from the above case study
and complete the sentences. (Case Study 2)
1. Makgoro makes atchar from .
2. Makgoro decided to get a farm because
.
3. Before Makgoro bought this farm, she had made sure that it had good
and enough .
4. Litchis, mangoes and guavas are examples of fruits.
5. Avocado pears are sold to the continent of .
6. Makgoro is a (subsistence/commercial) farmer. I know this because
.
Created by: Miss A. Maharajh – Pitlochry Primary School
Find information from a case study
1.Is this a commercial or subsistence farm?
A commercial farm
2. Give a reason for your answer.
The produce is grown to sell for export and for wine production.
3. Identify the crop grown on this farm.
Grapes
4. List six expenses that Mr Du Toit has.
Irrigation, fertilisers, pesticides, salaries for workers, truck,
spraying machine, vines (Any 6)
Created by: Miss A. Maharajh – Pitlochry Primary School
5. How does he make money out of his farm?
He exports table grapes and sells his wine grapes to a co-operative in
Paarl.
6. How many people work here all year round?
Twenty (20)
7. Why does Mr Du Toit need extra workers?
He needs extra workers to pick the grapes at harvest time.
8. Explain the difference between table and wine grapes.
A table grape is a large, juicy grape for eating fresh and a Wine grape
is crushed to make wine.
Created by: Miss A. Maharajh – Pitlochry Primary School
Use the information from the above case study
and complete the sentences. (Case Study 2)
1. Makgoro makes atchar from mangoes.
2. Makgoro decided to get a farm because she could not get enough mangoes to make
her atchar as the demand was very high, she found a farm that was on sale and
bought it so that she could plant her own mangoes.
3. Before Makgoro bought this farm, she had made sure that it had good soil and
enough water.
4. Litchis, mangoes and guavas are examples of fruits tropical fruits.
5. Avocado pears are sold to the continent of Europe .
6. Makgoro is a (subsistence/commercial) farmer. I know this because she employes
100 workers.
Created by: Miss A. Maharajh – Pitlochry Primary School