Farming Systems & Sustainable Resource Use is one of 9 topics in the Grade 12 Agricultural Sciences CAPS syllabus, covered across 3 lessons on Study Vault. Below are real practice questions from this topic with full worked answers.
Sample practice questions
Easy
1. Which of these is an example of an intensive farming system?
A feedlot where cattle are fed concentrated rations in confined pens
Extensive sheep ranching on natural Karoo veld
Free-range beef cattle grazing on unimproved natural pasture
Game farming on large tracts of natural veld
Answer: A feedlot where cattle are fed concentrated rations in confined pens — A feedlot is a classic intensive system: small land area, high capital and labour inputs, and confined, high-input feeding to maximise production per hectare.
Easy
2. Extensive farming systems are best described as using:
Relatively large areas of land with comparatively low inputs of labour and capital per hectare
Relatively small areas of land with very high inputs of labour and capital per hectare
No land at all, only artificial growing environments
Only crop production, never livestock production
Answer: Relatively large areas of land with comparatively low inputs of labour and capital per hectare — Extensive systems use large land areas with comparatively low labour and capital inputs per hectare, relying more heavily on natural resources like veld grazing and rainfall.
Medium
3. Name the South African region specifically mentioned in this lesson as an example of a drier region suited to extensive beef and sheep ranching on natural grazing.
Answer: the Karoo — The Karoo is given as an example of a drier South African region where extensive livestock ranching on natural veld is the appropriate farming system.
