NCEA Level 1 Agricultural and Horticultural Science (90160) 2008 – Page 1 of 4
Assessment Schedule – 2008
Agricultural and Horticultural Science: Describe the environmental impact of
primary production management practices (90160)
Evidence Statement
Q
Evidence
Code
Achievement
(a)
Adding compost increases the
amount of organic material /
nutrients in the soil (so fertiliser is
not required).
OR
Improves soil structure due to
increased organic matter
OR
Increased organic matter will
improve moisture retention
A
Describes ONE
positive
environmental
impact compost
has on the
environment.
(b)
Examples
Increased soil erosion because of
poor soil structure.
Increased demand for fertiliser,
which can lead to nutrient
leaching.
M
Possible
evidence for (a),
if required, to
achieve an A
grade.
Achievement
with Merit
ONE
Explanation links
the non-use of
compost to a
negative impact
on the
environment.
Achievement
with Excellence
NCEA Level 1 Agricultural and Horticultural Science (90160) 2008 – Page 2 of 4
Q
Achievement
with Merit
Evidence
Code
Achievement
Explanation of possible
management practices:
 Crop rotation – pests and
diseases do not build up, so the
use of pesticides is not (or is
less) frequent;
Biological controls – most pests
and diseases have some pests
and diseases of their own.
Where possible, these should
be employed to target
organisms that are causing
damage to market garden
vegetables. This will reduce
reliance on chemicals and so
reduce pollution.
Example
Crop rotation reduces the build up
of pests and prevents the soil
from losing fertility. Therefore
pesticides and fertiliser use are
less frequent / not required.
Whereas when using biological
controls, pests and disease are
still present (though in small
numbers) and will still cause some
damage.
A2
OR
Describes TWO
actions market
gardeners could
take so the
impact on the
environment is
minimised.
Explanations link
how crop
rotation
OR
using biological
controls,
reduces the
negative impact
on the
environment by
reducing the
pollution of
water, soil or air.
Achievement
can be awarded
where there is
evidence of a
description of
ONE of the
management
practices that
has not already
been offered
elsewhere in the
paper.
Merit can be
awarded where
there is
evidence of an
explanation of
ONE of the
management
practices that
has not already
been offered
elsewhere in the
paper.
Achievement
with Excellence
TWO
(a)
(1)
and
(2)
(b)
M2
(A)
OR
(M)
OR
E
Justifies the
choice of the
most
recommended
management
practice over the
use of ONE of
the other
management
practices.
NCEA Level 1 Agricultural and Horticultural Science (90160) 2008 – Page 3 of 4
Q
Evidence
Code
Achievement
Achievement
with Merit
THREE
(a)
Reasons and explanations
include:
 Effluent into waterways – there
is an increase in the volume of
effluent produced. Effluent
contains organisms that cause
disease. This effluent may
eventually be leached into
waterways, contaminating the
water and reducing oxygen in
the water through algal blooms.
 Increased use of nitrogenous
fertilisers – dairy cows require a
lot of pasture each day. Farmers
will need to apply much more
nitrogen-based fertiliser to
increase pasture growth, to
supply feed for dairy cattle.
 Degrading stream banks – cows
will walk into and onto
unprotected streams and river
banks. As they do this, their
hooves break down the river
banks, which erode into the
waterways. The quality of the
water is affected, as it carries an
increased flow of soil.
 Increasing irrigation – increasing
the number of cows in dry areas
means a heavy reliance on
irrigation. Without this, it is
unlikely that there would be
enough feed, as the quantity of
grass required is much higher
than that needed by the
traditional rural land use on the
eastern side of the country.
(A)
OR
M
Describes a
reason why
increasing cow
numbers will
decrease water
quality.
Explains why
increased
numbers of cows
will result in
decreased water
quality through
increased
effluent loading
of waterways
OR
increased use of
nitrogenous
fertilisers
OR
degradation of
river / stream
banks
OR
increased
reliance on
irrigation water.
Achievement
with Excellence
NCEA Level 1 Agricultural and Horticultural Science (90160) 2008 – Page 4 of 4
Q
Evidence
Code
Achievement
A
Describes ONE
management
practice that
could be used to
reduce the
negative impact
dairying in drier
regions has on
the environment.
(A)
OR
(M)
OR
E
Achievement
can be awarded
where there is
evidence of a
description of
ONE of the
techniques that
has not already
been offered
elsewhere in the
paper.
Three Management practices and
descriptions include:
(b)
 Use of settling ponds / spray the
effluent on to paddocks.
 Use of products such as EcoN.
 Fence off all waterways so
cattle cannot access them.
OR
build bridges so cattle can cross
the waterways without going
into them.
Achievement
with Merit
Achievement
with Excellence
Merit can be
awarded where
there is
evidence of an
explanation of
ONE of the
techniques that
has not already
been offered
elsewhere in the
paper.
Justifies the
choice of the
most
recommended
management
practice over the
use of ONE of
the other
management
practices.
 Reduce the stocking rate so
there is less pressure on the
pasture.
OR
grow more drought-tolerant feed
crops so there is less reliance
on additional water.
 Water budget – by calculating
how much water a crop requires
and measuring the amount of
water in the topsoil.
FOUR
Example
The best management practice
would be to use larger settling
ponds. This would ensure that the
effluent is prevented from
leaching into groundwater or run
off into surface waterways, and
hence would stop water pollution.
It is better than spreading the
effluent over a wider area, as
there is no indication as to the
type of soil on the farm. If the soil
is very light with a sandy texture
then the effluent will still leach into
groundwater, just over a wider
area.
Judgement Statement – 2008
Agricultural and Horticultural Science: Describe the environmental impact of primary production
management practices (90160)
Achievement
4A/M
Achievement with Merit
2M
Achievement with Excellence
2M
1E
plus
1A/M
OR
1A/M
2E
Grades in brackets eg (A2) (E2) signal that evidence for another question in the paper has been recognised.