ST.

GEORGE’S COLLEGE

GEOGRAPHY DEPARTMENT

GEOGRAPHY

SCHOOL-BASED ASSESSMENT [SBA]

GEOGRAPHY SCHOOL-BASED ASSESSMENT PORTFOLIO

CANDIDATE:

Dominic Lopez

CANDIDATE NUMBER:

100107

ASSESSOR:

MS. MCFARLANE

YEAR:

2020
 Table of Contents
Introduction………………………….………………………...Page 1

Aims of Study…………………………...…………………..... Page 2

Methodology………………………………….…………......... Page 3

Location of Study…………………………………….……...... Page 4

Presentation and Analysis of Data …………………...………. Page 6

Conclusion……………………………………………………..Page 7
 Introduction

This study is being conducted in Douglas Castle, South St. Ann to determine if peasant farming

is beneficial to the residence. This area is chosen because peasant farming is a major practice in

the area. This area gives the researchers the opportunity to explore nature while gathering the

relevant information as it relates to the objective of finding out if peasant farming benefits the

citizens.

Page 1
 Aims of Study

1. To identify and explain the advantages of Peasant farming in Douglas Castle.

2. To describe and explain the land use in Douglas Castle.

3. To determine and explain if peasant farming is suitable for the environment of Douglas

Castle.

Page 2
 Methodology

The study was conducted on May 10, 2019 in the community of Douglas Castle, St.

Catherine, Jamaica. This area is very proficient in the field of peasant farming and

therefore was the optimal place to conduct our peasant farming study. The data was

collected by taking surveys from farmers about their different daily routines on the farm

as well as some background information. Also, the researchers were able to observe

different activities being conducted on the farm. The different tools used were pen and

paper to document the information, a cell phone camera to take photographs and record

video used as reference material, an interview schedule used as a guide to conduct

interviews with farmers encountered in the field, as well as maps to locate specific farm

sites in the area of study. A total of 7 Persons were questioned and only 5 were willing to

answer. Therefore, after data was collected, tallied and recorded, it was analyzed and

presented.

Page 3
 Presentation and Analysis of Data

There are several advantages of farming in Douglas Castle which are: Firstly, More Employment

opportunities-Peasant farming at Douglas Castle grants a lot of opportunities for employment on

the farm, when compared with other farming systems. Even though the farm is small in size,

there are many individual practices happening on the land which grants multiple job

opportunities. As well as the little use of machinery enables them to hire more labor. Secondly,

Easy access to crops for residents- Having farms in your community allows you to get your

market crops from the comfort of your town. The residents will have a constant supply of fresh

ground provisions and the farmers will also have guaranteed business on a weekly basis.

Peasant farming in Douglas Castle takes up most of the community’s land space. About 80% of

Douglas Castle is occupied by various peasant farms. Each of the farms grow their individual

crops such as yam, chocho, banana or potatoes. The other 20% of Douglas Castle is occupied by

businesses such as shops, as well as residential housing.

The environment of Douglas Castle is suitable for peasant farming. In spite of the fact that crops

are damaged whenever there is an extended period of rainfall or a heavy downpour crops are still

produced on a relatively good scale. Soil erosion is also present in the soil, but the farmers have

counteracted both these issues with the digging trenches to channel excess run off away from

crops whenever there is too much rainfall which reduces the levels of soil erosion.

Page 6
Chart 1: Showing the Various Reasons Douglas Castle Farmers Became Farmers

Reason For Being A Farmer

Data acquired: May 10, 2019

From the field study done in Douglas Castle most of the respondents (40%) became farmers

because they wanted to keep with the family business. A few of them (30%) became farmers

because they wanted to do farming. As you can see from the chart some of them became farmers

because they could not find any other job (30%).

Page 7
Chart 2: Showing Age Group of Farmers Against Their Years Farming

70

60

50

40

Age
30 Farming Years

20

10

0
Farmer Farmer Farmer Farmer Farmer Farmer Farmer Farmer Farmer Farmer
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Data acquired: May 10, 2019

The chart above represents the various age groups of farmers as well as the years they have been

farming for. Based on the data above, it can be derived that the oldest farmer present at Douglas

Castle is 65 years old, but the longest serving farmer has been farming for 32 years and is 62

years old.

Page 8
Chart 3: Showing Fertilizers Used By Farmers

Type of Fertilizer Used

20%
Livestock Manure
40%
Agricultural Waste

Mixable Soluble
40% Phosphate Fertilizer

Data acquired: May 10, 2019

From the field study done in Douglas Castle 4 farmers (40%) use livestock manure for fertilizer.

4 of them (40%) use agricultural waste for fertilizer. 2 of them (30%) use mixable soluble

phosphate fertilizer. As you can see from the data above, the prominent fertilizers are the

livestock manure and the agricultural waste fertilizer.

Page 9
Chart 4: Showing Where Farmers sell their crops

Where Farmers Sell Their Crops

Both 2

Hotel 2
Series1

Market 6

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Data acquired: May 10, 2019

According to the bar chart above, majority of the farmers (60%) sell the crops that they reap at

the market. Other farmers (20%) choose to sell their crops to various hotels. While a few of the

farmers (20%) sell their crops to both hotels and at the market.

Page 10
Chart 5: Showing Farmers With Other Sources of Income

Number of Farmers With Other Sources of

20%

Other Job
No Other Job

80%

Data acquired: May 10, 2019

The pie chart above shows that most of the farmers at Douglas Castle (80%) have multiple

sources of income to earn more money. The other (20%) of the farmers do not have any other

source of income apart from farming.

Page 11
Conclusion

In conclusion, farming in Douglas Castle is a widespread lifestyle among the residents. It

provides an adequate source of income but also takes up a lot of their time to manage.

Page 12