Core Syllabus - Higher Certificate

Second Year

First Semester

Human Resource Management
15 credits
Introduction and the strategic link; An overview of labour legislation; The labour relations act; The employment relationship; Procurement of human resources; Remuneration; Collective bargaining / Negotiation; Employment equity; Training and development

Feasibility Study A
10 credits
Students are given a hypothetical topic on which they must do a survey of literature and / or a process of information gathering. The document to be handed in should be approximately 5-6 pages in length. The students each give a short presentation on their topic.

Agricultural Engineering (Civil A)
30 credits
Sourcing and provision of water; Conservation of agricultural resources act (43 of 1983); National water act (36 of 1998); Farm construction; Irrigation.

Building Project
10 credits
Planning, drawing and labeling of farm office plan; Calculating quantities of materials and itemized costing

Land Use Planning IIA
30 credits
Climate and mapping; Assessment of natural resources; Map reading; coding of crop and veld ecotopes; assessment of climate; Slope mapping; Demarcation of management units; Run-off control planning; Veld condition assessment; Farm planning procedures; Estimation of crop yields; Herd / flock composition.

Farm Business Management II (Financial Management)
25 credits
Farm management; Farm management information; Analysis of management information; Farm budgets; Subsidiary budgets; Capital budgets; Sources and use of credit

Crop Production IIA (Nursery Management)
25 credits
Growing media used in nurseries; Protective structures (green houses) - materials, heating and cooling systems; Plant propagation - seed and vegetative techniques; Basic flower production; Management - planning, production and marketing

Nursery Management Project
5 credits
The students learn and get practical experience in the different propagation methods. These include : seed propagation, propagation by cuttings, grafting and sudding, layering.

Crop Production IIB (Agronomy - General Crops)
25 credits
The principles of crop production; Maize production; Dry beans production; Soyabean production; Sunflower production; Potato production; Cotton production.

Agronomy Project
10 credits
Students carry a project related to the general crops that they study in the theory subject (Crop Production IIB (Agronomy - General Crops). Students, on their own, prepare the land, plant crops and manage crops until harvesting.

Computer Applications II
5 credits
Quattro Pro (Entering formulas; Sorting data; Editing worksheets; Display and printing of formulas in spreadsheet; Creating charts; Printing of spreadsheet and charts; Importing spreadsheets and graphics to Word Perfect and Presentations; Presentations (Creating a slide show; Drawing); Advances in Computer Technology (E-mail; Internet)

Animal Production IIA (Beef)
25 credits
Introduction to the beef industry; Breeding and selection systems; Management; Nutrition; Production systems; Marketing.

Steers Project
10 credits
Feeding, weighing, training and steer management.

Animal Production IIB (Pig Production)
25 credits
Introduction; Pig breeds; Stress in pigs; Housing; Breeding and genetics; The sow - Improving her efficiency; Nutrition; Management; Carcass and meat quality; Death in transit; New pork classification system; Record Systems; Pregnant sow management; rearing of piglets; lactating sow management; dry sow management; record-keeping.

Pig Project
10 credits
Dry-sow management; pregnant sow management; farrowing house management; piglet management; heat detection; nutrition; assisted mating - report submitted

Veld Production
20 credits
Introduction to basic ecological principles; Ecology of main grazing lands of South Africa; Classification of natural resources in KZN; The effect of defoliation an plant communities; The animal as a management factor; The domestic grazing animal; Soil erosion; Veld resting; Veld burning; Economic aspects of veld management; Alien plant control.

Veld Project
5 credits
Students do species identification, by collecting species and mounting them. A write-up has to be handed in on the agricultural significance of different species. Evaluation and assessment is done of veld.

Food Product Development II
20 credits
Meat; Fish; Gelatin; Milk; Dairy products; Eggs; Food preservation; Food additives; Vegetable Proteins.

Food Product Development Project II
5 credits
Using different cooking methods for different meat (red and white) and eggs; Food preservation.

Human Ecology IIA
20 credits
Family and household resource management (decision-making; Intra-household decision-making patterns; Participation in solving practical problems, etc.); Management and the ecosystem; Management of rural household as an enterprise; resources, appropriate technology; Strategies for support - community extension.

Clothing Production IIA
20 credits
Marketing (Strategic planning and the marketing management process; Marketing environment; Marketing research; Designing Product; New product development and product life cycle strategies; Pricing products; Placing products; Placing products; International marketing; Marketing services.

Clothing Project
5 credits
Garment construction

Second Semester

Agricultural Engineering (Civil B)
30 credits
Runoff control planning; Levelling; Hydraulics; Soil conservation.

Land-Use Planning IIB
30 credits
Farm planning for veld management; Demarcating veld type units; Planning the management of the veld; Estimating grazing capacity; Herd grouping; Planning the primary / secondary camps; Practical aspects of planning; Theoretical planning / Case studies.

Feasibility Study B
10 credits
Students are given a practical problem, based on the theory that was learnt is Feasibility Study A. A write-up of approximately 5-6 pages has to be handed in and each students is required to do a short 5 minute presentation on their subject.

Crop Production IIC (Sugarcane)
25 credits
Botany of sugarcane; Diseases; Farm Planning; Fertilizers; Harvesting; Husbandry; Irrigation; Management; Mechanization; Pests; Soils; Varieties; Weeds; Special lecture in cane testing, industrial relations, sugar manufacturing.

Sugarcane Project
10 credits
Students are guided to establish a nursery for different sugarcane cultivars.

Crop Production IID (Subtropical Fruit)
25 credits
Basic principles; Citrus; Avocado; Banana; Granadilla

Subtropical Project
10 credits
Students are guided to plant out fruit trees. They plant, prune, spray, maintain and harvest the trees.

Animal Production IID (Small Stock)
25 credits
Introduction to sheep and goat farming; Sheep breeds; Small stock nutrition; Lamb care; The handling of sheep; Facilities and equipment; Sheep shearing; Hides and skins; Marketing channels for livestock; Flock health management; Goat farming problems in KwaZulu-Natal; Dairy goats; Record keeping and selection.

Fodder Production
10 credits
Introduction to cultivated pastures; Selection of pasture species; Management of cultivated pastures; Reserve fodder types; Pasture species of KwaZulu-Natal; Seed quality and certification; Problems in pastures

Human Ecology IIB
25 credits
Gender issues; Methods of analysis of rural households; Welfare and population development; Rural women and access to land; Land restitution; Informal settlements; Access to finance; AIDS; Teenage pregnancy; Domestic violence.

Clothing Production IIB
20 credits
Fashion; Movement of fashion; Fashion merchandising; Family clothing management; Clothing Production; Fabric finishes; Clothing marketing.

Clothing Project
5 credits
Garment construction

Human Nutrition II
25 credits
Nutrition during the life cycle; Fat soluble vitamins; Water soluble vitamins; Minerals; Trace elements; Nutrition related diseases

Human Health and Hygiene II
30 credits
Concept of primary health care; Health facility plan for R.S.A.; Guide to family health; Personal health; Family planning; Immunisation programs; Common diseases.