Interdependence indicates how nothing on this earth can operate on it’s own. The meaning of interdependence is that different systems often rely on one another to simply survive (Kaufman, 2019). Before the past two sessions, I found it difficult to understand the true meaning of interdependence. However, the past two sessions have highlighted that even humans are involved in interdependence as we rely on certain things in order for us to survive, for example, we rely on innocent animals for our food supply for ourselves and our families.
Our first session of interdependence was our visit to the two different types of farm. The names of these two farms were Mosgile Farm and Strandhead Farm. Although both farms worked with cows and their dairy industries, they worked in very different and inspiring ways.
Strandhead Farm was very much industrialised. Everything relied on forms of technology. There wasn’t really much involvement from farmers as everything was completed by machinery. The cows were kept in pens all day everyday for milking purposes however we actually discovered that the cows preferred to be in their pens because when farmers had let them out into the fields they just came back to their pens again!
There was a milking machine that allows the cows to be milked by a machine instead of a farmer and also a machine that pushed hay towards the cows in order for them to have food.
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The machinery however can also have a negative effect on farming. Due to all the milk being pasteurized through various types of machinery, it can effect our society as the milk being sold throughout the industry could be a danger to us as it is not being done organically therefore there is likely to be more chemicals involved in the milk process(Hind,2018).
The second farm was the Mosgile Farm. As mentioned before this farm was the complete opposite to Strandhead farm as everything was completed here organically. They pasteurized their own milk to cut down production time and they allowed the cows to be out in the fields every day to enjoy the environment. Mosgile was a family run farm that was passed down from generation to generation. Bryce who was in charge of the farm currently, told us about the situations the family had went through due to family bereavements and difficult situations such as bankruptcy. Bryce had shown us how if you do not have a steady income then you can not provide for your family. This family farm had a knock on effect from one thing to another since Bryce’s grandfather passed away. As the family farm went bankrupt due to serious circumstances Bryce had lost loads of cows and his farms money in order for the farm to be saved. This difficult time stopped his family farm to contribute to the economy as there was no milk to sell because the cows had all been given away to save their business.
The farm visit was such a good experience because it was a great resource of outdoor learning that could be used in my classroom. It would be a useful task to use because it involved everyone and would encourage kids to think about how much farming actually provides a living for the majority of our families and what impact they have in our world which then links teaching with the professional standard of social integrity. I found it very inspiring to see how hard these farmers work on a daily basis and will start to reflect on what I can do as an individual that could reduce their workload and help the environment by doing things such as eating less meat or drinking less milk.
Our directed study task focused on “Sustainable Seas”. This allowed my peers and myself to create an Infographic based on our oceans. Oceans are a key part of our planet and we rely on it very much. It helps us to breathe and is the home to various fish species which provide a food supply within our communities (MSC). We gained knowledge from this task as we discovered how much over fishing is effecting our wildlife under the ocean. It had shown us the impact fishing has on our economy as well as prices to run boats were becoming too expensive therefore it had a knock on effect to our economy as many people were loosing their jobs through the fishing industry. We discovered that many governments are trying to put an end to overfishing as for example, the Scottish Government are no longer renewing fishing licences meaning that fishermen will no longer be allowed to fish without one (Scottish Government, 2011).
Below is a link to our groups inforgraphic about Sustainable Seas.
https://create.piktochart.com/output/41757512-interdependence?fbclid=IwAR3o_UVQcGyQAQJXxkbt4jsgb0DbHDVymS6g8U5wVBLTnqH8iYroykyKTgc
Overall, the sessions has shown the real importance of Interdependence and how much us as humans rely on things in order to survive. The sessions have allowed me to gain effective communication, collaborative and analytical skills. This is an important subject which I look forward to teaching!
REFERENCES
Hind, D. (2018) Could Cows Reverse the Effects of Climate Change? [Online] Available: https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.independent .co.uk/life-style/food-and-drink/cows-beef-farming-reverse-climate-change-global-warming- a8202121.html%3famp/ [Accessed: 21st October 2019]
Kaufman, J. (2019) What is Interdependence? [Online] Available: https://personalmba.com/interdependence/ [Accessed: 21st October 2019].
Marine Stewardship Council. Oceans at risk [Online] Available: https://www.msc.org/uk/what-we-are-doing/oceans-at-risk [Accessed 22nd October 2019].
Scottish Government (2011) Fishing [Online] Available: https://www2.gov.scot/Publications/2011/03/16182005/63 [Accessed: 22nd October 2019].
