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Section 2: Resources
Page 18: Natural, Capital And Human Resources
Curriculum Link: Types of resources (natural, human, capital) and the ways societies use them in order to satisfy the needs and wants of present and future generations (ACHEK002) Elaboration: Categorising resources as natural (water, coal, oil), human (workers, business owners, designing, making, thinking), and capital (tools, machines, technologies). Information: A resource is anything that has some form of use or value. In order to satisfy the needs and wants of consumers, producers use resources to supply goods and services. There are three main types of resources: natural, capital and human. Natural Resources Natural resources refers to anything that exists without humans having put them there. Examples include: the oceans, earth, soil, forests and animals. Mineral and energy resources, such as: gold, diamonds, coal, oil and natural gas, are also classifi ed as natural resources which can be used for production. Capital Resources Human-made objects and technology which are used to produce goods and services are referred to as capital. Examples include: a truck used to transport goods, the desk that someone works at and the tools used by a tradesperson. Human Resources Human resources include people themselves and the work that they carry out. This includes: physical labour, such as the kind of work a bricklayer does, as well as mental labour, such as the kind of work an offi ce worker might do. When people have the skills and expertise which enables them to organise the entire production process, this is referred to as enterprise. These people, known as entrepreneurs, often hold high positions within a business including: owners, managers, principals and project offi cers. They are often described as ‘the
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brains’ behind the business because they are able to generate new ideas and manage natural, capital and human resources in This is a Ready-Ed Publications' order to make their ideas become a reality. Page 19: Resource Types Curriculum Link: Types of resources (natural, human, book preview. capital) and the ways societies use them in order to satisfy the needs and wants of present and future generations (ACHEK002) Elaboration: Categorising resources as natural (water, coal, oil), human (workers, business owners, designing, making, thinking), and capital (tools, machines, technologies).
Answers:
Resources – anything that has some form of use or value, e.g. wood, cars, people. Natural – resources that exist without humans having put them there, e.g. oceans, earth, forests, animals, minerals. Capital – human-made objects and technology, e.g. vehicles, computers. Human – people, their intellectual abilities and the physical work that they are capable of, e.g. labour carried out by a bricklayer or a teacher, or the enterprise skills of a manager.
Page 20: Resources In My School Community
Curriculum Link: Types of resources (natural, human, capital) and the ways societies use them in order to satisfy the needs and wants of present and future generations (ACHEK002) Elaboration: Categorising resources as natural (water, coal, oil), human (workers, business owners, designing, making, thinking), and capital (tools, machines, technologies). Answers: Education.1. Students.2. Go to www.readyed.net. 3. Example of school resources include: Natural – the site on which the school is built. Capital – buildings, classrooms, desks, chairs, board, pens, paper, books, computers, gymnasium.
Section 2 Resources
Human – Principal (enterprise), teachers, librarian, offi ce staff , canteen staff (labour).
Page 21: Resources In The Wider Community 1
Curriculum Link: Types of resources (natural, human, capital) and the ways societies use them in order to satisfy the needs and wants of present and future generations (ACHEK002) Elaborations: Brainstorming resources that a local community might use. Listing the needs and wants of a local community and exploring the ways resources are used to meet these needs and wants. Information: If you’ve ever had a drink of milk, eaten a sandwich or consumed a meal from a local food establishment, then you have enjoyed some of the many conveniences of our readily available food supply. However, how often have you considered what resources are used to produce those foods for your consumption? The phrase ‘farm to fridge’ refers to the stages of food production, from growing crops and raising livestock to supermarket sales and consumption. An investigation of these stages enables us to gain an appreciation of the natural, capital and human resources involved in our food production systems.
The Dairy Industry – Farm to Fridge
Every year the average Australian drinks 106 litres of milk, eats over 13 kilograms of cheese, uses nearly 4 kilograms of butter and consumes 7.5 kilograms of yoghurt. Many other products, including muesli bars, chocolate, soups, breads and cakes also have milk as an ingredient. So what resources does the dairy industry use to meet the dietary needs and wants of the wider community? The fi rst stage of dairy production involves the raising of cattle on dairy farms for milk. In 2013 there were approximately 6,400 dairy farms in Australia, with an average herd size of 258 cows. Most farms are family
owned and operated, and may employ an additional labourer or farmhand. Farms generally consist of: a homestead where the This is a Ready-Ed Publications' family live, large machinery and a storage shed, the dairy (where the cows are milked), storage vats for the milk and numerous paddocks divided by fences. book preview. Cows kept for their milk will be left to graze in the paddocks all day and eat a variety of grasses. Farmers use fertilisers and irrigate their pastures to help them grow. Milking of the cows occurs twice a day, usually at around 5.30 am and 3.00pm. In the early years of the dairy industry, cows were often milked by hand, but today, large milking machines such as the rotary dairy, which allows up to 20 cows to be milked at the same time, have made the milking process much more effi cient. Each day tankers transport the milk from the dairy farms to the nearest processing plant or factory. The milk is then pumped into large insulated vats before undergoing two important processes. First, the milk is pasteurised to kill any harmful bacteria, then it undergoes a process called homogenisation, which makes the milk smooth and creamy. The fi nal stage at the processing factory is to turn the milk into a variety of dairy products including: yogurt, cheese, cream, ice cream, butter and other types of milk such as: skim, reduced or low fat, long life, fl avoured, powdered or condensed milk. From the time that the milk is received at the factory, it can be processed and packaged within 12 to 16 hours before being transported in trucks to Go to www.readyed.net. retail outlets.
Page 22: Resources In The Wider Community 2
Curriculum Link: Types of resources (natural, human, capital) and the ways societies use them in order to satisfy the needs and wants of present and future generations (ACHEK002)
Section 2 Resources
Elaborations: Brainstorming resources that a local community might use. Listing the needs and wants of a local community and exploring the ways resources are used to meet these needs and wants.
Answers:
1. The phrase ‘farm to fridge’ refers to the stages of food production, from growing crops and raising livestock to supermarket sales and consumption. 2. The main resources used to produce milk from ‘farm to fridge’ include:
FARM
Natural – the land on which the dairy farm operates; soil; water supply.
Capital – buildings such as the homestead; machinery and storage sheds; the dairy; milk storage vats; milking machines; paddocks and fences; fertilisers; and irrigation.
Human – the farmer and family who run the dairy; farmhand.
FACTORY
Natural – the land on which the factory or processing plant operates.
Capital – buildings; machinery and equipment used for storage/ refrigeration; pasteurisation; homogenisation; processing and packaging.
Human – the driver of the milk tanker; factory workers; manager.
RETAIL OUTLETS
Natural – the land on which the retail outlet is built.
Capital – buildings; equipment including fridges; shelves; cash registers.
Human – sales staff ; managers. 3. Students explore the natural, capital and human resources related to the provision of a specifi c community service or facility in their local area.
Page 23: Aboriginal And Torres Strait Islander People's Knowledge And Use This is a Ready-Ed Publications' Of Resources 1
Curriculum Link: Types of resources (natural, human, capital) and the ways societies use them in order to satisfy the needs and wants of present and future generations (ACHEK002) book preview. Elaboration: Exploring how Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People’s use of resources refl ects their spiritual connections to the land, sea, sky and waterways and how these connections contribute to resource use.
Information: The First Australians
Australia has two distinct indigenous groups - Aboriginal Peoples and Torres Strait Islander Peoples. Archaeological evidence suggests that they have lived continuously in Australia for over 50,000 years. At the time of European settlement, approximately 600 diff erent clans or ‘nations’ are estimated to have lived around the continent, each with their own language, cultural traditions, spiritual beliefs and unique identity. Despite their diversity, each group shared in common a rich connection to, and relationship with, its land or place, often referred to as ‘Country’.
Connection to ‘Country’
All cultures have stories about creation. For the Aboriginal Peoples, this time has been translated into English as the ‘Dreaming’. Torres Strait Islanders do not use the term ‘Dreaming’, although they do have similar creation stories and beliefs. While these stories vary depending on the regions in Australia that they originated from, many have in common the giant spirit creatures or ancestral beings that created the environment that we know today, including Go to www.readyed.net. the land, sea, sky, waterways and living things. Passed on orally for thousands of years, they illustrate the spiritual connection between the people, their places and their environment.
Section 2 Resources
Natural Resources
The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples had an excellent knowledge of their local areas, the diversity of plants and animals found there, and a deep understanding of the seasons. As a result they were able to utilise the natural resources that the land had to off er. Access to fresh water, food, materials for tool-making, building and everyday living depended on the location in which a clan lived. Some hunted animals such as kangaroos for their meat and used their skins to keep warm. Possums, birds, snakes, goannas, fi sh, lobsters, eels and tortoises were also captured by certain groups, while shellfi sh, fruit, seeds, roots, witchetty grubs and other kinds of ‘bush tucker’ were gathered. Rivers, waterholes and underground reservoirs provided fresh water.
Capital Resources
Natural resources were used to make capital resources, such as shelter, tools and implements, and refl ect the geographical location of diff erent groups. For example, coastal tribes used fi sh bones and shell to tip their weapons, while desert tribes used stone tips. Implements such as: knives, scrapers, axe-heads, spears, digging sticks and various vessels for eating and drinking were common to numerous tribes throughout the continent.
Answers: The term ‘Country’ refers to the land 1. or place which Aboriginal Peoples are This is a Ready-Ed Publications' connected to. Aboriginal Peoples have a spiritual 2. connection with ‘Country’ through the creation stories and beliefs associated book preview. with the Dreaming. Their ancestral beings created the land, sea, sky and all living things, and made the local people guardians or custodians of the land. 3. Access to freshwater, food, materials for tool-making, building and everyday living depended on the location a clan lived in and the diversity of plants and animals found there. For example, coastal tribes used fi sh bones and shells to tip their weapons while desert tribes used stone tips.
RESEARCH
Coolamon – an oblong shaped dish made from wood or bark used for a variety of purposes such as carrying water, food and babies. Woomera – a hooked stick made from wood that was used to throw spears with greater force and speed. They were also used for a Go to www.readyed.net. variety of other purposes including cutting and digging.
Curriculum Link: Types of resources (natural, human, capital) and the ways societies use them in order to satisfy the needs and wants of present and future generations (ACHEK002) Elaboration: Exploring how Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People’s use of resources refl ects their spiritual connections to the land, sea, sky and waterways and how these connections contribute to resource use.
Section 2 Resources
Digging sticks – multipurpose tools made from hard wood used for digging to fi nd underground water, roots and bush tucker. They were also used for grinding. Message sticks – wooden sticks used to relay information between diff erent Aboriginal groups. Each stick was carved in such a way that would help the carrier to remember long and complex messages.
Curriculum Link: Types of resources (natural, human, capital) and the ways societies use them in order to satisfy the needs and wants of present and future generations (ACHEK002) Elaboration: Exploring how Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People’s use of resources refl ects their spiritual connections to the land, sea, sky and waterways and how these connections contribute to resource use.
Answers:
Students use primary sources, such as guest speakers, and/or secondary sources, such as online and print resources, to investigate the Aboriginal nation or language group who once occupied their local area.
Curriculum Link: Types of resources (natural, human, capital) and the ways societies use them in order to satisfy the needs and wants of present and future generations book preview. (ACHEK002) Elaboration: Exploring how Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People’s use of resources refl ects their spiritual connections to the land, sea, sky and waterways and how these connections contribute to resource use.
Information:
In many Aboriginal Dreaming stories, the ancestral beings responsible for creation often spoke to the tribal Elders and made the local people guardians or custodians of the land. This is why the people have a very special meaning of ‘Country’ that goes beyond the supply of food, water and other resources. Their spiritual and cultural connections to the land oblige them to look after the sites of their ancestors.
Traditional Land Management Practices
Read the examples of ways in which traditional Aboriginal Peoples used resources to meet their needs and wants without over-exploiting them. • Some clans developed a nomadic lifestyle, moving seasonally between locations so that water supplies were given a chance to renew. • Eating a large variety of foods meant that no one food source was depleted. • Enough seeds were left so that there would always be new growth. The young of any animals, or females • still caring for their off spring, were rarely Go to www.readyed.net. killed. • When collecting eggs from a bird’s nest, some were always left to hatch in order to ensure the survival of the species.
Section 2 Resources
Unfortunately, many Aboriginal People’s connections to the land were broken after the time of European settlement in This is a Ready-Ed Publications' Australia. It is estimated that up to 70% have lost their traditional connection to Country and knowledge about the use and management of resources. Today, book preview. Elders and their people, who have had this knowledge passed on to them, are working with both Indigenous Australians and nonIndigenous Australians to ensure that the environmental legacy of their ancestors continues.
Go to www.readyed.net.
Poem: Th e Land
We have walked on the land for thousands of years. We are caretakers of the land not owners of the land. We are one with the land. We hunt on the land, the land feeds us. We make all uses of the land. We have cultural ceremony on the land. We have all-embracing knowledge of how the land changes and how to adapt to that change. We know how to read the land. We communicate with each other concerning the land. Th e land is part of our dreaming.
Poet Unknown Taken from ‘Understanding the Land through the Eyes of the Ngunnawal People: A Natural Resource Management Program for ACT Schools’. Published by the ACT Government.
Answers:
1. Students can choose any three lines which they believe refl ect the connection between the land and people. 2. In many Dreaming stories, the ancestral beings spoke to the tribal Elders and made the local people guardians or custodians of the land. Their spiritual and cultural connections to the land oblige them to look after the sites of their ancestors.
