Rainfall at times becomes limited and very irregular. During good years, agriculture in these areas produces satisfactory yields. However reduced rainfall or prolonged dry spells are leading immediately to crop failure. This has significantly hampered the school in increasing production and sustaining production levels. Both crop production and livestock production have been hampered, The wider community of Knockalva has been suffering from the same problem and the school is coming under pressure from inside and outside to come up with workable solutions to alleviate the problem.
During periods of heavy rainfall the school community suffers from excessive runoff from the roofs of the school buildings which leads to soil erosion, heavy siltation of the Great River and its tributaries and nutrient and chemical leaching with causes contamination of the watershed and its environment.
? Irrigation would be the logic solution but water scarcity and the high cost of irrigation infrastructure are major handicaps. Alternative solutions should be found to increase the quantity of water on the school farm.
? This problem has persisted at Knockalva for the past sixty years since the rainfall pattern has significantly changed as a result of climate change.
The school has tried to address the problem in a small way through the use of the overhead black tank systems by the purchasing of water from the National Water Commission but this has proved expensive and in adequate.
Water harvesting is a proven technology to increase food security in drought prone areas. Erosion control and recharge of ground water are additional advantages of water harvesting techniques. In addition the school has tried to solve some of the land degradation problems through employing land husbandry practices such as bench terraces, grass barriers, minimum tillage and drainage systems,
The school has adapted the Greenhouse Technology to reduce land degradation
With the school building two greenhouses for both tutorial and production purposes and to provide training for farmers in the communities around, it is imperative that the school uses adaptable technology to sustain the greenhouses with irrigation water.
During the months when there is high intense rainfall , land degradation through soil erosion , siltation land slippages , blocked drains and canals crop destruction has caused serious problems . In times of prolong drought the community suffers from the lack of water to carry on crop production and livestock production . The odour from the piggery unit becomes a public nuisance as there is insufficient water to maintain the daily sanitation of the unit. ,. Livestock suffers from the lack of water.
The cost of water from the National Water Commission becomes much too expensive for the school to manage and remain productive.