JCE Agriculture case studies
JCE Agriculture · Put your knowledge to work in context.
The Junior Certificate Examination (JCE) Agriculture is a school-leaving qualification in Eswatini, typically taken at the end of the junior secondary phase. It is designed for learners who have studied agriculture as an examinable subject and who wish to demonstrate foundational knowledge and practical understanding of farming systems. The syllabus balances theory with applied skills: crop and animal production, soil and land management, tools and machinery, farm structures and fencing, agricultural economics, and the relationship between agriculture and the environment. Questions test recall of key terms, but also interpretation of simple farm scenarios and structured written responses that require reasoning about management decisions. The JCE Agriculture case studies are 5 cases and about 4,797 words.
1Blossom-end rot in furrow-irrigated tomatoes: disease, calcium or water?
A smallholder in a semi-arid district grows 2 ha of determinate tomatoes under furrow irrigation on a sandy loam. The field was limed five years ago; the last soil test, two seasons back, gave pH 5.2, organic carbon 0.4 % and exchangeable calcium 2.1 cmol/kg.
940 words, about 5 min2A six-cow dairy with poor conception and 9 litres: where should the money go?
A peri-urban dairy keepers' group owns six Friesian-cross cows averaging 9 litres/day. The cows are hand-milked twice daily and run on natural pasture for four hours a day.
949 words, about 5 min3Rills, low pH and a stream below: sequencing erosion control and fertility on a sloping field
A 1.5 ha field on a 7 % slope has grown continuous maize for eight seasons. Yield has fallen from 3.2 t/ha to about 1.4 t/ha.
959 words, about 5 min4Plough 8 ha himself, or hire - and should he buy a second tractor?
A farmer owns a 55 kW tractor and a 3-furrow mouldboard plough with 0.35 m furrow width. He plans to plough 8 ha before the rains.
951 words, about 5 min5Wet litter and ammonia in a naturally ventilated broiler house
A 12 m × 60 m open-sided broiler house holds about 6,000 birds (roughly 8 birds/m²). It is the third flock in the house.
998 words, about 5 min