Sweeten the Crop— A Moonhack 2024 project
Sugarcane farming is a large industry in Australia, particularly in Queensland, and worldwide we are the 3rd largest exporter, growing 30 million tonnes of sugarcane a year. Sugarcane growers work hard to ensure that their farming practices protect our environment, are sustainable, and use water wisely.
This year’s Scratch project, Sweeten the Crop, gets young people to create a clicker game to see if they can use the right amount of water to grow the perfect sugarcane crop. The project is based on real information about how farmers use data to inform the amount of water they irrigate their crops with. By using soil moisture sensors to collect data, and accessing predicted rain forecasts, farmers can make informed decisions to ensure that they don’t waste water and keep their running costs to a minimum.
Haven’t registered for Moonhack yet? Make sure you register here to be counted.
Resources
To learn more about the topic we’ve got some great websites to visit.
Learn about sugarcane | CANEGROWERS — Learn about sugarcane from our project collaborators, CANEGROWERS
Teacher resources | CANEGROWERS — Resources for teachers
Sugarcane in Queensland — CANEGROWERS (youtube.com) — Watch this video to learn more!
The Sweet Facts about Sugar Cane — Lots of information from CANEGROWERS that documents the process from paddock to packet.
Sugar Cane Facts for Kids — Use Kiddle to find all you need about sugarcane. This child-friendly encyclopedia has lots of information.
CANEGROWERS student resources — A range of resources from links to videos, by CANEGROWERS.
About the project
Using the Scratch starter project, coders will learn how to use variables to control gameplay, use branching statements to determine the outcomes, and use broadcast to communicate between sprites.
The farmer starts the game by letting the player know the main objective. Then it is a case of watching the environment and the soil moisture to determine how much water is needed for the crop. This mimics the role that farmers play with their crops in real life. The player can irrigate the crop by clicking the water button, but they need to watch out for rain and not overwater!
The project is aimed at young people who have some experience in coding with Scratch. More advanced blocks such as variables and operators are used and incorporated into branching blocks to determine actions. The extension ideas for the game look at how to tell the next part of the sugar journey at harvest, creating more events that impact the game such as the introduction of the cane beetle, or adding more specific information about farming practices.
You can view the project code along. Kaye takes you step by step through the how to make the project.
You can also view our full interview with Shikira and Matt from CANEGROWERS. They have been part of the journey from the beginning, collaborating on the project idea, making improvements, and will be part of the judging panel.
Will you be submitting your project and entering the competition? Submissions open October 14.
Testers
Meet Leanyer Code Club, one of our testing clubs for this project. This is their first year of being testers, however, they are very experienced at participating in Moonhack. One of their Code Club members was the winner of the Space Junk project in 2023!
Tama suggests that the project is good for those with a little experience with Scratch and it took him about an hour to create. He suggested some improvements in the game, in particular coming up with a way to block the player from starting to play until the farmer has given the instructions. Will you make the same changes?
Curriculum Links
For educators who are using Moonhack in their classrooms, there are many links that can be made across the Digital Technologies curriculum.
Year 3–4 Digital Technologies
AC9TDI4P02 — follow and describe algorithms involving sequencing, comparison operators (branching) and iteration
AC9TDI4P03 generate, communicate and compare designs
AC9TDI4P04 — implement simple algorithms as visual programs involving control structures and input
Years 5–6 Digital Technologies
AC9TDI6P01 — define problems with given or co-developed design criteria and by creating user stories
AC9TDI6P02 — design algorithms involving multiple alternatives (branching) and iteration
AC9TDI6P04 — generate, modify, communicate and evaluate designs
AC9TDI6P05 — implement algorithms as visual programs involving control structures, variables and input
The project also focuses on Sustainable Development Goal 2, End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture. Our farmers work hard to ensure their practices are sustainable and are the best for the environment.
Moonhack takes place from October 14th to 31st 2024. Make sure you register to be counted in this year’s numbers!
Kaye
Moonhack Mission Control
