We grow crops or plants for many reasons. •Crops can be damaged which leads to reduced yields. •Therefore farmers need to protect crops against weeds, drought, veld fires and animals. 1.animals: •Plants need to be protected from animals like sheep, goats, donkeys and cattle. •These animals are grazers and browsers, so they destroy plants. •Therefore plants can be protected from the animals by using fences. •Barbed wire, or thorn bush wood can be used as fence. 2. Veld fires •Veld fire are usually experienced during the dry season. •These fires may destroy plants in fields and plantations. •Plants can be protected from veld fires by a fireguard. •A fireguard is a strip of land without grass on it. •A fire guard must be at least 9 metres wide. •The strip runs around the area planted to prevent the veld fires. 3. Drought •Drought is the shortage of rain water for a long time. •When plants do not enough water they wilt, resulting in poor growth and even death of plants. •Low rainfall also causes low yields and poor growth. •Drought can be protected by: ✓Plant drought resistant seeds. ✓Using irrigation ✓Practice water conservation methods such as mulching and terraces. 4. Weed control • Crops can be affected by weeds. •Weeds compete for nutrients with plants resulting in poor growth. • Some weeds provide shelter and food for pests that later attack the crop. •Weeds have to be removed from planting or transplanting until the end of the rainy season.