| CODE | IES5033 | ||||||||||||||||
| TITLE | Regenerative Agriculture and Food Systems 1: Key Concepts | ||||||||||||||||
| UM LEVEL | 05 - Postgraduate Modular Diploma or Degree Course | ||||||||||||||||
| MQF LEVEL | 7 | ||||||||||||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 6 | ||||||||||||||||
| DEPARTMENT | Institute of Earth Systems | ||||||||||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | This study-unit forms part of a set of two study-units that will be offered sequentially. The study-units will together provide students with a comprehensive understanding of the challenge of meeting a growing global demand for food while remaining within the boundaries of environmental systems. In this first study-unit, the students will first focus on soil as a key element in regenerative agricultural systems. Through an introduction to relevant aspects of soil science, focusing on soil types, soil biology and related management practices in the United States. Students will then be introduced to different types of agriculture and agricultural systems. An overview of present dominant food production methods will be provided, specifically monoculture and chemically-based agriculture systems and related issues such as corporate control of seed and mechanisation. Options for regenerative agriculture are then examined, exploring ways to maintain biodiversity and ecosystem services while maintaining production. The study-unit will thus familiarise students with differences between conventional and regenerative agricultural approaches, and with their respectives roles with respect to climate change impacts, mitigation and adaptation. Relevant aspects of US agricultural policy will also be outlined. The study-unit content will be linked to a variety of field trips and will be further supplemented through interactions with relevant stakeholders in the sector. Study-Unit Aims: - To introduce basic soil science and enable students to acquire a working knowledge of soil nomenclature, soil biology and soil chemistry; - To familiarise students with the challenges of meeting global demands for food; - To explain how the production of food is intrinsically tied to a variety of sustainability concerns; - To illustrate the differential impact of different agricultural production systems on climate change; - To explain the basic elements of agricultural ecology; - To outline differences between conventional and regenerative agricultural systems. Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Identify specific sustainability challenges posed by conventional food production systems; - Describe the basic elements of agricultural ecology; - Explain nutrient and energy flows in different agricultural systems; - List and describe the major global soil types, and their respective properties and management requirements; - Outline principles of regenerative agriculture and identify ways in which these can be applied. 2. Skills: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Critically appraise the impacts that modern food production has had on natural systems; - Compare and contrast the relative sustainability impacts of conventional and regenerative agricultural systems; - Compare different soil and farm management practices in relation to nutrient management and erosion control; - Develop skills to trace food from seed and farm to table, assessing the energy, water, chemical and processing energy needs going into the crop and its preparation for consumption. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: Soil Science Simplified (Fifth Edition), Franzmeier et al. Waveland Press 2016 Growing a Revolution. David Montgomery. WW Norton & Co. 2017 |
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| ADDITIONAL NOTES | Co-requisite Study-units: IES5034 ** Resits will be held during the period indicated by the partner institution responsible for the study-unit in accordance with the regulations applicable at the respective institution. |
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| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Lecture, Fieldwork and Lab Sessions | ||||||||||||||||
| METHOD OF ASSESSMENT |
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| LECTURER/S | Jared Stoltzfus |
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The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2025/6. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
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