NPLK14020U CANCELLED: Sustainable Agricultural Development Pathways

Volume 2018/2019
Education

MSc Programme in Agricultural Development
MSc Programme in Sustainable Development in Agriculture (Agris Mundus)

Content

The course addresses the challenge of increasing food production in developing countries, while conserving the key natural resources. 
The course addresses key resource constraints in a constructive, non-dogmatic and case-specific way. In three topical sessions, the course investigates Water use; Nutrients and soil quality and Pests and insects.
In each session, the mechanistic basis is presented, in order to understand and evaluate potential and constraints for increasing food production while conserving resources. The mechanistic base in then applied semi-quantitatively at farming system level in a series of case-specific scenarios, under varying soil, climate and socioeconomic conditions. Trade-offs and interrelationships are emphasized at the farming system level.
The course will qualify students to discuss sustainable development pathways, with a mechanistic, quantitative understanding of biological and chemical processes, but applied to farming system level. There is an element of "myth-busting" in the evaluation of various interventions applied, quantitative potential. The course emphasizes the diversity of farming systems, climatic and market conditions, and hence relevance of various solutions and encourages innovative thinking.
Students will write one individual assignment during the course, which forms 30% of the final mark.

Learning Outcome

Knowledge
Knowledge of main arguments for or against agronomic development paradigms (GMO, Agro-ecology, Organic etc).
Overview of main constraints for agronomic development and yield gaps globally
Overview of resource availability (water, nutrient, land) globally and cost of access.


Skills
Mechanistic understanding of factors which control water and nutrient use efficiency in crops.
Understanding of plant beeding potential for tropical crop production with and without GMO's.
Ability to analyse trade-offs between selected agricultural interventions, yield benefits, environmental benefits and labour consumption.
Ability to evaluate carbon mitigation potential of selected farming systems


Competences
Ability to discuss relevance of various agricultural development interventions under a variety of climatic, edaphic and socioeconomic conditions.
Ability to analyse farming systems agronomically
Ability to make recommendations for sustainable agricultural development pathways for specific system types

Literature

Scientific papers. Further information will be available on Absalon.

BSc level in agriculture, biology, geography or similar. Fundamental plant/crop science background recommended.
Tropical Crop Production recommended prerequistite course
Lectures, Exercises, Individual and group asignments on exploring and presenting pre-defined cases.
  • Category
  • Hours
  • Exam
  • 4
  • Guidance
  • 12
  • Lectures
  • 54
  • Preparation
  • 48
  • Project work
  • 30
  • Seminar
  • 8
  • Theory exercises
  • 50
  • Total
  • 206
Written
Oral
Individual
Collective
Continuous feedback during the course of the semester
Credit
7,5 ECTS
Type of assessment
Written assignment
Written examination, 2 timer under invigilation
The course has been selected for ITX exam on Peter Bangs Vej.

Three topical group reports during the course.
One individual written assignment during the course on a topic within the course frame.
2 hour written exam with calculations, designs, concept development, analysis and discussion.
Examination: The three topical reports count 30%. The individual written assignment accounts for 30% and the written exam for 40% of the final grade.

The individual assignment is submitted in week 8 of the course
Exam registration requirements

Participation in 3 mandatory exercises during course.

Aid
All aids allowed

The University will make computers and power available to students taking written exams with invigilation in the University’s building on Peter Bangs Vej 36 (ITX). These students are therefore not permitted to bring their own computers, tablets or mobile phones. If textbooks and/or notes are permitted, according to the course description, these must be in paper format or on a USB flash drive.

Marking scale
7-point grading scale
Censorship form
No external censorship
several internal examinators
Re-exam

As the ordinary exam.

An individual assignment is handed in 2 weeks before re-exam if the requirements is not fullfilled.

Criteria for exam assesment

Assignment is evaluated based on the following criteria:
Level of academic detail and mechanistic understanding of selected processes
Ability to discuss specific mechanisms in relevant context of chosen farming systems
Ability to reflect on barriers for implementation and applied perspectives for food production.

Ability to answer the questions and complete the calculations in the written exam.