AU kursuskatalog arkiv

Agroøkologi og miljø ( efterår 2008 - 5 ECTS )

Rammer for udbud

• Uddannelsessprog: engelsk (eller dansk)
• Niveau: Graduate course, obligatory
• Semester/kvarter: 1 st semester / 1st quarter.
• Timer per uge: 2 x 3-hours lectures and theoretical exercises per week plus excursions.
• Deltagerbegrænsning: 24.
• Undervisningssted: Århus
• Hovedområde: Det Jordbrugsvidenskabelige Fakultet
• Udbud ID: 11978

Formål

The course will provide introductory insight in:

• The basic elements and dynamics in agro-ecology and the interrelationships between agro-ecosystems and (non-agricultural) terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems
• How changes in the most important agricultural essentials (plant production, feed input, animal production, energy etc.) affect the exchange between the ecosystems at local, regional, and global scale
• The nature given resources and their importance in agricultural production (plant and livestock production) at local, regional, and global scale
• The use of ancillary materials like pesticides, feed additives, medicine etc. and their effects on the ecosystem

Læringsmål

After completion of the course, the students are expected to be able to:

• Sum up the most important elements and structures in agricultural and non-agricultural ecosystems (terrestrial and aquatic (fresh water))
• Describe the overall dynamics within the agro-ecological system and the interplay with the non-agricultural ecosystems at local, regional, and global scale
• Understand and explain the use of resources (water, nutrients, soil, energy etc) in general terms
• Explain and discuss the principles in the sustainability concept in agriculture

Indhold

The course introduces you to the fundamental conditions for agricultural production (use of resources and climate conditions) and the complexity and dynamics of the agro-ecological system. Furthermore, the course focuses on the interactions between the managed agro-ecosystem (soil, plant, animals) and the natural terrestrial and aquatic (fresh water) ecosystems. An important issue is to make you acquainted with the interactions between livestock and plant production with emphasis on e.g. nutrient utilisation and losses and green house gas emissions. Finally, the course introduces you to the tools and legislations that are used to regulate the agricultural production at local, regional and global scale.

Faglige forudsætninger

Bachelor degree in biology, geology, geography, agriculture or similar.

Underviser

Course manager: Hanne Damgaard Poulsen, head of research unit, AU-DJF. Experts in the individual areas will conduct the teaching.

Undervisnings- og arbejdsform

The course will be based on lectures and problem-oriented exercises. The project-based work will be conducted in groups. Finally, the students have to write an article to a popular science magazine.

English/Danish, depending on international participation.

Litteratur

Tentative literature:

Selected chapters in Gliesmann, S.R. (2006): Agroecology

Notes and review articles.

Studieordning og bedømmelse

Kandidatuddannelsen i jordbrug, natur og miljø

• Hj.opg., bedømt efter 7-skala med intern censur

Evaluation of the written popular article on a subject related to the problem-based exercises. The subject of the article has to be approved by the course manager. The article must be submitted before examination assignment. Assessment is based on the Danish 7-grade scale. Internal examiner.