Instructional Resources
Exploring Sustainability in Agriculture
Hours/week: Lecture: 3 Lab: 3 (10-18 week quarter/semester)
Units: 3.0 (lecture only) – 4.0 (lecture and lab)
Catalogue Description
This course introduces the topic of natural resource sustainability
in agriculture. The course is designed for use both in the classroom and
on college farms, and integrates the study of theoretical aspects of agricultural
sustainability with both field-based laboratory exercises and hands-on learning
of sustainable agriculture practices.
The course’s goal is to encourage an understanding of the influence
of specific agricultural technologies and land use practices on the productivity
of agricultural ecosystems, environmental quality, and human health by examining
the environmental science and agronomy of both conventional and alternative
agricultural practices. The laboratory course emphasizes soil fertility and
pest management practices used in the absence of synthetic fertilizers and
pesticides. Basic principles of plant and soil science will be introduced
along with their management implications for sustainable farming systems.
The course concludes by examining the growth trends in the sustainable and
organic food industry, as well as the social and economic obstacles to widespread
adoption of more environmentally sustainable farming practices.
Learning Objectives:
Upon completion of the course the student will be able to:
- Explain the origins of agriculture and how pre-historic
agricultural land uses influenced the long-term productivity of agro-ecosystems
- Describe the development and dissemination of modern
agricultural technologies and land use practices
- Detail the extent of agricultural land use today
and how trends in human population growth have and will continue to place
additional demands upon agricultural ecosystems
- Explain the agroecoystem, environmental quality
and human health risks associated with the technologies and land use practices
common in modern US agriculture
- Define and describe the structural organization
and processes of natural and agricultural ecosystems
- Define the environmental and social criteria that
may be used to determine sustainability in agriculture
- Describe the principles and strategies that may
be used in the design and management of more sustainable farming systems
- Explain the differences and similarities of several
types of sustainable agriculture
- Demonstrate a introductory command of soil science
terminology and an ability to assess the physical, chemical and biological
properties of soils as they relate to soil quality in agricultural systems
- Define the major components of a sustainable soil
fertility management plan and the functional role of each as it relates to
soil fertility and pest management
- Explain the potential advantage or disadvantage
of each soil fertility management practice with regards to environmental
quality and the sustainability of agroecosystems
- Explain the major preventative strategies for select
arthropods, weeds, plant pathogens and vertebrate pests in sustainable farming
systems
- Demonstrate basic pest monitoring, sampling, identification
skills and an ability to determine control action thresholds and least-toxic
treatment options for pest arthropods, weeds and plant pathogens
- Demonstrate an ability to select appropriate cover
crop species for a given area and estimate the nitrogen contribution of a
given cover crop
- Explain the principles of crop rotation and demonstrate
the ability to develop a simple crop rotation plan
- Demonstrate the ability to prepare soils using garden-scale
sustainable tillage techniques
- Explain the key factors involved in successful aerobic,
high temperature composting and demonstrate an ability to successfully build,
monitor and manage compost piles and assess compost quality and maturity
- Demonstrate an ability to take a representative
soil sample, interpret laboratory analyses, develop a simple nutrient budget
and select and use naturally occurring soil amendments and fertilizers
- Demonstrate a command of basic irrigation concepts
and terminology and an ability to develop irrigation schedules using qualitative
and quantitative methods
- Explain the major design and management strategies
used to increase sustainability in animal husbandry systems
- Explain the principle biodiversity conservation
concerns in agriculture and describe strategies for biodiversity conservation
in agriculture
- Explain the major social and economic obstacles
to the adoption of more sustainable farming practices
- Describe growth and development in the sustainable
and organic food industry, nationally and internationally
