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Sustainable Food Production (FOOD90034)
Graduate courseworkPoints: 12.5On Campus (Parkville)
For information about the University’s phased return to campus and in-person activity in Winter and Semester 2, please refer to the on-campus subjects page.
About this subject
- Overview
- Eligibility and requirements
- Assessment
- Dates and times
- Further information
- Timetable(opens in new window)
Contact information
Semester 2
Please refer to the LMS for up-to-date subject information, including assessment and participation requirements, for subjects being offered in 2020.
Overview
Availability | Semester 2 |
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Fees | Look up fees |
Currently, there is more than sufficient food produced on a global scale to feed the population. This has been an upward trend throughout agricultural history, whereby humans have altered their cultivation habits to produce more. However, the continued rise in productivity is unlikely to continue under current systems within which resources are finite. The full impacts of this on a global scale are yet to be experienced by much of the population, largely in developed areas, although viability has dropped in many food producing systems due to increases in input costs of fuel, water, fertilizers and pest and disease control. Meanwhile, at the regional scale, food production systems are already found to be unsustainable with dropping productivity in previously fertile and highly productive areas. The reasons for the production declines are varied and complex, ranging from climate impacts to unsustainable cultivation methods leading to land degradation, reduced fertility and biodiversity required for healthy ecosystems.
This subject will explore the biological issues contributing to the reduction of productivity we are currently observing in these fragile agricultural systems and explore the future issues that are likely to impact on systems thought to currently be more stable. We will thereby understand the components that contribute to sustainable food productivity and learn which of these are most unsustainable and will require future investment in systems change to maintain productivity.
Intended learning outcomes
On completion of this subject, students should be able to:
- understand sustainable and unsustainable agricultural practices
- describe the existing agricultural land use and food availability and linkage between increasing human population and climate change and excess pressure on agricultural systems
- explain the importance of biodiversity conservation in agriculture and preventive strategies for biodiversity conservation
- demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of sustainable practices needed to maintain long term food availability from existing agroecoystems
- differentiate different types of sustainable agriculture practices in crop production and animal husbandry and what progress has so far been achieved in improving the sustainability of intensive and organic production systems in under different scenarios within the developing and developed world
- demonstrate the role of new generation technologies and how they will aid the existing conventional technologies to maintain the food availability in resource constrained systems
Generic skills
- A profound respect for truth, intellectual and professional integrity, and the ethics of scholarship
- Develop problem solving skills, sharpen analytic skills
- Capacity for independent critical thought, rational inquiry and self-directed learning and research
- Develop the ability to work as a team member
- An ability to derive, interpret and analyse social, technical or economic information from primary and other sources
- Awareness of and ability to utilise appropriate communication technology and methods for the storage, management and analysis of data
- Capacity for creativity and innovation, through the application of skills and knowledge
- Ability to integrate information across sustainable food production systems to solve problems in applied situations across globe
- Highly developed computer - based skills to allow for effective on-line learning and communication
- Highly developed written communication skills to allow informed dialogue with individuals and groups from industry, government and the community
Last updated: 31 January 2024
Eligibility and requirements
Prerequisites
None
Corequisites
None
Non-allowed subjects
None
Inherent requirements (core participation requirements)
The University of Melbourne is committed to providing students with reasonable adjustments to assessment and participation under the Disability Standards for Education (2005), and the Assessment and Results Policy (MPF1326). Students are expected to meet the core participation requirements for their course. These can be viewed under Entry and Participation Requirements for the course outlines in the Handbook.
Further details on how to seek academic adjustments can be found on the Student Equity and Disability Support website: http://services.unimelb.edu.au/student-equity/home
Last updated: 31 January 2024
Assessment
Due to the impact of COVID-19, assessment may differ from that published in the Handbook. Students are reminded to check the subject assessment requirements published in the subject outline on the LMS
Description | Timing | Percentage |
---|---|---|
Essay
| Week 5 | 20% |
Oral presentation (online video recording submission)
| Week 9 | 30% |
Essay
| End of semester | 50% |
Last updated: 31 January 2024
Dates & times
- Semester 2
Principal coordinator Dorin Gupta Mode of delivery On Campus (Parkville) Contact hours 36 hours: 24 hours lectures/interactive discussion. Total time commitment 170 hours Teaching period 3 August 2020 to 1 November 2020 Last self-enrol date 14 August 2020 Census date 21 September 2020 Last date to withdraw without fail 16 October 2020 Assessment period ends 27 November 2020 Semester 2 contact information
Time commitment details
170 hours
Last updated: 31 January 2024
Further information
- Texts
Prescribed texts
Recommended texts and other resources
Readings will be provided via the Learning Management System (LMS).
- Related Handbook entries
This subject contributes to the following:
Type Name Course Graduate Certificate in Agricultural Sciences Course Graduate Diploma in Agricultural Sciences Course Graduate Diploma in Food Science Course Master of Geography Course Master of Food Science Course Graduate Certificate in Food Science Course Master of Science (Geography) Course Master of Urban Horticulture Specialisation (formal) Crop Production Major Sustainable Cities, Sustainable Regions Specialisation (formal) Food Sustainability Informal specialisation Master of Agricultural Sciences - Elective Subjects Major Tailored Specialisation Major Tailored Specialisation Major Tailored Specialisation - Available through the Community Access Program
About the Community Access Program (CAP)
This subject is available through the Community Access Program (also called Single Subject Studies) which allows you to enrol in single subjects offered by the University of Melbourne, without the commitment required to complete a whole degree.
Entry requirements including prerequisites may apply. Please refer to the CAP applications page for further information.
- Available to Study Abroad and/or Study Exchange Students
This subject is available to students studying at the University from eligible overseas institutions on exchange and study abroad. Students are required to satisfy any listed requirements, such as pre- and co-requisites, for enrolment in the subject.
Last updated: 31 January 2024