Program Overview

Course Overview

The course "Sustainable food production - challenges and cropping system solutions" is offered by the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences. It aims to provide students with an overview of how food crops are produced, the major challenges to sustainability associated with agriculture, and solutions for increasing sustainability through cropping systems.

Course Details

• Course Code: MX0146
• Credits: 7.5
• Language: English
• Level: Bachelor's level (G1N)
• Subject: Environmental Science, Agricultural Science
• Department: Department of Crop Production Ecology
• Location: Uppsala
• Tuition Fee: 19,027 SEK (for non-EU/EEA/Switzerland citizens)

Objectives

The course objectives are to:

• Describe cropping systems used to cultivate the most important food crops
• Identify major challenges to achieving agricultural sustainability and suggest cropping systems-based solutions
• Critically discuss and compare different sustainable agriculture approaches, including their strengths, weaknesses, and societal impact
• Reflect on personal impact on agricultural sustainability as a consumer and citizen

Content

The course consists of lectures, seminars, and workshops, as well as group project work. It covers topics such as:

• Overview of the world's major food crops and their production
• Major challenges to agricultural sustainability (environmental, economic, and social)
• Solutions based on scientific research into cropping systems
• Critical analysis and discussion of sustainable agriculture approaches

Grading Criteria

• Marking Scale: Pass/Fail
• Requirements:
  • Active participation in at least five of the seven workshop exercises
  • Satisfactory completion of the project work and submission of a project report
• Learning Goals & Means of Examination:
  • Describe cropping systems: Participation in workshop exercises or completion of a replacement assignment
  • Identify challenges and suggest solutions: Participation in workshop exercises or completion of a replacement assignment
  • Critically discuss sustainable agriculture approaches: Participation in workshop exercises, completion of a replacement assignment, and approval of the project report
  • Reflect on personal impact: Completion and approval of the project report

Additional Information

• The course is offered as an independent course.
• The study pace is 25% over a semester, with the predominant part of the course time in the evening.
• The right to participate in teaching and/or supervision only applies for the course instance the student was admitted to and registered on.