2023/24 Taught Postgraduate Module Catalogue

BLGY5133M Crop Production in a Changing Environment

15 creditsClass Size: 100

Module manager: Dr Laura Dixon
Email: L.Dixon2@leeds.ac.uk

Taught: Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) View Timetable

Year running 2023/24

This module is not approved as an Elective

Module summary

In this module, you will learn about past, current and future challenges for current and future food production. This will include understanding the major drivers for change in food and agricultural systems, UK and global food security, and strategies for increased sustainability, resilience and climate adaptation agriculture. This module features a combination of lectures and seminars.

Objectives

The module aims to provide the history of crop production and agriculture to students so that they can understand the current global food production system and how/why it functions as it does. Environmental impacts will be discussed, alongside a range of potential strategies to improve the impact of farming on the environment. Students will be able to discuss and evaluate these strategies in a global and local context.

Learning outcomes
1. Describe and explain the history of agricultural practices across the UK and worldwide, from the first to the fourth agrarian revolution.
2. Identify a broad range of crops and their biological, cultural and physiological characteristics, including genetic history, suitability for farming/consumption and social history.
3. Discuss and assess the specific environmental impacts of a range of farming techniques.
4. Compare and evaluate the relative merits and impacts of a range of sustainability measures on the environment, including above and below ground impacts.
5. Relate global, national and local environmental impacts of crop production to the UN SDGs and identify potential solutions.

Syllabus

The module will begin with lectures covering the social, genetic and physiological history of crop species – essentially looking at why we farm the crops we do. This history directly influences current issues in farming, particularly covering the environmental impacts. Lectures on the environmental impact of farming will look in depth at effects on biodiversity, soil chemistry, water quality and other environmental aspects. These will be supplemented by seminars and lectures on existing and new approaches to reduce the impact of agriculture, including agroforestry, no-till, regenerative agriculture, organic farming and sustainable intensification. Field trips will show students how these strategies work “on the ground”. The potential of these approaches will be candidly assessed in a global and local context.

Teaching methods

Delivery type	Number	Length hours	Student hours
Lectures	8	1.00	8.00
seminars	4	1.00	4.00
Fieldwork	2	6.00	12.00
Private study hours			126.00
Total Contact hours			24.00
Total hours (100hr per 10 credits)			150.00

Private study

Private study time will be used to research the topics introduced, to consolidate learning and prepare for assessments. Any notes taken during field work will need to be written up and expanded.

Opportunities for Formative Feedback

Students will get feedback on their ideas and research via a google form and/or in person sessions to evaluate their contribution and impact. Feedback from the first assessment will feed into the second assessment to allow students to improve academic writing.

Methods of assessment

Coursework

Assessment type	Notes	% of formal assessment
Literature Review	2,000 words	50.00
In-course Assessment	Scientific output	50.00
Total percentage (Assessment Coursework)		100.00

Normally resits will be assessed by the same methodology as the first attempt, unless otherwise stated

Reading list

The reading list is available from the Library website

Last updated: 07/10/2023

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