Agr, Lndscp & Envir: Intro to Agroecology

Analyzes factors driving current agricultural production systems, the problems associated with the industrial agriculture model, and the variety of approaches and practices for producing food in an ecologically sound and socially just manner.

Open to Degree and PACE students;

This course provides students with an introduction to ecological agriculture with a strong emphasis on vegetable production and the ecological, social, economic issues surrounding the production of food. Through a combination of lectures, discussions, written reflections, events, readings, and films, we cover a broad variety of topics related to agriculture and the environment in local, national, and international contexts. The course analyzes factors driving current agricultural production systems, the problems associated with an industrial agriculture model, and a variety of approaches and practices for producing food in an ecologically sound manner.

Learning outcomes: Students will leave the course able to: 1) articulate the historical roots and underpinnings of the current conventional agricultural system 2) identify and describe the major elements (soil, plants, pests, diseases) of an agroecosystem 3) understand and apply knowledge regarding the diverse array of agricultural practices (IPM, no-till, intercropping, crop rotation, cover cropping), and key issues (Farm Bill, GMOs, Climate-Smart Agriculture, Land-Sparing v Sharing, Green Revolution, etc.) associated with ecological agriculture. 4) compare and contrast the different approaches to ecological agriculture 5) evaluate and critically discuss socioeconomic issues inherent to local and national food production systems *students are expected to spend 4-6 hours per week on reflections and assignments on average. With studying for exams and reviewing notes, this can increase to 6-8 hours. There is no assigned textbook for this course.

Evaluation/Assessment Exam 1 15% Exam 2 20% Reflections 10% (6 reflections) Participation 6 % Crop fact sheet 24% (4 parts @ 6% each) Final 25% 100% Reflection: Over the course of the semester you will be asked to reflect upon a subset of the readings provided to you. Be aware, that even though you are not required to submit reflections for all of the readings, it is important (imperative) that you read all of the material, if you would like to succeed on the exam assessments.