CPSC30050 Organic Agriculture

Academic Year 2020/2021

This elective module is designed to give the student an overview of the main concepts of organic farming. Topics covered include the factors to be considered in the conversion from a conventional to an organic system, maintenance of soil fertility, rotations, manure management and composting, green manuring, pest and disease control in crops, principles of organic livestock production and marketing of organic produce.

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Curricular information is subject to change

Learning Outcomes:

On completion of this module the student should be able to:
- Discuss the factors to be considered in the conversion to organic production
- Describe and discuss the maintenance of soil fertility in an organic system.
- Describe and discuss the prevention and control of weeds, diseases and pests in an organic cropping system.
- Compare and contrast the principles of livestock production on an organic farm compared to a conventional farm.
- Discuss the principles of marketing of organic produce.

Indicative Module Content:

Main topics on the organic agriculture (OA) module are:
- Considerations to Conversion to OA.
- Nutrient Management in OA.
- Pest and Disease Management in OA.
- Weed Management in OA.-
- Soil Cultivation
- Animal Husbandry in OA

Student Effort Hours: 
Student Effort Type Hours
Lectures

24

Specified Learning Activities

50

Autonomous Student Learning

36

Total

110

Approaches to Teaching and Learning:
On the syllabus of the module, there is a section to highlight the range of student abilities, the levels of student engagement and clarity of student understanding about the outcomes and content of the module.
We teach by reinforcing interactions between instructors and student and highlight the complexity of the assessment tasks. 
Requirements, Exclusions and Recommendations

Not applicable to this module.


Module Requisites and Incompatibles
Not applicable to this module.
 
Assessment Strategy  
Description Timing Open Book Exam Component Scale Must Pass Component % of Final Grade
Multiple Choice Questionnaire: End of Semester MCQ End of trimester MCQ n/a Graded No

20

Assignment: Written Week 10 n/a Graded No

60

Multiple Choice Questionnaire: MCQ Varies over the Trimester n/a Graded No

20


Carry forward of passed components
Yes
 
Resit In Terminal Exam
Spring Yes - 2 Hour
Please see Student Jargon Buster for more information about remediation types and timing. 
Feedback Strategy/Strategies

• Feedback individually to students, post-assessment
• Self-assessment activities

How will my Feedback be Delivered?

Feedback is done individually post-assessment. Throughout the module many MCQ questions examples are discussed to highlight 1) the importance of reading the questions properly, 2) the main concepts of the lectures and 3) the role of continuing study and assessment. I use Mentimeter as a tool for self-assessment activities.

Name Role
Dr Caroline Elliott-Kingston Lecturer / Co-Lecturer
Dr Gary Gillespie Tutor
Dr Mary Harty Tutor
Dr Alan Kelly Tutor
Professor Karina Pierce Tutor
Dr Siobhán Walsh Tutor