XIS-30304 Agriculture and Landscape Management in a Particular Agricultural Region

Course

Credits 4.00

Language of instruction:

English

Assumed knowledge on:

The courses of the first year of MOA specialization C

Continuation courses:

MSc thesis

Contents:

This course is part of the Autumn semester 'Agroecology' at ISARA, Lyon, France.
Students will start this semester with a one week excursion and group studies in a selected region in France characterised by different environmental and agricultural production issues. Before this, they will get introductory lectures to the area and will be prepared with methodological tools (landscape analysis, agricultural production systems analysis, interviews) to carry out a group work. At the beginning of the field trip they will meet different stakeholders to understand the agricultural, economic and environmental characteristics of this area. After this, they will visit and inquire in different groups other stakeholder to analyse specific question such as constraints and potentials of the prevailing cropping and livestock production systems or landscape management system. Other topics will be the role of rural tourism, potential conflict issues such as nature conservation or water contamination, and rural development policy. A general feedback will be given by the groups of students in presenting their findings and analyses and discussed with the teaching staff.

Learning outcomes:

After successful completion of this course students are expected to be able to:
- identify and understand the agricultural, economic and environmental characteristics of agricultural areas with different environmental and agricultural production issues;
- obtain relevant information through interviews of stakeholders on cropping and livestock production systems or landscape management systems;
- present and discuss research findings in peer groups and with teaching staff.

Activities:

Lectures, excursion, group work.

Examination:

- end of this module : group work - written document -2/4 of the final grade;
- end of this module : group work - oral presentation -1/4 (Group) + 1/4 (individual) of the final grade.

Literature:

Will be announced.