MSc Sustainable Agriculture and Food Security

Course Code DNT1C150101
Duration 1 Year
Attendance Full Time
Award Degree of Master of Science

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Overview

This new course is available for 2011 entry.

World food production is facing the challenge to become sustainable by reducing inputs of fertilizer , pesticides, and irrigation to levels that can be sustained in the long term. At the same time, world food production will have to increase its output by 50% to meet the anticipated demand of a population which will have grown by 50% from its current level of 6 million, to 9 million in 2050.

To meet these dual challenges of sustainability and feeding the world, we need to invest heavily in improving the efficiency of agricultural production. This course examines the potential of sustainable agricultural food production to meet the challenge of feeding the world.

This one-year MSc course provides students with an opportunity to discover and explore solutions for the most pressing problems currently facing humankind: to establish sustainable agricultural approaches. The course is run from within the School of Biological Sciences, and is taught by scientists from the school and by others from institutes that make up the Norwich Research Park, including the John Innes Centre, Sainsbury Laboratories, and the Institute of Food Research, as well as by other agricultural Institutes in the East of England.

The course provides novel training and education for students wishing to understand the magnitude of the challenges we currently face, including the many obstacles in the path for sustainable agriculture, and the opportunities and solutions that are emerging. An understanding of the current challenge is presented within the context of its historical development and the limitations of current agricultural practice and its effect on the environment.

The major taught components include sustainable agriculture, the principles and practice of domestication of plants and animals, and opportunities for improving these by breeding, the need for biodiversity, agricultural degradation of the environment, the effects of legislation, and the contributions that different farming types can make. There is a strong focus on analysis and interpretation of large data sets.
The taught component of the program is complemented by a six month research project which will involve detailed analysis and projection from existing databases. There will be an opportunity also for supplementing these analyses with field studies.

The course provides excellent training for students wishing to contribute to a sustainable future in the 21st century.

Course Organiser Prof John Turner

Course Organiser

Prof John Turner

Year 1

Year 1

Compulsory Study (140 credits)

Students will select 140 credits from the following module(s).

Name	Code	Credits	Period
Agri-Food in Action This module is compulsory and restricted to students on the MSc in Sustainable Agriculture and Food Security. During this module students will visit a range of farms, food-production companies, and research institutes. To maximise benefit from these visits, students will develop a reflective portfolio that records each visit through a variety of media, which may include a narrative, brochures, diagrams, maps, photographs etc. Students will develop an understanding of traditional and contemporary agricultural practices and several of the visits will increase understanding of the operation of selected food manufacturing and production organizations. more...	BIO-M15Y	10	Year Period
Dissertation This module is compulsory and restricted to students on the MSc in Sustainable Agriculture and Food Security. Specific objectives of the module are to provide a systematic understanding of methods used in contemporary agriculture, alongside a critical awareness of new insights into how to make agriculture sustainable. By the end of this module students will understand how the boundaries of knowledge relevant to sustainable agriculture and food production are advanced through research. During the module students will develop expertise or in-depth knowledge in a selected area of research relevant to sustainable agriculture and food production, which is at the forefront of the academic discipline. more...	BIO-M16X	60	Semester 2
Food Production is module is compulsory and restricted to students on the MSc in Sustainable Agriculture and Food Security. The module examines the genetic basis of domestication and breeding agricultural crops and animals, and principal ways in which food is produced and processed. On completion of the module the students will have a systematic understanding of knowledge linked to varied practices involved in food production and a critical awareness of new insights and methods involved in food production. more...	BIO-M121	20	Semester 1
Post Graduate Training Programme The aim of this module is to provide students with a number of useful transferable skills to assist their learning and career development including: scientific writing, the use of presentation software, the utilisation of IT-based resources, science communication and engagement, knowledge transfer and ethics for bioscientists. more...	BIO-M82Y	10	Year Period
Project Management This module is compulsory and restricted to students on the MSc in Sustainable Agriculture and Food Security. The module focuses on teaching how to design and manage a research project, with a specific emphasis on how to use software tools for project management, and for life cycle analysis. The module will also highlight how to take account of and assess risks and ethics involved in research projects. more...	BIO-M132	10	Semester 2
Sustainable Agriculture This module is compulsory and restricted to students on the MSc in Sustainable Agriculture and Food Security. The module examines the concept of sustainability as it applies to modern agriculture. Specific objectives are to provide a systematic understanding of methods used in contemporary agriculture, alongside a critical awareness of new insights into how to make agriculture sustainable. more...	BIO-M124	20	Semester 2

Option A Study (40 credits)

Students will select 40 credits from the following module(s).

Name	Code	Credits	Period
Catchment Water Resources This module will adopt an integrated approach to studying surface water and groundwater resources in river basins. Approaches to catchment management will be considered in the context of improving water-dependent terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Topics of climate change impacts on water resources in terms of droughts and floods, as well as water quality issues arising from changing land-use patterns will be considered, together with the engineering and socio-economic methods necessary to adapt to future pressures on water resources. Co-taught with ENV-3A60. TO TAKE THIS MODULE YOU CANNOT HAVE PREVIOUSLY TAKEN ENV-3A60 OR EQUIVALENT more...	ENV-MA60	20	Semester 2
Plant Breeding The aim of this module is to provide an understanding of the basic principles of plant breeding and genetics and to explore the principles and applications of the newer technologies in the manipulation of traits in crop improvement. On completion the students' understanding will include: The principles, analysis and application of Mendelian, population and quantitative genetics in plant breeding; the background to and application of molecular techniques such as the generation and use of doubled haploid populations and marker assisted breeding and selection; breeding strategies and selection procedures; principles and application of heterosis and hybrid breeding. more...	BIO-M621	20	Semester 1
Plant Genomics and Biotechnology Compulsory Module for MSc in Plant Genetics and Crop Improvement. Plant genetics and biotechnology have played a significant role in understanding fundamental aspects of plant biology, and they also have tremendous potential for crop plant improvement in the future. This module will provide an overview of the theory and practical applications of plant molecular genetics, genomics and transformation technologies in both model and crop plants. more...	BIO-M112	20	Semester 2
Rural Policies & Politics Around three-quarters of the world's poor live in rural areas and the gap between poor and rich continues to widen. The fate of the rural poor can be greatly influenced by policies in areas such as agriculture, land, social protection, natural resources, health, education and trade. This module reviews key policies and issues in these and other areas. It also guides students to critically analyse policy choices within specific contexts. Rural Policies recognises the importance of looking at rural policies with consideration of particular socio-economic contexts and in relation to larger-scale trends that are affecting rural areas: globalisation, urbanisation, de-agrarianisation, rural-urban linkages, conflict, HIV/AIDS and decentralisation. At the same time, it is based on the premise that rural areas require particular policies because of the distinct conditions characterizing them. more...	DEV-M016	20	Semester 2
Target Traits for Crop Improvement Compulsory module for MSc in Plant Genetics and Crop Improvement. Future crop plant improvement will depend upon new varieties expressing a number of key traits, either by conventional plant breeding, or by genetic modification. These traits include durable resistance to pathogenic microorganisms, and promoting interactions with other microorganisms that will result in mutually beneficial symbioses that could reduce inputs of nitrogen and phosphorous in agriculture. Other desirable traits include tolerance to abiotic stresses such as drought, salinity, and extremes of temperature, as well as crops with enhanced nutritional quality. This module will investigate the genetic basis underlying these important traits in both model and crop plants, and the strategies for introducing these traits into specific crops. more...	BIO-M114	20	Semester 2
The Carbon Cycle and Climate Change Carbon dioxide is the greenhouse gas which has, by far, the greatest impact on climate change. Carbon dioxide is becoming even more important owing to continued, escalating use of fossil fuel energy and CO2's very long lifetime in the atmosphere. Predicting future climate or defining `dangerous' climate change is challenging, in large part because the Earth's carbon cycle is very complex and not fully understood. You will learn about the atmospheric, oceanic and terrestrial components of the carbon cycle, how they interact with each other, and how they interact with climate in so-called `feedbacks'. The understanding of the carbon cycle gained from this module is an important foundation for all climate change research. Emphasis is given to the most recent, cutting-edge research in the field. Co-taught with ENV-3A31. TO TAKE THIS MODULE YOU CANNOT HAVE PREVIOUSLY TAKEN ENV-3A31 OR EQUIVALENT more...	ENV-MA31	20	Semester 1
Water Security for Development - Theory and Concepts The aim of `Water Security Theory and Concepts' is to investigate the theory and conceptual frameworks that underpin research and policy work on `water security'. It will explore the background to rising concerns regarding the protection and use of water, and outline key problematics regarding its current treatment in research centres, in the literature and in practice. The module will examine the differences between water security and water resources security, and moreover, study the connections between water security with food, climate or energy security, and international, state and individual concerns regarding military security. more...	DEV-M101	20	Semester 1

Disclaimer

Whilst the University will make every effort to offer the modules listed, changes may sometimes be made arising from the annual monitoring, review and update of modules and regular (five-yearly) review of course programmes. Where this activity leads to significant (but not minor) changes to programmes and their constituent modules, there will normally be prior consultation of students and others. It is also possible that the University may not be able to offer a module for reasons outside of its control, such as the illness of a member of staff or sabbatical leave. Where this is the case, the University will endeavour to inform students.

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