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Overview

Current issues and solutions in agriculture, including social, commercial, and environmental aspects, and the role of science and technology for driving innovation.

This paper will focus on how science and innovation can provide solutions to our biggest challenge - how to sustainably feed a world population that is expected to grow to nearly 10 billion by 2050 - with no more land available for agriculture.

Coping with climate change and reducing the environmental impact of farming will require innovative solutions, new expertise and ways of thinking.

AGRI 101 will focus on the role of scientific innovation, but will also provide an understanding and appreciation for agriculture in a broader context including economic, social, cultural, and environmental aspects. Māori perspectives relating to agriculture and the importance of Māori throughout the primary sector will be woven into the fabric of the course, providing students with an ethical framework to consider environmental impacts.

About this paper

Paper title Agricultural Innovation
Subject Agriculture
EFTS 0.15
Points 18 points
Teaching period Semester 2 (On campus)
Domestic Tuition Fees ( NZD ) $1,318.20
International Tuition Fees Tuition Fees for international students are elsewhere on this website.
Schedule C
Arts and Music, Commerce, Science
Contact

Professor Craig Bunt - craig.bunt@otago.ac.nz

Teaching staff

Convenor: Professor Craig Bunt

Dr Arjan Abeynaike

Dr Robert Hamlin

Professor Mark Lokman

Professor Lisa McNeill

Professor Janice Lord

Professor Miranda Mirosa

Associate Professor Phil Wilcox

Dr Jessica O’Connor

Paper Structure

Lectures cover the following areas:

  • Agricultural Science and Technology
  • Modern Agriculture and Challenges
  • Innovation in Māori Farming
  • Soil, Nutrients, and Water
  • Integrity of the Food Chain
  • Food Production Systems
  • Agricultural Commerce
  • Agriculture Meeting Demand
Teaching Arrangements

39 lectures 

Five 3-hour laboratory sessions

Seven Tutorials

One Fieldtrip

Textbooks

No textbooks are required for this paper. All readings will be made available via eReserve on Blackboard.

Graduate Attributes Emphasised
Global perspective, Interdisciplinary perspective, Lifelong learning, Scholarship, Communication, Critical thinking, Cultural understanding, Ethics, Environmental literacy, Information literacy, Research, Self-motivation, Teamwork.
View more information about Otago's graduate attributes.
Learning Outcomes

Students who successfully complete this paper will:

  • Appreciate the Māori farming models and ethical frameworks, and the major role Māori play in contemporary New Zealand agriculture
  • Comprehend the role of the Green Revolution, and how technology was involved with agricultural advances in New Zealand since 1950
  • Develop and appreciation of different food production systems that farming needs to be financially as well as environmentally sustainable, and the role of science and innovation in achieving this
  • Analyses of how developments in management, genetics and biotechnology have sustained increased production in New Zealand agriculture for the past century
  • Develop skills in scientific literacy and ability to acquire and assess new knowledge, and present this to a general audience
  • Become familiar with the confounding demands and strictures demanded by the public, which may influence food producers’ and farmers’ “Licence to Operate”, in a world with ever demanding regulatory constraints

Overview

Current issues and solutions in agriculture, including social, commercial, and environmental aspects, and the role of science and technology for driving innovation.

This paper will focus on how science and innovation can provide solutions to our biggest challenge, how to sustainably feed a world population that is expected to grow to nearly 10 billion by 2050, with no more land available for agriculture.

Coping with climate change and reducing the environmental impact of farming will require innovative solutions, new expertise and ways of thinking.

AGRI 101 will focus on the role of scientific innovation but will also provide an understanding and appreciation for agriculture in a broader context including economic, social, cultural and environmental aspects. Māori perspectives relating to agriculture and the importance of Māori throughout the primary sector will be woven into the fabric of the course, providing students with an ethical framework to consider environmental impacts.

About this paper

Paper title Agricultural Innovation
Subject Agriculture
EFTS 0.15
Points 18 points
Teaching period Semester 2 (On campus)
Domestic Tuition Fees Tuition Fees for 2027 have not yet been set
International Tuition Fees Tuition Fees for international students are elsewhere on this website.
Schedule C
Arts and Music, Commerce, Science
Contact

Professor Craig Bunt

Teaching staff

Convener: Professor Craig Bunt

Dr Robert Hamlin

Professor Mark Lokman

Professor Lisa McNeill

Professor Miranda Mirosa

Professor Phil Wilcox

Dr Jenny Jandt

Dr Bart

Dr Jessica O’Connor

Paper Structure

Lecture topics cover the following areas:

  • Agricultural Science and Technology
  • Modern Agriculture and Challenges
  • Innovation in Māori Farming
  • Soil, Nutrients and Water
  • Integrity of the Food Chain
  • Food Production Systems
  • Agricultural Commerce
  • Agriculture Meeting Demand
Teaching Arrangements

The course content comprises 39 lectures, five 3-hour laboratory sessions, seven tutorials and a fieldtrip.

Textbooks

No textbooks are required for this paper. All readings will be made available via eReserve on Aoroa.

Graduate Attributes Emphasised
Global perspective, Interdisciplinary perspective, Lifelong learning, Scholarship, Communication, Critical thinking, Cultural understanding, Ethics, Environmental literacy, Information literacy, Research, Self-motivation, Teamwork.
View more information about Otago's graduate attributes.
Learning Outcomes

Students who successfully complete this paper will:

  • Appreciate the Māori farming models and ethical frameworks, and the major role Māori play in contemporary New Zealand agriculture.
  • Comprehend the role of the Green Revolution and how technology was involved with agricultural advances in New Zealand since 1950.
  • Develop and appreciation of different food production systems that farming needs to be financially and environmentally sustainable, and the role of science and innovation in achieving this.
  • Analyse how developments in management, genetics and biotechnology have sustained increased production in New Zealand agriculture for the past century.
  • Develop skills in scientific literacy and ability to acquire and assess new knowledge, and present this to a general audience.
  • Become familiar with the confounding demands and strictures demanded by the public, which may influence food producers’ and farmers’ “Licence to Operate,” in a world with ever demanding regulatory constraints.
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