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Curricular information is subject to change
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.
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 Type | Hours |
---|---|
Lectures | 24 |
Specified Learning Activities | 50 |
Autonomous Student Learning | 36 |
Total | 110 |
Not applicable to this module.
Description | Timing | Component Scale | % of Final Grade | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Assignment(Including Essay): Students are asked to provide a video summary of a peer-reviewed scientific article related to organic agriculture | n/a | Alternative linear conversion grade scale 40% | No | 10 |
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Exam (In-person): End of semester in person exam composed of MCQ, short answer and long answer questions | n/a | Alternative linear conversion grade scale 40% | No | 40 |
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Group Work Assignment: A group project in which a conventional farm is converted to an organic farm with an accompanied written and referenced report detailing what and why the changes / suggestions have been made. | n/a | Alternative linear conversion grade scale 40% | No | 50 |
Resit In | Terminal Exam |
---|---|
Spring | Yes - 2 Hour |
• Feedback individually to students, on an activity or draft prior to summative assessment
• Feedback individually to students, post-assessment
Feedback for the review of a scientific article is done individually post-assessment. There will be an in-class opportunity for students to discuss and receive feedback on the draft version of the farm conversion report prior to submission of the assessment method. 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.
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 |