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Students will learn through readings, on-line class discussions and written assignments. Decision cases are also used to provide students with real-world challenges facing organic farmers. The course consists of seven stand-alone modules and will be delivered using the ANGEL Learning platform.
Course overview Introductory lectures
Organic farming is growing rapidly on the Canadian prairies as well as in the Peace River Region of B.C. and the northern US states. This module will introduce you to the organic industry on the prairies. What are the major organic crops? How does the organic certification process work? The module includes information on how to convert a farm to organic, the certification process and certification agencies.
A systems approach is critical to the success of organic production. What is a systems approach to crop production? How can I improve my systems analysis skills? What does system thinking really mean in the context of a farm? This module focuses on systems approaches aimed at helping students with holistic soil and crop management planning.
The Canadian prairie region contains 46 million hectares of arable land, plus about 8 million hectares of forage/pasture lands and 15 million hectares of native rangelands. Scientists have divided the prairie region into 4 "soil zones". The climate of this region varies a great deal. Also, weather variation in any one prairie zone tends to be greater than in most other soil zones of Canada. Organic farming practices must account for soil and weather variability. This module is designed to give students an overview of prairie soil and climate conditions. The next 4 models constitute the bulk of this course
What is the best way to "transition" into organic crop production? Is there a particular cropping system that makes the transition phase easier? What should be done in conventional production before starting the transition process? This module focuses on crop rotation and crop management strategies to facilitate the transition process. Economics of transition as well as crop rotation and pest and nutrient management strategies will be reviewed.
What are the guiding principles of a good organic cropping system? Are there certain goals that a producer should always keep in mind? The answer to the last question is yes. In this module, we will present and discuss the "six principles of organic crop production": biodiversity, diversity and integration of enterprise, sustainability, natural pest management, natural soil fertility and integrity.
This is the largest module in the course. The module includes a detailed description of farming practices required for successful organic farming. These practices will be discussed in the context of the six organic farming principles. Also, specific examples from moist and dry prairie soil zones will be presented.
How are weed and soil fertility maintenance problems dealt with on prairie farms? Decision cases provide the opportunity for students to wrestle with such real-world problems. By developing solutions to real-world organic farming problems, students will synthesize course material and practice problem-solving skills. Decision cases within the ANGEL Learning part of this course, plus those on the “Natural Systems Agriculture” website will be discussed in class and in weekly discussions.
Organic agriculture has moved from niche to mainstream. Currently, one California vegetable company (Earthbound, http://www.ebfarm.com/) produces approximately 80% of organic lettuce in the USA. Has the move to “big organics” resulted in some losses? How is energy efficiency and biodiversity changed with increasing organic production scale? Is the local food system the “new organic”? We will also discuss issues related to organic agriculture and global food security. Can the world feed itself if all food was produced organically?
Grading
Evaluative feedback on the first four paper reviews will be provided prior to the voluntary withdrawal date of March 19, 2009.
Written assignments – paper reviews You will be required to complete these five paper reviews = 40 marks.
For each paper, you must write an approximate 1000 word response to each article. The response will include a review of the main points in the paper - point form summaries are fine. The second half of the report will be a discussion of how the results impact organic crop production on the prairies. Transition to Organic Crop Management Plan Details of the crop management plan will be provided by Feb 4. Briefly, the project involves converting a conventionally-managed farm to an organic farm. You must find your own farm. The final project is not due until April 1, however there will be several interim due dates for outlines and progress reports.
Student requirements:
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