The course is aiming at the comprehension of the mechanisms through which agricultural activities exert pressures on natural resources. A further objective is to familiarize students with the concept of agro-ecosystems as well as the identification and assessment of their multiple services (economic, social and environmental). Finally, through the analysis of organic farming, to achieve a synthetic and objective view of the relationship between agriculture and the environment, through an agro-ecological lens.
Upon successful completion of the course students should be able to:
Acquire knowledge of and understand the relationship between farming and the environment, as far as natural resource management, biodiversity conservation and landscape protection are concerend
Acquire knowledge on, distinguish and evaluate specific management practices and assess theirenvironmental impacts, using contemporary evaluation tools
To be able to use the knowledge and skills acquired in order to combine and synthesize data of different origin (economic, social, environmental), drawing conlusions and promoting synthetic interpretations of a interdisciplinary character.
To communicate clearly the conclusions as well as the rationale behind the conclusions and interpretations both to experts and lay persons.
Acquire the skills that would enable him/her to advance in his/her studies
