Learning objectives
At the end of the course, it is expected that Students are able:
- to know and understand: a) the general aspects of sustainability in the agro-ecosystems; b) the good agronomic practices for the management of phenotypic and genotypic variability of agricultural crops, c) the main methods of traceability and identity preservation in cereals and horticultural value chains.
- to acquire ability in: i) the definition and management of sustainabilityi in different agricultural context; ii) the application of good agricultural practices in different production chains, and in the management of molecular traceability for risk estimation, iii) the collection and interpretation of molecular traceability data obtained on both raw and transformed materials using international methods and techniques; independent judgment on the identity preservation of agri-food products.
Prerequisites
Basic knowledge of Plant Biology, Agro-ecology, Genetics and Chemistry
Course unit content
Part I (1 ECTS)
Definition of sustainability in the agro-ecosystems.
Agro-ecological approaches in the different agricultural systems.
Part II (1 ECTS)
Good Agronomic Practices (GAP) to improve use efficiency of resources and environmental sustainability.
Precision farming (PF) and site-specific management of agro-ecological variability: crop monitoring, decision support systems and intervention thresholds; GAP application in PF: tillage, crop cultivation, harvest and post-harvest management
Part III (1 ECTS)
Definition of Identity preservation along the agrifood value chains.
Monitoring (trans)genes in the value chain; concepts of accuracy, precision, reproducibility and methods’ sensitivity; costs/times evaluation; traceability in raw materials, processed products, post-marketing; case study supply chains: grain-pasta-bread and tomato-sauce.
Full programme
1. Agro-ecological approaches in the different agricultural systems. Good Agronomic Practices (GAP) to improve use efficiency of resources, environmental impact, and identity preservation
2. Precision farming (PF) and site-specific management of agro-ecological variability: crop monitoring, decision support systems and intervention thresholds; GAP application in PF: tillage, crop cultivation, harvest and post-harvest management
3. Monitoring (trans)genes in the value chain; concepts of accuracy, precision, reproducibility and methods’ sensitivity; costs/times evaluation; traceability in raw materials, processed products, post-marketing; case study supply chains: grain-pasta-bread and tomato-sauce
Bibliography
- Principles of Agronomy for Sustainable Agriculture. F.J. Villalobos, E. Fereres Eds. Spinger, 2016. ISBN 978-3-319-46116-8
- Molecular Techniques in Food Biology: Safety, Biotechnology, Authenticity and Traceability. A.F. El Sheikha, R.E. Levin, J. Xu Eds. John Wiley & Sons, 2018. ISBN: 978-1-119-37460-2
- Selected scientific publications
Teaching methods
Teaching activities will include theoretical lessons supplemented by specialized websites and videos viewing. Lessons will also include critical reading of scientific, provided by the teacher. Student-teacher interaction will be encouraged and privileged in order to develop a critical knowledge of the topics. The slides (in PDF format) used to support teaching will be provided to students as part of the study material, lesson by lesson. They will be uploaded in the dedicated platforms. Slides are provided for studying but they cannot used / disclosed for other purposes.
Assessment methods and criteria
An oral exam is scheduled at the end of the course (no intermediate assessments are provided) and this will take place over the course of the educational calendar of the training offer. For each exam, the student who intends to take the test must register using the Esse3 platform.
The interview, lasting about 30-40 minutes, will be semi-structured and composed of 3 general questions on as many parts of the course. The indicators (ascertained characteristics) for the evaluation of the oral exam are:
- ability to use and connect knowledge (30%)
- ability to discuss and deepen topics (40%)
- mastery of scientific-agronomic language (30%)
The evaluation is expressed out of thirty and the final score will progressively reflect the different achievement of the evaluation indicators:
18-20: elementary knowledge of the proposed themes, sufficient expressive skills;
21-23: basic knowledge with no in-depth elements; expression not always appropriate;
24-26: good knowledge, in-depth elements at the request of the teacher with answers that are not always complete and detailed;
27-29: very good and satisfying knowledge; expressive skills and adequate and well-articulated argumentation in an autonomous way;
30 and 30 / honors: solid, complete and adequate knowledge; critical application of the presentation of the arguments, use of an appropriate technical-scientific language.
Other information
Teaching tools:
PowerPoint for presentations and videos for study insights; Teams for supporting studying of specific topics and chat. Working groups on the main teaching topics.
2030 agenda goals for sustainable development
This course module contributes to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals of the 2030 UN Agenda
