PLSC405

Prerequisite: At least one course in ecology; or permission of instructor. Recommended: BSCI361 or PLSC471; or any BSCI or ENST ecology course. Credit only granted for: PLSC405 or PLSC605. Additional information: Class will be held on campus, with two day-long field trips to local farms. How can we balance the multiple, and often competing objectives of sustainable agricultural intensification to promote both agricultural productivity and human wellbeing? The answer to this question requires a transdisciplinary, agroecological perspective. Agroecology is the integrative study of the ecology of the entire food system, encompassing ecological, economic and social dimensions. This course is designed to introduce various topics in agroecology (e.g. organic agriculture, biodiversity, the Farm Bill). We will take an ecosystems approach to the study of agriculture that will enable students to analyze the environmental, social, and economic interconnections within various types of agricultural systems locally and globally.