Organic agriculture (226349)
Course coordinator
Course description
Introduction to elementary concepts of plant and animal breeding based on organic principles. Organic agriculture as an opportunity to mitigate climate change and biodiversity conservation. Organic agriculture and the environment. Problems, advantages, disadvantages, conditions and limitations of various Croatian regions for the development of this form of agriculture.
Type of course
- Graduate studies / Environment, agriculture and resource management (Elective course, 4 semester, 2 year)
ECTS: 6.00
E-learning: L1
Teaching hours: 60
Lectures: 40
Seminar: 12
Field exercises: 8
Lecturer
Associate teacher for exercises
Associate teacher for seminars
Grading
Sufficient (2):
Good (3):
Very good (4):
Excellent (5):
General competencies
- understand the concept of organic farming
- the specificity of this form of agriculture in crop production and livestock farming and permaculture
- the forms of organic agriculture
- the problems, advantages, disadvantages, conditions and limitations of the various regions of Croatia for the development of this form of agriculture
- the adaptation and mitigation of climate change by applying organic agriculture
- on organic farming and alternative forms of tourism?
Types of instruction
- Lectures
- Field work
- Seminars
Learning outcomes
| Learning outcome | Evaluation methods |
|---|---|
| Environmental consequences of agriculture with high agrochemical input | Oral exam |
| Ecological (organic, biological) agriculture as a response to mitigate the negative consequences for the environment | Oral exam |
| The role of organic agriculture in mitigating climate change | Oral exam |
| The role of organic agriculture in preserving biodiversity | Oral exam |
| Organic agriculture and low input agriculture | Oral exam |
| Forms of organic agriculture: Biodynamic agriculture, Biological, Permaculture | Oral exam |
| The legal framework of the organic agriculture (EC 834/2007; EEC 2092/91, EC889/2008, EC 1235/2008) | Oral exam |
Methods of grading
| Evaluation elements | Maximum points or Share in evaluation | Grade rating scale | Grade | Direct teaching hours | Total number of average student workload | ECTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seminar papers | 25 % |
60-70 % 71-80 % 81-90 % 91-100 % |
Sufficient (2) Good (3) Very good (4) Excellent (5) |
4 | 1 | 2 |
| Oral final exam | 75 % |
60-70 % 71-80 % 81-90 % 91-100 % |
Sufficient (2) Good (3) Very good (4) Excellent (5) |
6 | 1 | 4 |
| Total | 100 % | 10 | 2 | 6 |
| Evaluation elements | Description | Deadline | Recoupment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oral final exam | The students will be asked to explain, critically appraise, and interpret correctly relevant teaching materials | The end of the course |
Obligatory literature
- Kisić I. (2014). Uvod u ekološku poljoprivredu. p. 340, Agronomski fakultet Sveučilišta u Zagrebu, Zagreb.
- Hansen, A.L., (2010). The Organic farming manual – A Comprehensive Guide to Starting and Running a Certified Organic Farm, p. 436. Storey Publishing.
- Lichtfouse E. (2010). Genetic Engineering, Biofertilisation, Soil Quality and Organic Farming. p. 414, Springer.
- Marshall Bradley F., Ellis B.W., Phillips E. (2009). Rodales Ultimate Encyclopedia of Organic Gardening, p. 707. Rodale Press.
- Kristiansen P., Taji A., Reganold J. (2006): Organic Agriculture - A Global Perspective, p. 449. CABI Publishing.
- Myers A. (2005). Organic Futures – The case for Organic Farming., p. 256 Cornwall, UK.
- Lampkin N. (1990). Organic Farming, p. 714. Farming Press, UK.
Recommended literature
- Hamilton N. (2007). Grow organic - Friut and vegetables from your garden, p. 336. New Holland Publishers, UK.
- Masson, P. (2007). A Biodynamic manual – Practical instructions for farmers and gardeners, p. 199. Floris Books.
- McLeod J. (2007). Botanicas Pocket – Organic Gardening. The A-Z of healty gardening, p. 608. Tandem Verlag GmbH.
- Davies G., Lennartsson M. (2005). Organic vegetable Production – A complete guide, p. 350. The Crowood Press.
- Grewell, J.B., Danly, L.L.M., Landry, C.J. (2003): Ecological Agrarian: Agricultures First Evolution in 10 000 Years, p. 220. Purdue University Press.
- Robert S. (1999). Organic farming: methods and markets: an introduce to ecological agriculture.
Similar course at related universities
- Organic Agriculture, BOKU
- Osnove ekološke biljne proizvodnje, Sveučilište J.J. Strossmayera u Osijeku
- Organic farming, Sveučilište u Ljubljani
- Osnove ekološkega kmetijstva, Sveučilište u Mariboru