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UNE preserves a proud tradition November 3, 2004
National survey proves UNE academics among the best November 1, 2004
UNE to provide education in organic agriculture
November 02, 2004
The University of New England is offering a new unit of study that will prepare people in rural industries for one of the most important developments of twenty-first-century farming: organic agriculture.
The unit, Organic Agriculture Principles and Practices, will be available for the first time next year. The coordinator of the course, Dr Paul Kristiansen (at right in photograph) from UNE’s School of Rural Science and Agriculture, said that while it was targeted at post-graduate students, the unit was “not just for those with training or a background in agriculture”.
“As concerns about the environment and personal health have increased in recent years,” Dr Kristiansen said, “more and more farmers and consumers have looked to organic agriculture as a means of producing healthy food sustainably. Organic agriculture can provide a number of benefits to society, such as pesticide-free food, less chemicals spreading beyond the farm or factory, rural and regional job creation, and opportunities for new industries including organic seedling production and pesticides made from native plants.”
“The unit consists of a special program of study tailored to meet the needs of individual students,” he continued. “Students will gain a thorough knowledge of organic agriculture in Australia and overseas, as well as skills and knowledge in specific aspects or organic production relevant to their interests.”
Topics to be covered in the unit may include the history, guiding principles and current status of organic agriculture in Australia and the world, the certification of organic products, and key principles and practices in soil management, plant production and animal production. Dr Kristiansen said it would also place organic agriculture in a broader context “by addressing important issues of environmental performance and socio-economics”.
He said the unit had been designed to allow students the maximum flexibility. “Students can take it in either first or second semester, and it is equally well suited to internal or external (distance education) study,” he explained. “It can be taken alone or as part of a post-graduate course such as the Graduate Certificate or Graduate Diploma in Rural Science, or the Master of Agriculture or Master of Science in Agriculture.”
He pointed out that lecturers in Agriculture and Agribusiness at UNE had a wide range of direct experience within the organic agriculture industry. “Their fields of expertise include soil science, crop production, animal health, marketing, environmental management, and policy development,” he said.
For more information, Dr Kristiansen can be contacted on (02) 6773 2962 (e-mail: paul.kristiansen@une.edu.au).
Media contact: Dr Paul Kristiansen, School of Rural Science and Agriculture, UNE (02) 6773 2962 or Jim Scanlan, Public Relations, UNE (02) 6773 3049.
A photograph is available. Please contact Jim Scanlan on (02) 6773 3049.
Posted by Jim Scanlan at November 2, 2004 03:43 PM