Regenerative Agriculture and Sustainable Food Systems II

Catalog description

This course is the second of a two-course, four-credit sequence that will provide students with a comprehensive understanding of the challenge of meeting a growing global demand for food while remaining within the boundaries of environmental systems. The two courses will together provide students with a comprehensive understanding of the challenge of meeting a growing global demand for food while remaining within the boundaries of environmental systems. In this second course, students will build on the concepts introduced to explore in further detail the various challenges of managing soil to ensure regenerative agricultural systems, with a particular focus on Maltese soils and related management practices. Specific focus will be given to soil pollution and remediation techniques. Students will also explore a range of alternative agricultural production systems, in addition to those already introduced in the first semester, focusing on approaches suited to small-scale settings, including hydroponics and urban agricultural systems. Food production will also be discussed in the context of wider food security and land management challenges, particularly within a small island state setup. The unit will also introduce relevant aspects of European agricultural policy. The unit content will be linked to a variety of field trips and will be further supplemented through interactions with relevant stakeholders in the sector.