Agriculture and Environmental Change: Challenges and Solutions

Catalog description

Agriculture is the foundation of civilization, providing the food, fuel and fiber needed to sustain a growing human population. From the original land clearing to today, agriculture has profoundly impacted the environment and is now recognized as a major contributor to soil and water degradation and climate change. At the same time, climate change and other large-scale environmental changes are forcing adaptation of agricultural practices. This course examines interactions between agricultural systems and global environmental processes, including climate change, carbon cycling, nitrogen pollution and water resources. Students will develop an in-depth understanding of how agricultural practices contribute to environmental changes from local to global scales and the underlying biogeochemical drivers of change. We will evaluate frameworks like agroecology, regenerative agriculture, agroforestry, and climate-smart agriculture for their potential to mitigate environmental impacts. Students will learn to apply interdisciplinary thinking to develop solutions that balance crop productivity and environmental sustainability in a changing world. The course emphasizes biogeochemical understanding across spatial and temporal scales and couples to agroecosystem management frameworks to consider solutions.