Tropical Agriculture and Food Systems

Catalog description

The primary goal of this course is to inform students about tropical agriculture, including the environments of tropical agroecosystems, the production of crops, livestock and forestry within these systems, and major farming systems of the tropics. This class will focus on agriculture in developing countries in the tropics. Several examples from around the world will be included. By the end of this course students should be able to: 1. Describe the various environments of the tropics and explain the influence of these environments on tropical agroecosystems 2. Identify the major crops and livestock of the tropics and discuss their agroecological requirements and production in tropical environments 3. Identify and describe the major farming systems of the tropics 4. Critically analyze the important issues facing contemporary tropical agriculture