Current Issues in Agricultural Innovation

Catalog description

Current Issues in Agricultural Innovation was designed to expose students to a broad overview of modern agricultural research topics and to consider how Scientific, Ethical, Legal and Social Issues impact their adoption. In this class, we will explore how modern agricultural technologies, particularly those related to cropping systems and plant-based foods, can provide substantial economic and nutritional benefits, while simultaneously reducing risks to the environment and human health generated by agricultural practices. We will also explore the risks of agricultural innovations and potential problems associated with them. Agriculture research and science innovation often intersect with ethical considerations and this theme will be one of the main topics and also dispersed throughout each of the class meetings. We will examine the social dimensions of scientific research and technology development. This includes reading and discussing work on how social contexts influence scientific research and technology diffusion, on variations among the public and expert on perceptions of research and technology risks, on differences between public and private research institutions, and on validity and integrity in regulatory systems.