Sustainable Agriculture

The course

Agriculture accounts for approximately 70 per cent of the UK land cover, with arable crops and intensive grassland occupying around 50 per cent (DETR, 2000). Following the midterm review of the Common Agricultural Policy in 2003, agricultural systems have been rationalised to reduce overheads and production costs, while addressing the negative impacts on the environment and wildlife. Environmental stewardship has been introduced to encourage farmers to deliver environmental management to improve water quality and reduce soil erosion whilst maintaining and enhancing the landscape. Land use systems will continue to change with the uptake of alternative crops for fibre (biomass, biofuels and biopolymers, for instance) and the removal of set-aside. The fluctuations in farm gate prices for cereals and milk means that enterprises need to be constantly appraised. Organic production accounts for a small proportion (less than four per cent) of the agricultural area in the UK with 4,600 producers and growers (Defra, 2007). However, organic is the fastest growing sector in the market, increasing at approximately £100m per annum during this decade.

The course is intended to provide students with a detailed understanding of the sustainability issues associated with Northern European agriculture, and is underpinned by an extensive programme of agri-environment research at Harper Adams.

How will it benefit me?

Having completed the MSc you will be able to identify farming systems and determine their key characteristics, and critically evaluate the environmental impacts of conventional, integrated and organic farming systems. You will also learn to assess and exploit the latest developments in technology, and produce integrated farm management solutions that pay due regard to agronomic, social and environmental requirements.

Students also learn how to disseminate issues and ideas relating to sustainable land use to a range of audiences, assess the impact of ethical and legal issues relating to sustainable land use, and understand principles of successful business management.

You will also be able to test hypotheses relevant to sustainable agriculture by designing, carrying out, analysing and interpreting experiments or surveys. Finally, you will learn to evaluate and interpret data and draw relevant conclusions from existing studies of agriculture and the environment.