Organic Food Production
Code: 103258 ECTS Credits: 3| Degree | Type | Year | Semester |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2501925 Food Science and Technology | OT | 4 | 2 |
Contact
- Name:
- Dolors Izquierdo Tugas
- Email:
- dolors.izquierdo@uab.cat
Use of Languages
- Principal working language:
- catalan (cat)
- Some groups entirely in English:
- No
- Some groups entirely in Catalan:
- Yes
- Some groups entirely in Spanish:
- No
Other comments on languages
Approximately 70% of the course is taught in Catalan and 30% in Spanish.Teachers
- Elena Albanell Trullas
- Josepa Plaixats Boixadera
- Roser Sala Pallarés
- Francesc Xavier Such Martí
- Dolors Izquierdo Tugas
Prerequisites
There are no official prerequisites to attend this course. However, it is recommended that students review the contents related to Biology and Production of Raw Materials subjects studied during the first course
Objectives and Contextualisation
Optional subject of 4th course that develops the scientific knowledge and the necessary techniques to achieve a sustainable agricultural activity, respectful with the environment and that allows to obtain food products in accordance with the requirements of consumers and the current agri-food industry, taking into account the legal framework of organic production.
The specific training objectives are:
1.- Deepening in the principles of ecological agricultural and livestock production and its environmental and socioeconomic importance.
2.- To know the practice of the cultivation and conservation of the main vegetable species for human and animal nutrition.
3.- Understand the scientific basis of animal health and welfare and its relationship with organic production.
4.- To know the systems of evaluation of the quality of the ecological products.
5.- To know the current regulations on the production and commercialization of organic agricultural products and the certification procedures in Catalonia and the European Union
Competences
- Develop individual learning strategies and planning and organisation skills.
- Identify food hazards, their nature (physical, chemical, biological and nutritional), their origin or causes, their effects, and suitable methods for controlling them throughout the food supply chain so as to reduce risks to consumers.
- Make changes to methods and processes in the area of knowledge in order to provide innovative responses to society's needs and demands.
- Search for, manage and interpret information from different sources.
- Show sensitivity to environmental, sanitary and social issues.
- Take account of social, economic and environmental impacts when operating within one's own area of knowledge.
- Work individually or in unidisciplinary and multidisciplinary teams and in international contexts.
Learning Outcomes
- Apply suitable methods for monitoring the entire food supply chain in order to prevent the presence of biotic and abiotic agents in food.
- Develop individual learning strategies and planning and organisation skills.
- Make changes to methods and processes in the area of knowledge in order to provide innovative responses to society's needs and demands.
- Search for, manage and interpret information from different sources.
- Show sensitivity to environmental, sanitary and social issues.
- Take account of social, economic and environmental impacts when operating within one's own area of knowledge.
- Work individually or in unidisciplinary and multidisciplinary teams and in international contexts.
Content
SECTION I
Chapter 1. Organic Agriculture.
Agroecology: foundations and strategies for sustainable agriculture. Introduction to organic agriculture. Differentiation between organic agriculture and other production systems: biodynamic agriculture, regenerative agriculture
The soil is a living environment. Bases of fertilization in organic farming. Nutrient cycles. Organic and inorganic fertilizers.
Chapter 3. Plant Health and Protection.
Introduction. Mechanisms for the defense of plants. Agronomic, physical and biological control. Natural preparations. Other methods of control.
Chapter 4. Organic Production of Mushrooms.
Characteristics of mushrooms. Most important species. Bases of ecological mushroom production: cultivation and wild. Mushrooms and Bioremediation
Chapter 5. Organic Production of Extensive Crops.
Bases of cultivation. Cereals. Grain legumes. Industrial and fodder crops. Importance of native varieties.
Chapter 6. Organic Production of Vegetables
Importance of organic horticulture. Agronomic bases for the cultivation of organic vegetables
Chapter 7. Organic Production of Woody Crops.
SECTION II
Chapter 8. Introduction to Organic Livestock Production.
Impact of Livestock on the environment. Integration Agriculture-Livestock. Situation of the organic livestock sector.
Chapter 9. Conversion to Organic LivestockProduction.
Administrative and political support. Control of organic production. Animal welfare in organic livestock.
Chapter 10. Organic Production of Ruminants for Meat and Milk
Chapter 11 (2 h). Organic Production of Pigs and Poultry.
Production cycle. Operating systems and housing. Breeds used. Feed.
Chapter 12. (2 hr). Organic Aquaculture (fish, molluscs and algae).
Situation of the sector. Conversion to organic aquaculture production: regulation. Management and nutrition. Conversion of facilities, effluent management and welfare.
SECTION III
Chapter 13. Quality of Organic Food.
Concept of organic food quality. Nutritional quality. Sensory quality. Environmental quality. Socio-economic quality.
Chapter 14. Organic Foods and Science
Evolution of the consumption of organic foods. Organic versus conventional foods. Conclusions of organic production.
SEMINARS
S1. (1h). Presentation of the CCPAE
S2. (2h).Alternation and association of crops
S3. (1h). Scientific discussion on organic food
PRACTICES
P1. (3h) Visit to an organic agriculture farm
P2. (3h) Visit to an organic livestock farm
Methodology
The center of the learning process is student's own work. The teacher’s mission to help in this learning process would be twofold. First, providing them with information and second, showing them sources where they can get it. Supervise them is essential.
Following this ideas, and according to the objectives, the development of this course is based on the following methodologies and activities:
The lectures will be the main type of activity and with them the student will acquire the basic scientific and technical knowledge of the subject. The learning contents and concepts explained during the lectures require student's autonomous work in order to assimilate them.
The seminarsare sessions with a small number of students where the scientific-technical knowledge exposed to the theoretical classes are worked to complete their comprehension. The specific objective may vary depending on the type of seminar, although always seeking to promote the analysis, reasoning, discussion and resolution capacity by the student.
The objective of the technical visits is to complete, apply and reinforce the knowledge acquired in the lectures and seminars directly. They are basic to see the practical application of the concepts given during theoretical and practical lectures. From each visit students will have to prepare a report which will be given to the corresponding teaching staff for their evaluation.
The tutorial sessions aim to direct and help the students in their training tosolve doubts about the contents of the subject.
Annotation: Within the schedule set by the centre or degree programme, 15 minutes of one class will be reserved for students to evaluate their lecturers and their courses or modules through questionnaires.
Activities
| Title | Hours | ECTS | Learning Outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Type: Directed | |||
| Participative lectures | 16 | 0.64 | 1, 5, 2 |
| Seminars | 4 | 0.16 | 1, 5, 7 |
| Technical visits | 6 | 0.24 | 1, 4, 7 |
| Type: Supervised | |||
| Technical visit reports | 5 | 0.2 | 1, 5, 7 |
| Tutorials | 5 | 0.2 | 1 |
| Type: Autonomous | |||
| Individual study | 37 | 1.48 | 1, 2, 7 |
Assessment
Final Exam: The knowledge acquired in theory lessons and seminars by the student will be evaluated individually with s one-way multiple choice test. In this exam there will be two partial tests (one about organic foods of vegetable origin and the other one of animal origin) with a weight on the final grade of 37.5%, which can be passes if a score is ≥ 5. The minimum score in each partial test for averaging the other must be 4.5. Students who do not pass any partial test will have a second recovery test.
Practices Visits are mandatory and attendance, attitude and document delivered will be evaluated. This assessment has a weight of 15% of the total grade.
Seminars. Assessment by means of a test type in relation to the content of each seminar. The tests can be performed at the end of each session or in conjunction with the theory exam. The evaluation of the questionnaires of the seminars has a global weight of 10% of the final grade.
To pass the subject, it is essential to have passed the exam with a mark ≥ 5 and to have attended the practical sessions (visits) and seminars. Only those absences that are due for greater cause and duly justified will be accepted.
Any student who has not been presented to less than 50% of the evaluation activities will be sonsiderednon-evaluable.
Assessment Activities
| Title | Weighting | Hours | ECTS | Learning Outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Exam of organic animal foods section | 37.5% | 1 | 0.04 | 6, 1, 4, 5, 2 |
| Exam of organic vegetable foods section | 37.5% | 1 | 0.04 | 6, 1, 4, 5, 2 |
| Seminars | 10% | 0 | 0 | 1, 5, 3, 7 |
| Visit reports | 15% | 0 | 0 | 1, 4, 5, 7 |
Bibliography
Bibliografia
- Bello A. Jordá C. Tello J.C. 2010. Agroecología y producción ecológica. Ed. CSIC.
- Comisión Europea. Producción y productos ecológicos
- Consell Català de la producció Ecològica http://www.ccpae.org/index.php?option=com_frontpage&Itemid=1&lang=ca_ES
- DAAR 2006. Llibre blanc de la producció agroalimentària ecològica a Catalunya. Departament Agricultura, Alimentació i Acció Rural. http://www.slideshare.net/roserpera/llibre-blanc-pae
-DACAR. Departament d’Acció Climàtica, Alimentació i Agenda Rural. Generalitat de Catalunya.
http://agricultura.gencat.cat/ca/
http://pae.gencat.cat/ca/enllacos-interes/
- Domínguez, A., Roselló J., Aguado, J. (2002) Diseño y manejo de la diversidad vegetal en Agricultura Ecológica. Ed. Phytoma. Valencia.
- Generalitat de Catalunya. Producció Agroalimentària Ecològica. Fitxes tècniques i divulgatives
http://pae.gencat.cat/ca/publicacions-materials-referencia/Fitxespae/
- IFOAM
https://www.organicseurope.bio
- IFOAM 2010. Organic Aquaculture: EU Regulations (EC) 834/2007, (EC) 889/2008, (EC) 710/2009. Background, Assessment, Interpretation. A. Szeremeta, L. Winkler, F. Blake, P.Lembo (Eds). EFOAM-EU Group and CIHEAM. 36 pp.
http://ifoam-eu.org/positions/publications/aquaculture/
- Lampkin N. 1998 (1 Ed.) Agricultura ecológica. Ediciones Mundi-Prensa. Madrid.
- Mainardi Fazio F. 2003 (1 Ed.) Cultivo biológico de hortalizas y frutales. Ed: de Vecchi
- Labrador J., Porcuna J.L., Bello A. 2002. Manual de Agricultura y ganadería ecológica. Ediciones Mundi-Prensa. Madrid.
Software
No software is used