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Environmental Impact and Innovation in Agriculture

Home / Oferta Formativa / Coimbra Agriculture School / Master / Master in Crops and Livestock Engineering

Base Knowledge

Have elementary knowledge of agricultural and livestock activities.

Teaching Methodologies

Classes will mainly be lecture-based, supported by presentations, notes from teachers, and discussion of case studies. Groups will be formed to present a guided project with a written report, which must contain two references from ISI Web Knowledge in the bibliography. After the third class, students will begin a “project” supported by the teachers involved in the course, which must assess the impact of agricultural and livestock activities and may be based on one agricultural and livestock farm or two separate farms, one agricultural and one livestock. This project will present innovations based on scientific research and current regulations that aim to reduce the impact of agricultural and livestock activity on the environment.
 
 

Learning Results

Have knowledge to develop an environmental impact project within national standards. Obtain rational criteria for the implementation of decisions related to the integrated management of agricultural areas. Develop “catalogs” of good practices with the most current environmental protection practices. Equate the consequences of agricultural activity in the environment. Know methodologies for assessing and monitoring environmental impacts.

Program

Module 1 – Identification of present and future environmental challenges, with particular focus on the role of agricultural activities as polluting activities and their potential purifier. The legal framework for Environmental Impact Assessments in Portugal and the European Union, in particular with regard to agricultural activities. Use of organic fertilizers, collection, composting and distribution. Products and by-products of agricultural activity.

Module 2 – Environmental impact of agricultural activity. Importance of soil a) Limits to the application of fertilizers, manure and sludge. b) Environmental control of pesticide application. Portuguese Standards for Integrated Production and Integrated Protection (production manuals, methods used and objectives to be achieved).

Module 2 – Livestock activity and biodiversity. Present examples of “catalogs” of good practices. Effluent treatment and conversions in livestock facilities.

Curricular Unit Teachers

Luísa Maria Chambel Filipe Lopes Leitão Martin

Grading Methods

Continuous assessment:
 
Module 1 - Bibliographic research work (B) on environmental impact assessment and implementation of good practices.
 
Module 2 - Group preparation of a case study on environmental impact mitigation in agricultural activity (A) with presentation and defense (the topic must be agreed upon in advance with the teacher).
 
Module 3 - Group preparation of a case study on environmental impact mitigation in livestock farming (P) with presentation and defense (the topic must be agreed upon in advance with the teacher).
 
Final Continuous Assessment Grade = 0.3B+0.35A+0.35P
 
 
 
Exam assessment:
 
- Written test (T) on Module 1
 
- Individual preparation of a case study (C) on environmental impact mitigation in agricultural and livestock production, with presentation and defense. The topic must be agreed with the teachers no later than two weeks before the exam date and is related to the topics covered in Modules 2 and 3.
 
Final Exam Grade = 0.3T+0.7C
 
 

    Internship(s)

    NAO

    Bibliography

    Canter, W. (1996) ­ Environmental impact assessment. 2nd edition. McGraw­Hill. New York. (McGraw­Hill series in water resources and environmental engineering)

    DGADR (2020) Manual Prático de Avaliação de Impacte Ambiental., Divisão de Ordenamento do Espaço Rural, Lisboa.

    Erickson, A.(1994) ­ A pratical guide to environmental impact assessment. San Diego. California.

    Ministerio del Medio Ambiente (1998) ­ Guía para la elaboración de estudios del medio físico: contenido y metodología/

    Miguel Aguilo Alonso et al. Centro Publicaciones ­Secretaría General Técnica. Madrid.

    Rodrigues, G., Campanhola, C., Kitamura, P. (2002) ­ Avaliação de impacto ambiental da inovação tecnológica agropecuária: um sistema de avaliação para o contexto institucional de P & D. Cadernos de Ciência & Tecnologia. Volume 19, n. 3, p. 349­375. Brasília

    Stewart, C. (2004) ­ Genetically modified planet: environmental impacts of genetically engineered plants. Oxford: University Press.