Agriculture and Sustainability

Not applied

The development of the theoretical component is carried out using the participatory expository method based on a variety of media (slides, short videos, oral, poster). The practical component uses case studies and application exercises. There may also be lectures by expert speaker(s) of business or institutional nature, on current topics.

Students should acquire the following competencies:

(a) Understands the concept of sustainability in its different environmental, social and economic dimensions;

(b) Knows the basic parameters that influence sustainability in the context of agricultural production, relates them to the different agricultural practices and can explain their relevance;

(c) Knows and can apply the tools available to assess the sustainability of agriculture;

(d) Has a good command of the concept of sustainability indicator and the processes adopted for its construction

(e) Can assess the sustainability of farms in a real context and propose measures aimed at transitioning farms towards sustainability.

1. The Concept and dimensions of sustainability.

2. Environmental sustainability in agriculture: the resources (soil, water, energy and biodiversity), the means of production and emissions.

3. Social sustainability in agriculture: employment, quality of life and citizenship.

4. Economic sustainability in agriculture: the economic profitability of organic farming activities and production systems.

5. Tools for sustainability analysis. Life cycle analysis. Indicators and indexes. Methodologies for construction, selection and validation of sustainability indicators.

6. Practical aspects of increasing sustainability on a farm.

NAO

APA (2007). Sustainable Development Indicator System. SIDS – Portugal. Portuguese Environment Agency  (in portuguese)

Brouwer, F. e Crabtree (eds) (1999). Environmental Indicators and Agricultural Policy. CABI Publishing.

Dieren, W. (ed.) (2000). Taking Nature into Account, A Report to the Club of Rome. Copernicus, New York. ISBN 0 387 94533 4

FAO (2000). The State of Food and Agriculture: Lessons from the past 50 years. Roma, Food and Agriculture Organization

Hansen, J. e Jones, J. (1996) A systems framework for characterizing farm sustainability. Agricultural Systems 51, 185-201.

Madureira, L., P. Magalhães, P. G. Silva, C. Marinho, R. Oliveira (2013). Economics of Ecosystem Services – A guide to understanding and valuing agro-ecosystem services in mountain protected areas. Quercus – National Association for Nature Conservation, Centro Associativo do Calhau, Bairro do Calha e Parque Florestal de Monsanto (eds.), 150 pp. (in portuguese)

OCDE (2003). Organic Agriculture: Sustainability, Markets and Policies. Organização para a Cooperação e Desenvolvimento Económico.

Pacini, C.; Wossink, A.; Giesen, G.; Vazzana, C. e Huirne, R. (2003). Evaluation of sustainability of organic, integrated and conventional farming systems: a farm and field-scale analysis. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment 95, 273–288.

Pannell, G. e Glenn, N. (2000) A framework for the economic evaluation and selection of sustainability indicators in agriculture. Ecological Economics 33, 135-149.

Palma, C. e Meireles, M. (2008). Sustainability indicators. Foresight and planning. Vol. 15. 177-206. (in portuguese)

Pearce, D. et al. (1989). Sustainable Development, Economics and Environment in the Third World. Hants, England: Edward Elgar Publishing.

Pearce, D. e Turner, R. (1990). Economics of Natural Resources and the Environment, Harvester Weatsheaf.

Rigby, D. et al. (2001). Constructing a farm level indicator of sustainable agricultural practice. Ecological Economics 39, 463-471.

Rigby, D. e Cáceres, D. (2001). Organic farming and the sustainability of agricultural systems. Agricultural Systems 68, 21-40

Röling, N. G. & Wagemakers, M. A. E. (eds) (2000). Facilitating Sustainable Agriculture. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0 521 79481 1.

Saroja Raman (ed) (2006). Agricultural Sustainability: Principles, Processes, and Prospects.New York, The Haworth Press.

Sydorovych, O. e Wossink, A. (2008). The meaning of agricultural sustainability: Evidence from a conjoint choice survey. Agricultural Systems 98, 10–20