Sustainable Agriculture Module Krista Jacobsen 30 March 2011.

Sustainable Agriculture ModuleKrista Jacobsen30 March 2011

Learning Outcomes• After completing a core path in this

module, students should be able to…– Provide a nuanced definition of sustainable

agriculture, with examples of the economic, environmental and social factors influencing sustainable food production.

– Describe an example of a community producing food using sustainable agricultural practices.

– Understand sustainability as site-specific, dependent on place-based factors.

Approach: ‘core paths’ or multiple entry points

Case study communitiesTransitioning traditions:

Organic vegetable farming in Appalachia

Maintaining agrarian traditions:

Traditional dairy production in Pays

Basque (Basque country), France

Finding new markets: Fair trade

coffee farming in Indonesia

Economic ProfitabilityTh

e “3 pillars”

Environmental Stewardship

Social Responsibility

Components

Components of each section (cell of graph, “a module?”)– Narrative

• Background • Issues/story• One “farmer story” in each cell • Photos• You tube videos?

– Supporting materials• appendices for new materials• useful websites• Assessment questions

One-page or less intro to that “path.” – EX 1: What does economic

profitability mean in sustainable agriculture?

– EX 2: Basics on Indonesian geography and community of study

– Maybe a pre-test for students?

Example of a ‘path’: Basque farmers

Intro – Overview of geography important 3 pillars issues1957 - Treaty of Rome creates EC6- France,

West Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg join

Criteria for membership…

1973- United Kingdom, Ireland, Denmark join

1981- Greece joins

1986- Spain and Portugal join

1989- East and West Germany unite

1995- Austria, Finland and Sweden join (EU15)

2004- Poland, Hungary, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia, Estonia, Latvie, Lithuania, Cyprus, Malta join (EU 25)

2007- Bulgaria and Romania join (EU 27) 27 countries in 2005 (including Bulgaria & Romania

Basque example: Introduction

Overview of Ag in the EU

Average agricultural

land use ~40%

Basque example: Introduction

Overview of economic framework/issues– The EU generally accounts for about 15-20 percent of the

world's agricultural exports and imports.– The EU-27 is one of the most important trading partners

and competitors of the United States in world agricultural markets.

– European agricultural policy has long had a major impact on world agricultural markets, and the EU is one of the key participants in World Trade Organization (WTO) negotiations on agricultural trade.

Basque example: Introduction

Overview of social/policy issues - EU Common Agricultural Policy (CAP)– CAP is the only sector of the EU with common policy that

is agreed upon by all member nations.– Proposed by the European Commission, agreed to by agricultural

ministers in the member countries, and reviewed by European Parliament.

– What is it?• Farm policy aimed to promote:

– Common prices– Common financing– Community preference

Basque example: Introduction

• Brief intro on the CAP (supplementary resources for more complete detail)– The primary objectives of CAP – Main policy instruments

• Agricultural price supports• Direct payments to farmers

– Significance of the CAP• The only common policy in EU• A large portion of EU spending

– 45% of EU spending in 2008

http://capreform.eu

Basque example: Introduction

Courtesy of Meredith Welch-Devine

Basque example: Economic module – diversification to maintain tradition

Courtesy of Meredith Welch-Devine

Agrotourism

Value-added cooperativesLocal branding

Basque example: Social module

Courtesy of Meredith Welch-Devine

Technology adoptionIntergenerational involvement

Basque example: Environmental module

Biodiversity Conservation policy– Local, state (French)

and EU level policy

Nutrient management issues

Courtesy of Meredith Welch-Devine

Additional resources

http://casestudies.lead.org/