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| Semester | fall semester 2024 |
| Course frequency | Every fall sem. |
| Lecturers | Klaus Schläppi (klaus.schlaeppi@unibas.ch, Assessor) |
| Content | Future society has to feed nine billion people, therefore agriculture, food, waste and resource management have to go hand in hand toward the use of fewer resources and acceptance of the Planetary Boundaries. We will discuss current research in the context of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The focus of the seminar will be on: (1) Research in agroecological systems. Can we transform the impact of our agricultural practices to stay within the planetary boundaries? (2) Enabling food system transformation in Switzerland. The seminar will examine how local food systems can be built and scaled. The focus will be on policy strategies for a sustainable food environment and appropriate consumer habits. The seminar will have (a) two face-to-face sessions, (b) an online group work phase on case studies mentored by the lecturers, and (c) self‐organized group cases that will be analysed and results be presented. At the end, all participants will publish a report. Case studies (CS) will include: • CS 1: How can Swiss farmers move to zero environmental impact? • CS 2: What influence do the consumers in developed (importing) countries have on the sustainability of (mainly) small-holder farming in the developing (sourcing) countries? • CS 3: Sensor-based fertilization techniques in the field for sustainability? • CS 4: The blessing and curse of nitrogen – transferring knowledge from Science to Society to create more awareness • CS 4: The transformation of the (urban) food systems and changing consumer food habits. |
| Learning objectives | Participants will be able to: (1) Review sustainability issues in the context of plant science research and literature on sustainable agriculture and the food system. (2) Analyze and interact on several case studies on agro-ecology and the food system. |
| Comments | Lecturers: Franz Bender (Agroscope), Frank Liebisch (Agroscope), Carole Epper (Agroscope), Melanie Paschke (ETHZ) |
| Weblink | http://www.plantsciences.uzh.ch |
| Admission requirements | For MSc and PhD students of ETH Zurich, University of Zurich and University of Basel. |
| Course application | In addition to the regular course registration on MoNA, students are requested to register through the PSC course registration platform for this course (see weblink). The course registration will open on 1st July. |
| Language of instruction | English |
| Use of digital media | Online, optional |
| Interval | Weekday | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|---|
| unregelmässig | See individual dates | ||
| unregelmässig | See individual dates | ||
| Comments | October 30, 2024 & December 4, 2024 (14:00 – 18:00) at ETHZ, rooms tba |
| Date | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|
| Wednesday 30.10.2024 | 14.00-18.00 | ETH Zurich, -- |
| Wednesday 04.12.2024 | 14.00-18.00 | ETH Zurich, -- |
| Modules |
Courses: Master's Studies Plant Science (Master's Studies: Plant Science) Doctorate Botany: Recommendations (PhD subject: Botany) Module Specialisation: Molecular Biology (Master's Studies: Nanosciences) Module: Core Competences in Natural Sciences (Master's Studies: Sustainable Development) |
| Assessment format | continuous assessment |
| Assessment details | Students will actively participate during the two afternoons with presentations on the second afternoon (8 hours). In between the participants will independently work on their group case and finish with a presentation and a report (52 hours). |
| Assessment registration/deregistration | Reg.: course registration, dereg: cancel course registration |
| Repeat examination | no repeat examination |
| Scale | Pass / Fail |
| Repeated registration | as often as necessary |
| Responsible faculty | Faculty of Science, studiendekanat-philnat@unibas.ch |
| Offered by | Integrative Biologie |