Study Programmes 2015-2016
| VEGE0036-1 | |||||
| Tropical agroecology | |||||
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Duration :
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| 18h Th, 24h Pr, 12h SEM, 18h FT | |||||
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Number of credits :
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Lecturer :
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| Guy Mergeai | |||||
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Language(s) of instruction :
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| French language | |||||
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Organisation and examination :
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| Teaching in the second semester | |||||
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Units courses prerequisite and corequisite :
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| Prerequisite or corequisite units are presented within each program | |||||
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Course contents :
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| I. Introduction
II. The different facets of the concept of Agroecology III. Links between ecosystem services, ecological functions and living organisms within agroecosystems IV. Fundamental principles of the agro-ecological approach to the development of sustainable agricultural production systems V. From principles to practices VI. Sustainable improvement of the performances of agrarian systems in tropical regions - Informal survey methods of farming systems - Agrarian systems of the Sudano Sahelian areas of West Africa - Agrarian systems of the savannah areas of central Africa VII. Seminars / tutorial classes / case studies / field visit |
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Learning outcomes of the course :
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| Give students a good understanding of the different facets of the concept of agroecology and make them acquire knowledges and skills in agro-ecology to enable them to develop sustainably tropical agro-ecosystems.
At the end of the course, the student must be able to: - Define the principles of agro-ecology and discuss how they are related to the development of sustainable agricultural systems. - Propose suitable agroecological solutions for improving agricultural systems in tropical regions |
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Prerequisite knowledge and skills :
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| GEOP0002-1 - Edaphology
AGRO0001-1 - Compared agriculture - ENVT2044-1 - General ecology |
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Planned learning activities and teaching methods :
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| Learning activities consist of: (i) 18 hours of ex-cathedra courses to present basic concepts; (ii) 12 hours of seminars presented by experts in conservation agriculture, pest biological control, application of agroecological practices in tropical regions; (iii) 18 hours of field visit spent visiting farms applying agroecological practices, the the center of training in composting of the Jean Pain Foundation, the pilot site of the "Purver" vermicomposting company; (iv) a personal work in which each student will identify and propose the methods of applying an agroecological practice adapted to the characteristics of an agro-ecosystem described previously in the course. This work will be presented to all students of the class. | |||||
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Mode of delivery (face-to-face ; distance-learning) :
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| Face-to-face and student work on a case study | |||||
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Recommended or required readings :
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| PDF copy of the slides presented during lectures and seminars
Van Dam, D., Stassart, P. et al. (2012). Agroécologie: Entre pratiques et sciences sociales. Educagri Editions. P.M. Stassart, Baret Ph., Grégoire J Cl., Hance Th., Mormont M., Reheul D., Stilmant D., Vanloqueren G., Visser M (2012). L'agroécologie, trajectoire et potentiels pour une transition vers des systemes alimentaires durables. http://www.agroecologie.be/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Agroecologie_Stassart_Baret_et_al_GIRAF_version_web2_1.pdf AgriSud (2010). Guide. L'agroécologie en pratique. http://www.agrisud.org/fr/type-publications/guides/ Manuel pratique du semis direct à Madagascar : http://agroecologie.cirad.fr/librairie_virtuelle Griffon M. 2013. Qu'est-ce que l'agriculture écologiquement intensive. Quae. Versailles. France. 221p. |
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Assessment methods and criteria :
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| Written examination (60%) Personal report (40%) | |||||
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Work placement(s) :
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Organizational remarks :
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Contacts :
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| Mergeai, Guy (Chargé de cours) Phytotechnie tropicale et Horticulture 081 62 21 44 gmergeai@ulg.ac.be | |||||