Course: Organic Food Systems and Concepts (3405-471)

Persons:

• Prof. Dr. Torsten Müller (verantwortlich)
• Dr. Sabine Zikeli (verantwortlich)
• Prof. Dr. Reiner Doluschitz (verantwortlich)
• Dr. sc. agr. Christa Hoffmann (verantwortlich)
• Ursula Berghammer (verwaltend)
• Christine Veh (verwaltend)

Type of Course:

lecture with seminar and excursion

In-Class Hours Per Week:

4

Contents:

The module consists of four parts to introduce students to organic farming and to give them basic ideas on supply chain management. The module creates a common basis for all students on which the following modules in the M.Sc. programme "Organic Agriculture and Food Systems" will build up.

Part 1: Introduction to organic farming including
- basic principles
- history of organic farming

Part 2: Supply chain management including
- introduction to supply chain management
- introduction to organic food chains
Excursions will illustrate how organic food chains are structured

Part 3: Certification
As certification is a major issue in organic farming, it is important to know how to deal with regulations and guidelines. Therefore, students learn how to handle the legal framework of organic farming (e.g. EU regulation 2092 on organic farming) by lectures and exercises provided from lecturer from a certification body

Part 4: Organic farming and resource protection. As resource protection is a basic aim of organic farming, the lecture provides a thorough insight in the benefits and the areas of conflict of organic farming and resource protection.

L(80%), E(20%)
Lectures, excursions to organic farms, traders, processors

Students have to prepare excursion reports (group work) and a wiki on the organic agricultural prodcution and the organic processing of a specific prodcut of their choice (group work).

Literature:

Conford, Philip (2001): The Origins of the Organic Movement. Floris Books, Glasgow, p. 287
El-Hage Scialabala, Nadia and Caroline Hattam (2002): Organic agriculture, environment and food security. Environment and Natural Resources Service Sustainable Development Department, FAO, Rome, p. 252
Lampkin, Nicolas (1999): Organic farming. Farming Press
Stolze, Matthias, et al. (2000): The environmental impacts of organic farming in Europe. Organic Farming in Europe: Economics and Policy. Volume 6. Stuttgart-Hohenheim, p. 125
Up-to-date web pages (e.g. IFOAM, FAO, EU) and journal articles will be given during the module

Location:

Hohenheim

Remarks:

If you want to participate in the module, it is essential that you have access to the E-learning platform ILIAS. Please be aware that the module comprises group work, student seminars, the wiki, excursion reports and other study assignments as well as the participation in the excursions!

Module:

• 3405-470 Organic Food Systems and Concepts (compulsory)

eLearning:

Course in ILIAS