NU 0161 - Sustainability on the Farm

Course Description

Agriculture is the single largest user of land and water and, thus, has broad environmental impacts. Gains in yield productivity over the last five decades have met increasing demands without increasing agricultural area in the U.S., but environmental, economic and social costs have been considerable. In this first course of the series, the farm level primary costs and benefits will be analyzed, along with a profile of current conventional and alternative approaches to food production in the U.S. Students will examine the policy response to environmental and conservation concerns, focusing on the balance between meeting increased demand while mitigating environmental and social costs. Prerequisite: Graduate standing or instructor consent.

Undergraduate enrollment in this course is provisional pending the permission of the Program Director. Students seeking undergraduate credit will need to submit a brief statement of interest and upload an unofficial transcript before enrolling.  You will be guided through this process during checkout and it should only take you a few minutes.