Latest Module Specifications
Current Academic Year 2025 - 2026
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Description Agricultural production globally currently produces ample calories and nutrients to feed the entire global population of ~7.8 billion people. The United Nations has set a global target as part of its Sustainable Development Goals to eradicate hunger by 2030. Currently however we are far from reaching this target. Specifically, 11% (820 million) of the world’s population are undernourished i.e. they have a caloric intake below minimum energy requirements. Added to this, global population could reach 11 billion people by the end of the century. Food security is now and will continue to be one of the most serious issues facing our planet during this century. This module takes an Earth systems approach to understanding and addressing global food insecurity issues, linking physical, social, economic, and political factors as they relate to food production. Students will develop knowledge and understanding to critically examine a number of issues related to food sustainability, core aspects of sustainability science and its relevance to environmental, economic and socio-cultural pressures. Challenges and problems associated with future sustainability of food production systems and potential solutions to improve future food security will also be examined. Students will explore these themes in the context of a number of sustainability issues related to (1) global population changes, land use and climate and (2) resource availability and use efficiency in food production. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Learning Outcomes 1. Demonstrate connections between the earth system and cultural, economic, and political processes to examine food sustainability and food security 2. Brainstorm solution(s) to the complex problem of food security 3. Synthesize multiple data sets and types of background material related to food security 4. Utilise a range of tools to undertake analysis on food security as a place-based problem 5. Assess sustainability of food systems | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
All module information is indicative and subject to change. For further information,students are advised to refer to the University's Marks and Standards and Programme Specific Regulations at: http://www.dcu.ie/registry/examinations/index.shtml |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Indicative Content and Learning Activities
n/a Concepts and debates in food security and agricultural sustainability n/a Sustainable intensification; definitions and concepts n/a Resource constraints Water resource availability & use efficiency; sustainability indicators Land constraint and sustainable soil resource use Phosphorus, potassium & other mineral fertilisers – resource availability & use efficiency n/a Crop improvements and food security impacts; n/a Genetic diversity for robustness of food system; conventional and GMO techniques n/a Livestock production systems; agricultural sustainability & food security impacts n/a Urban agriculture; agricultural sustainability & food security impacts n/a Assessing sustainability of food systems; targets and indicators; ecological footprinting, food miles as a proxy indicator of sustainability n/a Future sustainable diets | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Indicative Reading List Books: None Articles: None | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Other Resources None | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||