Ploughing a new course

Agri-Environmental Science is one of the 14 degree options offered by the School of Agriculture and Food Science, UCD. Given the breadth of programmes and expertise of the associated academics (there are 84 academic staff currently), the programmes offered by our school cover the entirety of the food chain from ‘farm to fork’. This also means that our academics work in close collaboration with those in other aspects of agriculture such as Animal and Crop Production, Animal Science, Food Science, and Agri-Business Management, to name a few, and ensures that we understand and appreciate emerging issues in these areas of the agri-food sector.
Agriculture, and the environment in which it operates, are like two sides of the same coin– both are equally dependent on the other. It is essential to acknowledge both the positive and negative relationships that particular agricultural practices may have with the wider environment and to understand the science underlying these relationships.

Scientific solutions

We’re solution-driven. We don’t just identify the challenges, but also identify and discuss various solutions with our students. In doing this, we try to instill in them an understanding that truly sustainable solutions need to address environmental, economic and social concerns. Solutions that put farmers out of business are not sustainable solutions.
We are very proud of the fact that all our BAgrSc. degree options are underpinned by strong science. Therefore, stage one is very focused on providing the scientific foundation to the rest of the degree. This includes
(bio)chemistry, physics and biology. In addition, our students also take a module called Land Use and the Environment. Within this we introduce them to the importance of biodiversity and land use in terms of delivering a whole range of ecosystem services upon which our food production systems ultimately depend, e.g. nutrient cycling, pollination, carbon sequestration etc. In addition, we cover the big global challenges around climate change, water quality, biodiversity loss and discuss these in the context of policy commitments, advancements in research, etc.

In stage two, our students focus on the principles of crop and animal production, as well as learning how to apply the knowledge gained through their stage one science modules in areas like soil science, ecology and microbiology, while also becoming more aware of the innate diversity of the Irish rural landscape. At the end of stage two, our students undertake a week-long residential field course in the Burren, Co. Clare. This is a hugely important opportunity for our students to develop a practical understanding of the relationships between agriculture, geology, climate and biodiversity. It is also a great opportunity for our students to get to know each other and to build life-long friendships, an aspect of university life that is often forgotten when students get embroiled in the ‘points race’.
In stage three, students across the BAgrSc. programmes really start to specialise in their chosen path. This is no different for our Agri-Environmental Students who study modules such as Soil Science Applications, Agri-Environmental Issues and Policy, and Plant Diseases and Pest Management. In spring of stage three, students start their Professional Work Experience (PWE). This involves a period of 16 weeks when the students gain practical professional experience working on farms and also in other agri-environmental related areas, e.g. with agricultural and environmental consultants, with Teagasc, Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM), etc. This is a fantastic opportunity for all BAgrSc. students to gain experience working in their chosen field. While many students stay in Ireland for the duration of PWE, a number travel abroad each year to undertake part or all of their PWE in other countries. If students are particularly interested in travelling, they can also undertake a period of study abroad, travelling to a university elsewhere in the world, such as the US, New Zealand or Australia, to study for a period of one trimester (term). We have 12 such partner universities with existing student exchange agreements.
In stage four, our students take advanced modules in agri-environmental management. These are very applicable to real world scenarios and include Agri-Environmental Nutrient Management, Environmental Monitoring, Wildlife Conservation and One Health – which covers topics like zoonoses (diseases spread from animals to humans) and the causes of this – an area of extremely high priority over recent years, for obvious reasons. Our students also get the opportunity to further develop their field and lab skills through a range of field trips that include: a two-day residential field course in the midlands that covers a range of habitat types and introduces the students in a very practical way to the process of habitat classification and mapping, using techniques in Geographical Information Systems (GIS), and facilities such as the Teagasc Research Centre at Johnstown Castle, and Luggala Estate in Co. Wicklow. 

Research project

The ‘capstone’ module for our stage four students is their research project – this requires our students to identify a particular research question and then work through the scientific process, experimentation, field research etc. to find an answer to that question. Our academics provide a range of topics for students to select from, but students can also choose a topic outside of this that particularly interests them. This is a hugely valuable experience as it gives students first-hand experience of what research entails, teaches them valuable field and laboratory skills, as well as skills in writing, time management, data management and interpretation etc.

Cutting-edge research

The people who deliver the modules across our BAgrSc. programmes are also the ones undertaking the research (95 per cent of all academics are research active). This means that our teaching is informed by our research and our students are among the first to hear about new discoveries. For example, a number of colleagues (from across the School of Agriculture) and I have been working on the multi-species sward research that has been ongoing at UCD Lyons Farm for more than a decade. Our students were among the first to know that we can produce 20 per cent more herbage dry matter per hectare from 60 per cent less fertiliser nitrogen compared to perennial ryegrass swards, and animals fed on these swards are reaching their target slaughter weight approximately five weeks earlier than their counterparts fed on perennial ryegrass. These are the kinds of solutions we need to meet increasingly challenging policy commitments – ‘low input–high output’ systems. Other colleagues undertake research in equally exciting and essential areas including: nutrient and manure management, zoonoses, antimicrobial resistance, pollinators, soil biology (other examples of why biodiversity is vital for food production) and soil carbon sequestration, as well as seeking to better understand how plant roots interact with soil and and how crops respond to environmental stresses including drought, flooding and new ‘invasive’ pests.
Of course, we are in the enviable position of having access to the 600-acre UCD Lyons Farm, which has all of the main farming enterprises including dairy, sheep, beef and tillage. It is also the location of the Long-Term Grazing Platform, a participant site in the Global Farm Platform – a network of international sites which focus on enhancing the sustainability of ruminant production systems. We are also incredibly lucky to have access to the five-acre Rosemount Research Station on our Belfield Campus. Rosemount is home to some really high-tech equipment such as the CT scanners for scanning root architecture and the plant phenotyping suite that allows researchers to better understand the effects of different stressors on crops. This is becoming increasingly important as we experience less predictable weather patterns. In addition, resources such as the controlled environment chambers allow researchers to modify the environment in which plants grow, so that they can assess how they respond to changes in CO₂ concentration, temperature, etc.

On the future

The only thing certain about the future is that it will be less predictable than the past. The challenges are significant and there are many dimensions to them. To develop truly sustainable solutions, we need many perspectives around the table – including farmers, scientists and policy makers. In a time when agriculture and the environment are regarded by some as being at opposite ends of the spectrum, it has never been more important that we have people who understand how inextricably linked the two are, people who understand the science behind the challenges and who can bring a balanced but informed voice to the table. These are the kind of people we help to produce through our Agri-Environmental Science degree at UCD.
In addition to the BAgrSc. in Agri-Environmental Sciences programme, the Environment and Sustainable Resource Management section at UCD also offers three exciting one-year MSc. programmes in Environmental Resource Management; Horticulture and, Wildlife Conservation and Management.