HRT 130 - Introduction to Sustainable Farming
Course Description
Effective: 2020-01-01
Familiarizes students, through lecture and demonstration, with small-scale food production by gardening. Covers the basics of composting and organic vegetable gardening using sustainable farming methods.
Lecture 3 hours. Total 3 hours per week.
3 credits
General Course Purpose
Introduce students to the various practices that go into creating an organic vegetable production operation.
Course Objectives
- Demonstrate applications of composting, ecosystem interactions, and intensive gardening;
- Interface with individuals interested in organic gardening;
- Communicate with confidence to clients and co-workers regarding products and techniques of organic food production; and
- Evaluate compost for use as a soil amendment in diverse circumstances.
Major Topics to be Included
- Composting of organic materials into a safe and usable soil amendment
- Building garden ecosystems using companion planting, succession planting, and crop rotation
- Vegetable production by means of sustainable cultivation practices, including spacing and equipment used