| CODE | BIO5150 | |||||||||
| TITLE | Terrestrial and Aquatic Food Production 1 | |||||||||
| UM LEVEL | 05 - Postgraduate Modular Diploma or Degree Course | |||||||||
| MQF LEVEL | 7 | |||||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 5 | |||||||||
| DEPARTMENT | Biology | |||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | A rapidly growing human population has caused major changes in the utilisation of resources on a global scale. Amongst the many changes that humanity has had on the world are the significant impacts on the natural resources which have been necessary to feed this rapidly increasing number of people on the planet. Coupled with the actual physical number of people requiring food is the increasing average affluence and standard of living which adds additional pressure on global food supply. Food supply is therefore a major factor affecting the allocation of resources at a local, national and global level. Food supply relies on the large-scale activities of agriculture, fisheries and aquaculture, each comprising huge human endeavour on an industrial scale. Amongst the topics covered are: - Food security and challenges on a global scale; - Agricultural principles and basic soil science; - Major crops and livestock production; - Factors and features of production strategies; - Future potential and production targets; - Challenges and alternative approaches to production; - Introduction to marine fisheries ecology; - Dynamics of exploited populations; - Fisheries data collection and evaluation; - Fisheries management concepts; - Fisheries management in the Maltese Islands. Study-unit Aims: The study-unit is mainly aimed at providing participants with knowledge of aspects of: - Introduction to concepts of global food supply; - Basic features of agricultural production; - Major crop and livestock productions; - Strategies affecting agricultural production; - Challenges and potential for the future; - Introduction to marine fisheries ecology; - Dynamics of exploited populations; - Fisheries data collection and evaluation. Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Recognise the effect of increasing human population numbers and behaviour on the requirement for food; - Understand the factors which affect agriculture and livestock production and their requirements; - Identify various management approaches to production and their impact on the efficiency and economic viability of such practices; - Describe varying production strategies and potential production limitations and constraints related to these strategies; - Understand the potential production capacity with current and new production strategies; - Describe different types of commercially important species, and appreciate how their natural abundance at sea is influenced by environmental and biological processes; - Appreciate the effects of fishing on commercially exploited species; - Recognise different types of fisheries data, and appreciate how the evaluation of fisheries data is used in fisheries management; - Acknowledge the importance of exploiting fisheries resources in a sustainable way. 2. Skills By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Apply knowledge on agricultural practices to real situations and in the field; - Differentiate between the various production strategies best achieving an efficient and economic production of various crops and livestock systems; - Choose between different production strategies to enable appropriate implementation within the context of consideration of their potential impact on the environment and consumer perceptions and choices; - Apply knowledge of biotechnological advances in agriculture as a means of determining production potential and capacity; - Distinguish between major types of marine fauna exploited by commercial fisheries; - Apply basic knowledge of marine ecology and oceanography to understand patterns of fisheries productivity; - Implement management approaches and strategies for fishing to enhance higher fisheries productivity, and increased societal benefit but within the context of sustainable use of living resources; - Conduct procedures and adopt different techniques for scientific data collection and analyses. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: Main Texts - Acquaah, G. (2004). Principles of Crop Production: Theory, Techniques, and Technology. 2nd Ed. Prentice Hall. - Cooper, A. (2006). A guide to fisheries stock assessment: from data to recommendations. University of New Hampshire, Sea Grant College Program. AVAILABLE ONLINE (http://www.pewtrusts.org/~/media/legacy/uploadedfiles/peg/publications/report/aguidetofisheriesstockassessmentpdf.pdf) - Jennings S., Michel K. & Reynolds J. D. (2009). Marine fisheries ecology. John Wiley & Sons. - Moore G., & Jennings S (2008). Commercial Fishing: The Wider Ecological Impacts. John Wiley & Sons. - Taylor R.E. & Field T.G. (2015). Scientific Farm Animal Production: An Introduction. 11th Ed. Prentice Hall. - Kay R., Edwards W. & Duffy P. (2015). Farm Management. McGraw-Hill Education. - Wallace R. K. & Fletcher K. M. (2000). Understanding fisheries management: a manual for understanding the federal fisheries management process. AVAILABLE ONLINE (http://sedarweb.org/docs/page/UnderstandFedFishMgmt_2ndEdition_Seagrant96.pdf) Supplementary Readings - Farrugia-Randon S. (2007). Fishing in Malta. P.E.G. Ltd. Malta. - Farrugia-Randon S. (1995). The fishing industry in Malta: past, present, future. Pubblikazzjonijiet Indipendenza, Malta. - FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Department. (2002). A fishery manager’s guidebook – management measures and their application. Cochrane, K.L. (ed.). Fisheries technical paper 421. Rome, FAO. 231p. AVAILABLE ONLINE (http://www.fao.org/docrep/005/y3427e/y3427e00.htm) - FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Department. (2018). The state of world fisheries and aquaculture. Meeting the sustainable development goals. Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations, Rome . AVAILABLE ONLINE (http://www.fao.org/3/i9540en/I9540EN.pdf) - FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Department. (2016). The State of Mediterranean and Black Sea Fisheries. General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean. Rome, Italy. AVAILABLE ONLINE (http://www.fao.org/3/a-i5496e.pdf) - Plaster, E. (2013). Soil Science and Management. 6th Ed. Delmar Cengage Learning. |
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| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Lecture, Independent Study, Visits & Practical | |||||||||
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| LECTURER/S | Joseph A. Borg Joseph Buhagiar Mauro Buttigieg Francesca Pia Gravino Leyla Knittweis Tony Meli David Mifsud Anthony Sacco |
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The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2025/6. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
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