The course explores the development of sustainable farming systems and soil management techniques in Australian agriculture. The emphasis is on the application of a thorough understanding of basic physical, chemical and biological properties and ecological processes involving soils, crop plants and livestock to the design and implementation of improved farming systems. A range of land management issues are addressed including soil conservation, restoration and rehabilitation; alternative farming and grazing systems and combinations of grazing and cropping, including pasture cropping, are considered. The course looks at farming systems in different climatic regions, and under irrigated and dryland conditions.
A practical component examines the collection, analysis, interpretation and presentation of land and soil resource data from a range of scales in the landscape and includes a soil and land resource mapping project of a designated area in rural NSW, involving the incorporation of all relevant sources of information, including remote sensing and published literature, to produce soil-landscape and resource maps, GIS layers, explanatory notes and a farm plan.
Note: Graduate students attend joint classes with undergraduates but are assessed separately.
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:
On satisfying the requirements of this course, students will have the knowledge and skills to:
1. Collect, analyse, interpret and present land and soil resource data (including remotely sensed data and published literature) from a range of scales in the landscape to produce soil-landscape and resource maps, GIS layers, explanatory notes and a farm plan.
2. Understand and contribute to the development of sustainable farming systems and soil management techniques in Australian agriculture.
3. Discuss the principles of managing soil resources with practitioners such as farmers, extension officers, and consultants.
4. Conduct research into, and produce detailed field trip reports on, various aspects of soil resources and their management.
5. Carry out research into an aspect of soil resources and their management, and present the results of that research both as a discussion paper and a seminar.
Indicative Assessment
- Soil and land resource mapping report (30%; LO 1, 2)
- Field trip reports (40%; LO 3, 4)
- Discussion paper and seminar (30%; LO 2, 5)
The ANU uses Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. While the use of Turnitin is not mandatory, the ANU highly recommends Turnitin is used by both teaching staff and students. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the ANU Online website.
Workload
65 contact hours, comprising a combination of lectures, seminars, field work and practical sessions.
Requisite and Incompatibility
Preliminary Reading
Charman, PV, and Murphy, BW (eds.), 2000, Soils: Their Properties & Management, (2nd edition), Oxford University Press, Melbourne.
Jordan, C.F., 1998, Working with Nature, Harwood Academic Publishers.
McDonald, RC, Isbell, RF, Speight, JF, Walker, J and Hopkins, MS, Australian Soil and Land Survey: Field handbook, 2nd Ed, 1990, Inkata Press, Melbourne.
Assumed Knowledge
General science knowledge: a background in soils would be useful.
Specialisations
Fees
Tuition fees are for the academic year indicated at the top of the page.
If you are a domestic graduate coursework or international student you will be required to pay tuition fees. Tuition fees are indexed annually. Further information for domestic and international students about tuition and other fees can be found at Fees.
- Student Contribution Band:
- 2
- Unit value:
- 6 units
If you are an undergraduate student and have been offered a Commonwealth supported place, your fees are set by the Australian Government for each course. At ANU 1 EFTSL is 48 units (normally 8 x 6-unit courses). You can find your student contribution amount for each course at Fees. Where there is a unit range displayed for this course, not all unit options below may be available.
| Units | EFTSL |
|---|---|
| 6.00 | 0.12500 |
Course fees
- Domestic fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2015 | $3096 |
- International fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2015 | $4146 |
Offerings, Dates and Class Summary Links
ANU utilises MyTimetable to enable students to view the timetable for their enrolled courses, browse, then self-allocate to small teaching activities / tutorials so they can better plan their time. Find out more on the Timetable webpage.
Class summaries, if available, can be accessed by clicking on the View link for the relevant class number.
Second Semester
| Class number | Class start date | Last day to enrol | Census date | Class end date | Mode Of Delivery | Class Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | 20 Jul 2015 | 07 Aug 2015 | 31 Aug 2015 | 30 Oct 2015 | In Person | N/A |
