Food Production in a Future Climate

Students will develop an appreciation for the complexity of natural resource management issues and their impact on agricultural production and societal change. This will be achieved by providing an in-depth understanding of the impacts of global climate change on plant growth with specific focus on how climate change is likely to affect food production. Crops and agricultural systems of particular importance to Australian agricultural and horticultural production will be closely examined. The course will highlight the importance of understanding the mechanisms by which a changing climate will affect plant performance and food production. Changing phenology, plant species range shifts, changing pest pressure and variation in yield will be explored in the context of climate change. This course integrates concepts of physiology, biochemistry, genetics, agronomy, and pest management gained by students in previous courses thus developing an in-depth understanding of the drivers of climate change and how future prediction models are generated. Students will develop skills in critical analysis of data and literature to enable them to make informed decisions relating to future food production.