Innovative Agricultural Systems

Area	Agriculture
Degree Code	L25, Agricultural and Forest Sciences and Technologies
Language	Italian
Admission	Free
Venue	Ascoli Piceno, Via Umbria, 63100 AP
Lectures	On site

Features and aims of the course

The course is designed to prepare students to manage the complexity of agricultural activities through a multidisciplinary approach to new and sustainable production processes. The aim of the course is to give students the knowledge and skills necessary to favour open innovation in agriculture and plant growing and adapt it to the needs of the territory and of the operators working in it. To this end, the course will be organized considering the socio-economical aspects and the needs of the territory and of its stakeholders: on one side it is aimed at favouring the development of particular skills for those graduates who wish to start working soon after the end of the first study-cycle; on the other, it is aimed to help students build up a solid foundation to continue the academic career with second-cycle courses for specialization purposes. Seen from this twofold perspective, the course focuses on the following thematic pillars: environmental sustainability, efficient use of resources, promotion of local products. The key sectors taken into consideration are strategic for future challenges: precision agriculture, agroecology, plant nursery, ornamental foliage, quality agricultural production and their certification.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

The interdisciplinary approach of this course of study enables students to acquire in-depth knowledge of the agricultural sector and its challenges.

In the first year of the course students will learn fundamentals in mathematics, physics, chemistry and biology. In addition to these, teachings will be provided that will give them skills in ecology, pedology, microbiology and business management. All students must demonstrate to possess a good standard of English language proficiency.

In the second year students are given the fundamentals, the knowledge and skills typical of the degree category the course belongs to. Students will learn about agronomy, tree planting, genetics, crops and plant protection. Students will also be introduced into the basic concepts of smart agriculture through the study of computer methodologies for the interpretation of data collected through remote sensing and data processing.

The teachings offered in the third year of the course are highly qualifying. Students will learn about how to sustainably grow orchards, olive tree groves, vineyards, ornamental and non-ornamental plants. Students will also discuss about economic and environmental sustainability, communication and production innovations.

YOUR FUTURE CAREER OPPORTUNITIES

Graduates from this degree course will be able to work in:

– Agriculture and Food Authorities;
– Farmers’ cooperatives;
– as free-lance junior agronomists;
– single farms or farm consortia;
– farm contractors for the supply of agromechanic and technological services to third farmers.
– Producers’ associations;
– Fruit and vegetables large-scale trade;
– industries producing agricultural products;
– Companies supplying IT services for agriculture;
– Environmental Certification bodies;
– Quality Control bodies;
– National and regional centres for the protection and development of the environment and of the territory (Government’s technical bodies, national and regional environmental agencies, basin authorities, technical services offices, regional, provincial and communal authorities, land reclamation and irrigation authorities, mountain communities, mountain catch basin consortia);
– Professional practices, service companies and laboratories working in agriculture and for environmental and territorial protection and sustainability.

STRENGTHS OF THE COURSE

The course of study in Innovative Agricultural Systems has a strong innovation component. It offers teachings which are consistent with the latest dispositions of EU agricultural policies. The course is characterized by a focus on innovative tools and relationships between agriculture and environmental sustainability, thereby offering more possibilities of specialization.

The activities of research and analysis conducted in the well-equipped and technologically advanced laboratories of the university and during many visits to experimental fields, farms, agri-food industries, seminars and conferences in the Marche and in other Italian regions are an important part of the course.

The degree courses in Agricuture of Università Politecnica delle Marche rank second nationally and first for their internationalization services (CENSIS survey, 2019).