Overall objectives:

1 - Teach and explore the principles of organic farming.
2 - Teach and explore the concept of agrodiversity and its elements, as structuring factors in the mode of organic production and rural development.
3 - Know and understand the instruments for analyzing and valuing agroecosystem services, in order to develop processes for prospecting, interpreting, identifying, and selecting management measures and valuing agroecosystem services.
4 - Know and understand instruments for analyzing landscape diversity, in order to develop processes for valuing agrodiversity and the rural environment.
5 - Promote the application by students of knowledge and tools in the analysis of agrodiversity and landscape, in order to develop and implement integrated rural development actions and projects.

Syllabus:

1 - Principles of Organic Agriculture: health; ecology; justice; and precaution.
1.1 - Importance of Organic Agriculture, as an agroecological strategy, in sustainable development.
2 - Agrodiversity and its elements.
2.1 - Importance of agrodiversity in organic farming and rural development.
3. - Agroecosystems, and their functions. Agricultural, agroforestry and mixed systems.
3.1 - Economic, environmental and social dimensions of agroecosystems.
3.2 - Agrocosystem services. Support, supply, regulatory and sociocultural services.
4. - Landscape ecology. Humanized landscape concept.
4.1 - Diversity and quality of the landscape. Natural and built heritage.
4.2 - Rural landscape as a service for agroecosystems. Conservation of nature and biodiversity.
5. - Assessment of agroecosystem and landscape services.
5.1 - In-Loco context analysis.
5.2 - Assessment of the cost ? benefit of services and landscape changes.
5.3 - Stated and revealed preference methods. Risk assessment.
5.4 - Other project evaluation methodologies.

Literature/Sources:

Abecassis, F., Cabral, N. , 2000 , Análise Económica e Financeira de Projectos. , Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian
Anderson, C. R., Bruil, J., Jahi Chappell, M., Kiss, C., & Pimbert, M.P. (2021). , 2021 , Agroecology Now! Transformations Towards More Just and Sustainable Food Systems. , Cham, Palgrave Macmillan.
European Commission , 2014 , Guide to Cost-benefit Analysis of Investment Projects: Economic appraisal tool for Cohesion Policy 2014- 2020. , IPublications Office of the European Union
Gliessman, S. R. , 2014 , Agroecology: The Ecology of Sustainable Food Systems, , CRC Press.
DGADR , 2017 , Estratégia Nacional para a Agricultura Biológica (ENAB) e Plano de Acção (PA) 2017-27. , (2017)

Assesssment methods and criteria:

Classification Type: Quantitativa (0-20)

Evaluation Methodology:
The teaching and learning methodologies are articulated with the pedagogical model of the study cycle as they were structured accordingly, with the principle of 75% of ECTS in distance learning (30h), and 25% in face-to-face activities (10h). To achieve the objectives and execute the program contents, contact hours are distributed into 16 asynchronous hours (TP), 14 synchronous hours (TP), 4 face-to-face hours (S) and 6 face-to-face hours (TC). Teaching and learning methodologies include a period of synchronous work with students to frame the program contents, and autonomous asynchronous activities, which include research, critical reflection and study by students, with the completion of work on the program topics, forums discussion, moderated by teachers. The face-to-face activities will be carried out under the coordination of the conductor, supported by common scripts and protocols, and will involve visiting case studies and applying the knowledge acquired.