Soils support agricultural and natural ecosystems and regulate environmental interactions between the hydrosphere and atmosphere. It is the quality of our soils that affect productivity, the environment, health and ultimately sustainability. However, challenges such as those presented by lack of plant nutrient supply, soil acidification, physical degradation, soil contamination, and loss of soil biodiversity are problems at a global scale that threaten the sustainability of the environment and society. As well as the threats the importance of maintaining a quality soil that regulates environmental interactions will be explored, such as soil as a sink for carbon affecting climate interactions or understanding how a rich soil biodiversity can contribute to food production affecting food security. To do this, this unit of study is concerned with exploring the key pedology, soil chemistry, soil physical and soil biological processes that drive these challenges to soil quality. Time will be spent investigating how the quality of the soil can be assessed, using the indicators of the mentioned soil processes, and how the resulting data can be aggregated and communicated in a meaningful way. Working with case studies, the students will identify problems that are assessed using soil quality or function analysis with the aim of identifying management options. The management options will be evaluated to determine their adoptability and implement ability. By investigating the case studies using soil quality or function analysis students will develop their research and enquiry skills. Assessing and developing adoptable management strategies the students will develop their skills in synthesising material from multiple sources and enhance their intellectual autonomy. By producing reports and presenting seminars the students will develop their communication skills.

This unit examines agronomy as the discipline that underpins agricultural production. As a case study, the cotton industry is examined in detail to understand the end-user and social demands on agricultural production, the technical issues that challenge the farmer and the diversity of other specialist information from relevant disciplines such as entomology, pathology and soil science that must be integrated into the farming system. The unit also covers precision agriculture, legume science, rangeland science and crop protection. This unit includes a one-week excursion to cotton growing areas in northern NSW and Qld, specialist intensive instruction provided by the Cotton RDC, and a series of workshops, tutorials that provides analysis and synthesis of the major farming systems in this industry. Pasture production is also considered in the context of farming systems.

This unit provides students with an overview of current debates and approaches to understanding and quantifying interactions between the biosphere, oceans and atmosphere, as used around the world, and the consequences of those interactions for climate. The unit considers climate change on a variety of timescales. This unit will include a weekend field trip to Snowy Mountains field sites where students will be introduced to climate change research.

The natural environment is invariably affected by production and consumption in our modern economy. In particular, environmental outcomes are important in the presence of market failures (externalities and public goods). This unit focuses on developing a student's detailed understanding of the economic techniques used by policymakers to address environmental issues. These techniques include: Pigovian taxes and subsidies; regulation with asymmetric information; marketable permits; pricing contributions for public goods; optimal damages; and the allocation of property-rights and market failures.

This unit develops knowledge and skills in natural resource economics built on previously gained economics training. The economics of dynamic natural systems is studied through application of advanced modelling approaches. Particular emphasis is given to the economic mechanisms for managing water and biological resources including property rights, water allocation and water markets. Key policy instruments (taxes, quotas, standards) are analysed. Institutional and policy aspects will also be considered via analysis of water policy reform in Australia and elsewhere.

This unit of study provides a systematic analysis of the theory of international trade and trade policy. Initially differences between countries are emphasised as the source of trade and the gains from trade. Models that are examined include the Classical-Ricardian model, the Heckscher-Ohlin model and the Specific-Factors model. Next economics of scale and imperfect competition are introduced as sources of trade and gains from trade. The unit concludes with an examination of empirical studies aimed at testing trade theories. The analysis of trade policy begins with a discussion of the instruments of trade policy, in particular, tariffs and quotas and their effect on welfare. This discussion is then extended to the case of imperfect competition and strategic trade policy.

This unit of study examines the nature of inter-firm rivalry in industries with market power. It explores the various ways in which firms can increase their market power by: extracting more surplus from consumers, by colluding with rivals or by excluding entrants. The unit also analyses the international competitiveness of industries in the context of industry assistance and the prevalence of foreign multinationals. Competition policy is also discussed.

This unit builds on the principles of biological production economics and introduces optimisation methods to solve decision making problems encountered by agribusiness and natural resource firms and managers in public agencies. The principle focus is on the application of linear programming techniques, and students learn to consider solving decision making problems where the outcomes are not known with certainty, and where the timing of decisions is of essence.

This unit of study is designed to provide an understanding of the underlying forces driving agricultural markets. It addresses price analysis and efficiency, including aspects of form, time and space in agricultural marketing; information and contracts; changing consumer concerns (food safety, ethical production); futures market and other risk sharing devices. Building on the application of microeconomic theory to both production and consumption in agricultural markets, its content is analytical. The unit also investigates some of the forces which prevent the efficient operation of world agricultural markets, including impediments to trade, imperfect markets for inputs and outputs and market power along the agricultural supply chain.

Agricultural production is typically risky, adding complexity to decision analysis and increasing need of risk consideration in agricultural policy design. This unit explores this theme, and has two related components: risk and risk management in agriculture, and issues of agricultural producer finance. These two components cover a broad range of topics that incorporate production risk and other sources of risk in agriculture.

This unit is designed to provide students with training in the professional skills required to practice agronomy. The unit principally builds on theoretical and applied knowledge gained in third year agronomy (AGRO3004). In this unit students will integrate their knowledge of plant physiology, soil science, experimental design, and biometry to address applied problems in agronomy, namely the issue of sustainability. Students will develop their ability to establish conclusions towards making recommendations for long term sustainability of crop and pasture systems. By implementing and managing a major field and/or glasshouse experiment(s) students will develop their research and inquiry skills. Team work is strongly encouraged in this unit and the integration and reporting of research findings will facilitate critical thinking and development of written communication skills. After completing this unit, students should be able to confidently design and manage a glasshouse/field experiment, and interpret and communicate their findings, by integrating knowledge from across disciplinary boundaries.

The aim of the course is to introduce students to the major physical and chemical processes that control the concentration and dispersion of chemical pollutants in natural and impacted environments. The course will demonstrate how to use contaminant data effectively and how to judge the quality of chemical data. This knowledge will be used to design and to assess environmental projects, and to judge the magnitude of impact by human activity on environments and the risk posed by contaminants to ecosystem functioning. The course aims to provide present and future managers employed in environmental professions with the skills to use data with confidence and to make management decisions knowing the risks inherent in variable data quality. A field trip will be undertaken early in the semester.

Lectures, practical work and field trip(s) covering advanced aspects of the theory, philosophy and practice of plant breeding. Included are extended discussions of screening techniques (in the field, glasshouse and laboratory), conservation and exploitation of diversity, disease resistance, tissue culture, plant cytogenetics of relevance to pre-breeding and breeding. Also considered are the role of biotechnology processes and products in plant breeding; genetic engineering and the use of molecular marker technologies. This course will use examples from the full range of crops; broad-acre cereals and legumes, pastures, turf and horticultural crops, both perennial and annual. The main base of the course may vary between the ATP and Camden campuses. Field trips (mainly to the IA Watson Grains Research Centre, Narrabri) will be used especially to examine trial procedures and field-based operations, and to interact with commercial plant breeding.

This unit of study is aimed at advanced techniques in Remote Sensing (RS), linked with Geographical Information Systems (GIS), as applied to land management problems. We will review the basic principles of GIS and then focus on advanced RS principles and techniques used for land resource assessment and management. This will be followed by practical training in RS techniques, augmented by land management project development and implementation based on integration of GIS and RS tools. The unit thus consists of three separate but overlapping parts: 1) a short theoretical part which focuses on the concepts of RS; 2) a practical part which aims at developing hands-on skills in using RS tools, and 3) an application-focused module in which students will learn the skills of how to design a land management project and actualise it using integrated GIS and RS techniques.
Syllabus summary: Lectures will cover: Overview of the basic principles of Geographical Information Science (GISc), Advanced principles of remote sensing, Land resource information and data capture using RS, Digital elevation modelling and terrain analysis using remote sensing; Image enhancement and visualization; Image classification and interpretation; RS data interpretation for land resource inventory; RS and GIS for land use and land cover change analysis; Coupling of models of land resource assessment with GIS and RS. Fifty percent of learning time will be devoted to the design and implementation of projects, which can be selected from GIS and RS applications in: agricultural land management, vegetation studies, water and catchment (hydrological) studies; land-cover and land-use change modelling, pesticide and herbicide environmental risk assessment, environmental impact analysis, land degradation modelling including soil salinity, soil erosion, etc.

This is a problem-based applied soil science unit addressing the physical, chemical and biological components of soil function. It is designed to allow students to identify soil-related problems in the real-world and by working in a group and with an end-user, to suggest short and long-term solutions to problems such as fertility, resilience, carbon management, structural decline, acidification, salinisation and contamination. Students will gain a focused knowledge of the key soil drivers to environmental problems and will have some understanding on the constraints surrounding potential solutions. By designing and administering strategies to tackle real-world soil issues, students will develop their research and inquiry skills and enhance their intellectual autonomy. By producing reports and seminars that enables understanding by an end-user, students will improve the breadth of their communication skills. This is a core unit for students majoring or specialising in soil science and an elective unit for those wishing to gain an understanding of environmental problem-solving. It utilises and reinforces soil-science knowledge gained in SOIL2003 and SOIL2004, as well as generic problem-solving skills gained during the degree program.

This unit builds on knowledge gained in undergraduate science units to develop an understanding of how climate variability affects water resources. Particular focus will be on the effect of climate variability and drought and how this affects plant production and water storage. At the completion of this unit student would be able to: Quantify drought and understand the different dimensions of drought; understand how climate variability impacts plant production and what stages; understand the memory of drought and the impact on resilience; understand how climate change can impact water availability in the future. Open source software packages such as R will be used for most analysis.

This unit builds on knowledge gained in undergraduate plant and crop science units to develop an understanding of horticultural cropping systems management. Particular focus will be on intensive production systems and will provide students with a broad overview of current issues affecting the horticultural industries. Emphasis is on minimising the environmental impact of horticultural enterprises and introduces students to current themes and thinking in sustainable practices in horticultural science. Students also select an industry based case study analysis of a horticultural production system to develop skills in data analysis and interpretation, problem identification and problem solving.

The focus of this unit is the response of plants to the environment, drawing examples from both managed and natural ecosystems. Students will develop advanced-level understanding of plant-environment interaction at scales from leaves to whole ecosystems through presentation and discussion of current research papers. Practical sessions will provide students with hands-on experience of state-of-the-art measurement techniques. Understanding of basic biophysical processes will be applied to inform discussion about the effects of climate change on terrestrial ecosystem services, including crop productivity.

Lectures, practical work and field trip(s) covering advanced aspects of the theory, philosophy and practice of plant breeding. Included are extended discussions of screening techniques (in the field, glasshouse and laboratory), conservation and exploitation of diversity, disease resistance, tissue culture, plant cytogenetics of relevance to pre-breeding and breeding. Also considered are the role of biotechnology processes and products in plant breeding; genetic engineering and the use of molecular marker technologies. This course will use examples from the full range of crops; broad-acre cereals and legumes, pastures, turf and horticultural crops, both perennial and annual. The main base of the course may vary between the ATP and Camden campuses. Field trips (mainly to the IA Watson Grains Research Centre, Narrabri) will be used especially to examine trial procedures and field-based operations, and to interact with commercial plant breeding.

This Unit of Study provides students with a scientific grounding in the sustainable production of safe and nutritious fruit, vegetables and mushrooms. The unit encompasses the fundamentals of production system options, resource management and marketing practices. Case studies will be used to exemplify important developments in horticultural production, supply and marketing chains. Students will examine multiple real world examples of horticulture to develop skills in systematic problem-solving in production and marketing. Combining relevant industry knowledge, critical analytical skills, and a systems perspective will enable students to make valid, scientifically-informed decisions in horticulture and beyond. The unit is comprised of: lectures/workshops, practicals in production and post-harvest horticulture, and site visits to producers, research sites and industry bodies. The program includes a week-long field trip to major horticultural production regions to view operations and Q and A with owner/operators.

This unit of study is designed to expose students to the principles and practice of a diverse range of analytical methods used in agricultural and environmental science. The unit of study will be presented in four modules including: materials and sampling techniques; separation techniques (chromatographic and electrophoretic); instrumentation and measurement techniques (spectral analyses); and microbiological and molecular biology techniques. Each module will be a combination of lectures and practical classes that will analyse common agricultural or biochemical samples to illustrate the practical aspects of the theory. Students will also gain skills in data analysis relevant to the respective techniques.
At the completion of these modules, students will be familiar with the operation of a number of laboratory instruments, the theory that underpins their operation, be confident in the analysis of data, and be able to choose the most appropriate sampling strategy and analytical technique to perform high quality research.

This unit of study will develop knowledge, skills and understanding for engaging effectively with the people whose decisions shape innovation in agricultural production and environmental management. The role of extension in agricultural and environmental management is a crucial aspect of sustainability, as extension agents provide the main conduit between scientists, economists and policymakers and the people who live and work in the landscape.
It develops key graduate competencies in communication and soft systems for careers including consulting, agribusiness, agricultural extension, environmental management, policy, participatory research and natural resource management. It covers integrative aspects of extension theory and practice, social learning, sustainable agriculture, knowledge domains, participatory action research, human geography, soft systems thinking and adaptive natural resource management. It is relevant to students pursuing agricultural and environmental streams and majors at both undergraduate and postgraduate level.
Students will learn to: describe and discuss the theoretical and practical underpinnings of extension; describe and analyse factors influencing the behaviours, attitudes and beliefs of natural resource managers; discuss and design effective extension programs/projects; conduct, analyse and evaluate simple surveys, focus groups and semi-structured interviews; critically evaluate the integration of conservation and production in the landscape; facilitate sustainable change.

This unit examines the economic transformation of less-developed countries from microeconomic and macroeconomic perspectives. It covers applied topics such as education, health, nutrition, demographics, labour, agriculture and the private sector, focusing on how policies attempt to overcome market and institutional failures that are particularly acute in the developing world. Focus is given to applying theoretical and empirical tools necessary to conceptualise, analyse and interpret various issues in economic development. Applied examples from developing countries are used throughout the unit.

The aim of the course is to introduce students to the major physical and chemical processes that control the concentration and dispersion of chemical pollutants in natural and impacted environments. The course will demonstrate how to use contaminant data effectively and how to judge the quality of chemical data. This knowledge will be used to design and to assess environmental projects, and to judge the magnitude of impact by human activity on environments and the risk posed by contaminants to ecosystem functioning. The course aims to provide present and future managers employed in environmental professions with the skills to use data with confidence and to make management decisions knowing the risks inherent in variable data quality. A field trip will be undertaken early in the semester.

This unit examines the environment as a political and policy issue. Although relatively recent, the environment has become a full-fledged public policy issue exerting influence in local, national and international arenas. The unit will first focus on the specific features of the policy that influences the capability of contemporary societies to enhance the management of environmental resources and of public goods in general. Second, it discusses the development of environmental policy in Western countries, with a particular emphasis on the European Union. Third, a grid for the analysis of environmental policy will be presented, with a discussion of the main actors (political, institutional and socio-economic) involved in it and of the factors (interests and ideas) influencing their positions. Fourth, the unit briefly discusses environmental conflicts and consensual approaches used for tackling them.

This unit of study introduces contemporary topics from Ecological Economics and Sustainability Analysis, such as metrics for measuring sustainability; planetary boundaries and other natural limits; comparisons between ecological and environmental economics; valuing the environment; intergenerational discounting; global inequality with a focus on the climate change debate; and links between theories of well-being, human behaviour, consumerism and environmental impact. This unit includes guest lecturers from industry and research and an excursion. The lectures for this unit include interactive activities and group-exercises on a range of concepts related to Ecological Economics. The unit sets the scene for the more detailed and specific units PHYS5032, PHYS5033, and PHYS5034.

This unit of study covers philosophy, techniques, applications and standards of Life-Cycle Assessment (LCA). It introduces methods from engineering (Process Analysis) and economics (Input-Output Analysis), and discusses current popular LCA tools. The unit places importance on practical relevance by including real-world case studies and business applications as well as global standards such as the GHG Protocol for accounting for scopes -1, -2 and -3 emissions and ISO standards. The unit of study will culminate with practical exercises using current software tools to provide students with hands-on experience of preparing a comprehensive Life-Cycle Assessment of an application of their choice. Students will also benefit from enrolling in PHYS5033 for a sound understanding of input-output analysis as the basis of hybrid LCA methods.

The unit builds on previously acquired economics training and develops advanced understanding of the economics of minerals exploration, extraction and marketing and the economics of energy generation, distribution and use. The implications of mineral extraction and energy generation activities for natural resources and the environment are explored. The unit will foster in-depth knowledge of the markets for minerals and energy, their industry structure and business environment, including the role of markets for derivatives on minerals and energy commodities.

This unit examines the economic transformation of less-developed countries from microeconomic and macroeconomic perspectives. It covers applied topics such as education, health, nutrition, demographics, labour, agriculture and the private sector, focusing on how policies attempt to overcome market and institutional failures that are particularly acute in the developing world. Focus is given to applying theoretical and empirical tools necessary to conceptualise, analyse and interpret various issues in economic development. Applied examples from developing countries are used throughout the unit.

This unit of study examines the nature of inter-firm rivalry in industries with market power. It explores the various ways in which firms can increase their market power by: extracting more surplus from consumers, by colluding with rivals or by excluding entrants. The unit also analyses the international competitiveness of industries in the context of industry assistance and the prevalence of foreign multinationals. Competition policy is also discussed.

This unit of study introduces participants to the power of simulation modelling in understanding and predicting behaviour of natural systems. It covers fundamental concepts, logic, and techniques (including sensitivity analysis), and develops skills in application to environmental problems such as catchment management and population dynamics.

This unit introduces methods for mapping environmental signatures in coastal and marine systems, using both biogeochemical analysis and GIS technologies. Students will learn, theoretically and practically, how environmental data is collected using a range of different methodologies (field and computer based), and application of this data to understanding landscape processes and quantifying environmental change. Students will acquire skills in applying environmental mapping techniques to interpreting key Earth surface processes and understanding the substantial impacts that humans can have on these, in terms of both contamination and remediation.

This unit presumes no prior exposure to economics and aims, by the end of the unit, to bring a proficiency equivalent to that of students with an intermediate level microeconomics unit in an Honours degree program. Many economic principles developed in this unit are routinely used in several other units in the program. Microeconomics studies how economic agents make choices in a variety of environments. The unit covers theory and applications of the principles of consumer choice, of firm behaviour, and of strategic interaction among economic agents. Equipped with these theories of decision making, students can address a range of interesting and important questions. Examples are: What market strategy should a firm adopt with its competitors? How might one create a market to deal with externalities such as pollution? What are the implications of different kinds of taxes? What compensation scheme will provide the right incentives to work?

This unit of study will provide students with both the theoretical understanding and the practical skills needed to carry out their own environmental footprint and impact analyses. This unit uses state of the art economic input-output theory and input-output analysis, and focuses on contemporary environmental applications such as carbon footprints and life-cycle assessment. The unit first explores national and global economic and environmental accounting systems and their relationships to organisational accounting. Second, it will present cutting-edge techniques enabling the global analysis of environmental impacts of international trade. Third, it offers hands-on instruction to master the basic input-output calculus conceived by Nobel Prize Laureate Wassily Leontief, and provide a step-by-step recipe for how to undertake boundary-free environmental footprinting by integrating economic and environmental accounts, and by applying Leontief's calculus to data published by statistical offices. Students will walk away from this unit equipped with all skills needed to calculate footprints, and prepare sustainability reports for any organisation, city, region, or nation, using organisational data, economic input-output tables and environmental accounts. Students will also benefit from also enrolling in PHYS5034 for a sound understanding of the role of input-output analysis within the field of Life-Cycle Assessment.

This unit of study will introduce students to the concepts and multidisciplinary nature of sustainability, starting with the physical basis of climate change and its impact on the environment and human development. This will be followed by several case studies covering Energy, Health, Development and Environment. The case studies will be presented by industry professionals and will illustrate sustainability issues currently before Australia- their origins, impacts and industry responses. The unit of study will provide students with a holistic systems lens through which to view their learning throughout the Masters program. This will underpin understanding of the integrated nature of sustainability and facilitate the challenging of silo-based assumptions- their own and those of others. The intention is to ground understanding of complex systems in the real world through the use of case studies that will demonstrate organisational change and problem solving in a world with competing values and conflicting views of what it means to live sustainably. Students completing the unit of study will have a "sustainability tool kit" to apply to sustainability issues in their professional and community activities.

This unit of study builds on the major research project proposed in AFNR5904. Working with their academic advisor students will execute their research strategy that provides data and subsequent data analysis towards solving the research question. The results and analysis will be presented in a format suitable for submission as a research paper to a relevant journal. Students will build their research skills, develop a strong analytical capacity, demonstrate a sound grasp of the topic, and ability to interpret results in a broad framework. Students will demonstrate their ability to draw reliable conclusions and identify future areas of research. Students will continue to develop their skills in solving research problems and enhance their intellectual and personal autonomy by means of managing a research program. Students will improve their communication skills through presentation of the research paper.

This unit of study provides the students with the opportunity to present the research findings of their major research project using several communication media appropriate for different audiences, for example, external stakeholders and /or popular media. Using poster and oral presentations students will communicate their research to the academic community in a professional conference environment. Students will also be required to attend the Faculty's seminar program that is relevant to their research topic. Students will build on their skills to use several modes of communication to demonstrate their ability to produce high quality results, draw reliable conclusions and identify future areas of research.

This aims to develop a student's ability to review the literature with the view of developing a major research project in an area of specialization. The student will work with an academic advisor on a mutually agreed topic for research to be undertaken and the subsequent writing of a literature review. The literature review will advance the student's ability to identify existing knowledge, define research problems, demonstrate a sound grasp for presenting a research question, and begin to define a research strategy. Students will develop their research and inquiry skills through sourcing a wide range of literature and improve their written communication skills.

This unit of study aims to develop a student's ability to write a detailed research proposal and develop a strategy combined with the appropriate methodology to execute their research. Working with their academic advisor students will prepare a proposal describing; the background and aims, its significance and innovation, the justification of the methodology, the national benefit, and considerations of the required budget and project timeline. This unit will enable students to develop their ability to define a research project to be managed within a suitable research framework. Students will develop their skills in solving research problems and enhance their intellectual and personal autonomy through managing a research program.