This 7-week course is delivered 1-day a week and covers the theory and practical aspects of managing agricultural land for the benefit of our natural habitats.

Topics covered within this part time course include:

•              Woodland and hedgerow management

•              Improving and managing agricultural habitats

•              Havens for wildlife and maintaining, and improving, buffer zones

•              Habitat management for crop and livestock protection

•              Wildlife ecology and conservation management

•              Surveying, assessing, and planning improvements

•              Implementing new managing strategies

Course Overview

A short course for an introduction to agriculture and the wider rural economy. This course will provide professionals with a total of 12 hours continued professional development.

All sessions are interactive, linking to core themes in the global agriculture industry and commodity trades. They lead to an overview of UK Agriculture and systems, e.g. livestock combinable crops, high-value crops, and the pressures on land in the UK such as food security, climate change, business planning, and concepts.

Also known as Conservation Agriculture, this course covers the theory and practical aspects of managing agricultural land for the benefit of crop yield and biodiversity improvements.

Set around the three core principles of the European Conservation Agriculture Federation, this course offers the foundations for career changers that wish to balance agriculture with conservation of our resources for the future.

Core Principles:

1.         Use of crop rotations with a diversity of crop species

2.         Minimal soil disturbance

3.         Maintenance of permanent soil cover

Topics covered within this part time course include:

•           Exploring historical and current land management techniques

•           Benefits of minimal tillage, use of ground cover and use of diverse crop rotations

•           Natural weed and pest deterrents

•           Planting plans for the benefit of improved biodiversity and crop yield

•           Soil management, health, and biology

•           Plant Science

•           Water management

This four-day course is designed to offer participants an in-depth insight into resource use and the industries key to the rural economy. Interactive learning sessions will encourage in class discussion and debate in a series of workshop style forums.

Experiential and problem-based exercises will develop the ability of participants to learn about key concepts as they formulate action plans based upon the principles of the rural agricultural economy, farming systems and markets, environmental land resource management and business case study and investment options.

Completion of the course provides a good grounding for participants progressing the full BSc (Hons) 'Fast Track' degrees of either 'Rural Land and Business Management' or 'Sustainable Agriculture.

The course is designed as a four-day programme with progression from the first day (Day 1) to the second block (Day 2).