Innovation in Arable Farming: Technologies for Sustainable Farming Systems
Explore how innovative, digital technologies can help achieve sustainable intensification of arable farming systems.
Duration
3 weeksWeekly study
3 hours
Innovation in Arable Farming: Technologies for Sustainable Farming Systems
This course has been certified by the CPD Certification Service as conforming to continuing professional development principles. Find out more.
Consider ways arable farmers in the EU can use agri-tech to benefit business
Please note this course runs without facilitation
Intensification of arable farming systems can be achieved through the adoption of innovative technologies, without negatively impacting the environment. However, uptake of these technologies by farmers across the EU has been limited.
On this course, you’ll explore evidence-based information that outlines the benefits and challenges of adopting new technologies within the EU, and have the chance to read case study examples of some of these applications.
You’ll learn from other farmers who have already adopted agri-tech on their farm and hear how they overcame any barriers to adoption.
You’ll also evaluate the potential of agri-tech to enhance production while meeting environmental and social responsibilities.
Syllabus
Week 1
Technology and sustainability
Welcome
Welcome to the course! Here we introduce the team and the innovations aiming to make arable farming more sustainable.
Sustainable farming
Presenting a framework for sustainable farming and showing how intensification can help.
What do farmers say?
Interviews with 7 farmers from across Europe, sharing their experiences of precision and digital technologies.
Getting started
Putting the theory into practice - where do I start?
Week 2
Precision techniques and economic sustainability
Making a start
The first steps in making good use of precision farming techniques.
Precision techniques
Techniques for collecting, analysing, interpreting and presenting data to ensure success with precision technologies.
Map-based technologies for financial sustainability
How to use the spatially explicit data contained in various types of maps to improve the financial sustainability of your business.
Putting it into practice
Adopting precision farming practices in your business, the financial considerations and experience-based advice from other farmers.
Week 3
Social and environmental sustainability
Social considerations
Welcome back! Moving on from the financial pillar, you'll now consider the social impacts of the technology revolution in agriculture, and evaluate the benefits.
Environmental considerations
Explore the numerous benefits for the environment offered by the intensification of agriculture and how to evaluate their impact.
Making it work for me
Reflect on how the theory will work in the context of your own farm, find out about the technical support available and finalise your action plan.
The future for farming
What's ahead for the agricultural sector - technologies and regulations.
Who is this accredited by?
The CPD Certification Service was established in 1996 and is the leading independent CPD accreditation institution operating across industry sectors to complement the CPD policies of professional and academic bodies.
When would you like to start?
Start straight away and learn at your own pace. If the course hasn’t started yet you’ll see the future date listed below.
Available now
Learning on this course
You can take this self-guided course and learn at your own pace. On every step of the course you can meet other learners, share your ideas and join in with active discussions in the comments.
What will you achieve?
By the end of the course, you‘ll be able to...
- Improve your knowledge on the concepts of precision agriculture and sustainable intensification and the impact these can have on farming systems.
- Compare the different technologies that can be used to increase productivity and know how to work out yields to profit.
- Explore how to use agri-tech to help reduce environmental impacts of farm practices.
- Identify which skills are necessary to implement new data-driven arable farming techniques.
- Develop an action plan for precision farming.
Who is the course for?
This course would appeal to individuals working in the agricultural industry – including farmers, growers, and other primary producers.
It would also benefit environmental sector workers, farm advisors, agronomists, agricultural extension workers, inputs supply companies, agri-tech developers, and others who wish to develop their knowledge in this expanding area.
The Educators won’t be able to join the discussions themselves or respond to individual comments, but the course encourages a strong learning community. The learning is focused around debate and discussion – supporting other learners, sharing your own experience and knowledge, and listening to new perspectives. We hope that you will enjoy interacting with and learning from each other in this way.
Who will you learn with?
I am a Senior Research Fellow in the School of
Agriculture, Policy and Development at the University of Reading.
My research focuses on sustainable agriculture and enhancing fieldwork learning.
I am an Associate Professor in the Institute of Agricultural Engineering at the University of Hohenheim. My research focuses on Precision Farming and Automation in Agriculture.
I am Manager Technology Innovation Strategy at the John Deere European Technology Innovation Center in Germany. My research focus is on precision agriculture and sustainable food production
Who developed the course?
EIT Food
EIT Food is Europe’s leading food initiative, working to make the food system more sustainable, healthy and trusted.
University of Reading
The University of Reading has a reputation for excellence in teaching, research and enterprise.
European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT)
This activity has received funding from EIT Food, the innovation community on Food of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), a body of the EU, under the Horizon 2020, the EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation.
Supporters
content provided by
content provided by
content provided by
content provided by
Learning on FutureLearn
Your learning, your rules
- Courses are split into weeks, activities, and steps, but you can complete them as quickly or slowly as you like
- Learn through a mix of bite-sized videos, long- and short-form articles, audio, and practical activities
- Stay motivated by using the Progress page to keep track of your step completion and assessment scores
Join a global classroom
- Experience the power of social learning, and get inspired by an international network of learners
- Share ideas with your peers and course educators on every step of the course
- Join the conversation by reading, @ing, liking, bookmarking, and replying to comments from others
Map your progress
- As you work through the course, use notifications and the Progress page to guide your learning
- Whenever you’re ready, mark each step as complete, you’re in control
- Complete 90% of course steps and all of the assessments to earn your certificate
Want to know more about learning on FutureLearn? Using FutureLearn
Learner reviews
Learner reviews cannot be loaded due to your cookie settings. Please and refresh the page to view this content.
Join this course
Free
Join free and you will get:
- Access to this course for 5 weeks
Upgrade
Upgrade this course and you will get:
- Access to this course for as long as it’s on FutureLearn
- A print and digital Certificate of Achievement once you’re eligible
Unlimited
Buy Unlimited and you will get:
- Access to this course, and hundreds of other FutureLearn short courses and tests for a year
- A printable digital Certificate of Achievement on all short courses once you’re eligible
- The freedom to keep access to any course you've achieved a digital Certificate of Achievement on, for as long as the course exists on FutureLearn
- The flexibility to complete your choice of short courses in your own time within the year
Find out more about upgrades or Unlimited.
Get a taste of this course
Find out what this course is like by previewing some of the course steps before you join:
Do you know someone who'd love this course? Tell them about it...
You can use the hashtag #FLarableinnovation to talk about this course on social media.
More courses you might like
Learners who joined this course have also enjoyed these courses.
Browse more in Nature & Environment and Science, Engineering & Maths