Agriculture

Basic course to understanding the relationship between food, health and consumerism. Promoting more awareness of the relationship between food choices and health. Identifying how the food industry, manufacturing and retail sectors are addressing consumer concerns. Demonstrate the need for good quality, healthy and safe food, promoting a sound knowledge of food and nutrition principles and the development and production of food products.

This introductory course is designed to teach students about the general principles of soilscience.It examines the physical, chemical and biologicalproperties of soils and soilformation.

The plant protection component is designed to assist learners to develop an understanding of the biotic and abiotic factors responsible for irregularities plant growth and in stored plant products. It includes the study of common diseases, arthropods pests, weeds and their management using an integrated pest management approach. The animal health component discuses concepts related to animal health including parasites and diseases, impact of ill health and environmental conditions which predispose animals to ill health and focuses on a preventative approach of management.

This course introduces learners to the fundamentals of soil and water management as a pre-requisite for crop production. It covers basic soils genesis, soil formation, and types of rocks. Soil is studied as a three phase system, solid, liquid and air their relationships and measurements. Soil chemical properties inclusive of pH, plant nutrient requirements, their assessment and management using different nutrient sources are presented. Water availability, crop requirements and management through irrigation as well as drainage and moisture conservation are also covered. Finally, learners are exposed to the areas of soil erosion, methods of soil conservation and soil biology. Students are also given the opportunity to do a range of research topics.

The focus of this course is to introduce students to the core concepts in crop productionmanagement.It will also serve to demonstrate the application of the knowledge of thebiology of selected vegetable and grain crops, and the effect of soil and otherenvironmental factors on growth and development to crop productionmanagement.Students will gain knowledge about sustainable or good agriculturalpractices for selected vegetable and grain crops and about agricultural technologies,production systems and their relationship to sustainable production.This course willalso provide the knowledge-based competencies

This introductory course exposes students to the various components of organic agriculture, within the context of human health, nutrition and sustainability. It covers principles, concepts,and techniques of organic agriculture and marketing of organically-grown horticultural crops.Italso focuses on the biological, social, and economic components of organic farming systemsincluding soil and water management, cultural practices, pest control, harvest and postharvesthandling, marketing of organic products, and organic agriculture policy.Issues and conflicts inperception of consumers and producers in the Caribbean context are also considered.

This course will cover the basic principles of pig, poultry and rabbit production. It will providestudents with the basic knowledge required for operating a pig, poultry or rabbit enterprise in thetropics, including management principles, with respect to housing, nutrition andhealth.Students will also be taught theidentifiable characteristics of the major pig, poultry andrabbit breeds used in production within the CARICOM region, and exposed to the processingand marketing of non-ruminant livestock products.This course is so designed that students willnot onlybe able to recommend sustainable non-ruminant production systems, but also designsame.Practical input for this course is provided by the relevant farm practice exercises.

This course is designed to introduce students to key roles of turfgrass in the green industry andprovide knowledge on tropical turfgrasses.It will create an awareness of environmentalissuesin turfgrass management, and introduce students to key operations, associated practices andequipment used to establish and manage turfgrass.

This course will teach a broad range of technical skills necessary to work with heating, ventilation, air-conditioning, and refrigeration systems. It will also develop the student’s ability to recognize and correctly employ the tools, equipment, and common materials used by HVACR technicians. Topics include terminology, safety, and identification and function of components; refrigeration cycle; and tools and instrumentation used in mechanical refrigeration systems. Emphasis will be placed on how refrigeration theory, principles and practices are used in the refrigeration cooling systems in the agricultural industry.

This course will provide basic knowledge of landscape and plant management. Learners will develop a sustainable landscape plan based on site evaluation, environment, soil, and plant components. Material will focus on maintenance and repair of selected landscapes and installation of landscape plants.

Learners will be introduced to the major categories of agricultural commodities (crops, livestock, and bioenergy), their availability, and sustainable utilisation. The major processing methods of local commodities will be explored. Learners will be then introduced to product development, branding and marketing and apply these concepts to the development of their own product

The farm skills course has been developed to expose learners to the practical principles and concepts involved in crops, livestock and aquaponics production systems, data collection, record keeping and agricultural value chains. It also aims to provide an introduction to modern technology driven agriculture and links theory to production.

This course will introduce students to the application of core concepts in crop productionmanagement to root and tuber crops, banana and plantain, and selected perennial crops.Itfocuses on the application of the knowledge of the biology of these crops and theeffect of soiland other environmental factors on their growth and development, and to their productionmanagement.The course will also provide students with information on good agriculturalpractices for selected root, tuber and perennial crops, agricultural technologies and productionsystems for the selected crops, and most importantly, on the knowledge-based competenciesrequired to support practical and entrepreneurial exercises in sustainable production of selectedroot tuber and perennial crops.

This course will introduce students to the key concepts of the sociology of agriculture,while focussingon the importance of rural sociology within the sphere of agriculturalextension.To facilitate an understanding of this linkage, students will explore thecharacteristics of West Indian and rural societies and be taught to understand the differences between various societies and groups/associations. The course will also expose students to topics such as educational psychology, motivation, teaching and learning.

This course is designed to develop knowledge and skills in the production of beef cattle,dairy cattle, sheep, goats and water buffalo.It focuses on modern scientific approachesto ruminant production in the CARICOM region, and begins by examining thesignificance of ruminants in agricultural ecosystems, the physiology of ruminants,housing and environment, in addition to species characteristics and productionsystems.The farm practiceexercise conducted at the end of the semester in which thiscourse is taught, provides the practical input for this course.

This course will introduce students to the importance and potential of apiculture within the agricultural sector.It will also serve to provide them with basic information for the establishmentand maintenance of an apiary.

This course will cover the fundamentals of integrated pest management. Students will beexposed to various pest management techniques for best practices in crop management.

Protected agriculture has become an important production system especially in like of changingclimatic conditions. Students will be exposed to key aspects of this technological productionsystem; design and layout, environmental conditions, water and fertigation management,growing media and plant nutrition, cultural practices, including IPM, postharvest considerationand marketing. Students will spend a significant amount of time working in a greenhouse tofoster practical skill development.

In this course learners will be exposed to the following:-Classification of feedstuffs; Water content in feeds; Characteristics of common feedstuffs;  Antinutritional factors; Nutrient requirements and Feeding standards; Forage quality and factorsaffecting it; Feed preparation and processing; Ration formulation and Feed mixing; Forageconservation; Feed budgeting

This course provides an introduction to the structure of the livestock industry in the Caribbean. It further introduces learners to the systems of production and best management practices for rearing to market and the breeding of poultry (eggs and broilers), swine, sheep and goat, rabbit, and beef and dairy cattle. The course also presents a brief coverage of semi-commercial and commercial production practices inclusive of feeds and feeding systems, housing, health and disease prevention and control, waste management, records management and introduction to entrepreneurship within the livestock sector.

In this course, students will be introduced to basic microbiology and the importance of microorganisms to food and agriculture.Along with this, concepts such as what a ‘pest’ is, andthe nature of pest damage will also be explored.Students will also be taught how to relate thebiology and ecology of various organisms to their pest status,and apprised of those techniquesthat are appropriate for the management of major pests affecting crop and livestock health

The course focuses on the role of crops in agricultural development in the Caribbean. I covers the production of crop groups of importance for food, feed, fibre and fuel including i) vegetables, ii) legumes, iii) root/tuber crops, iv) fruit/tree crop v) forages vi) herbs/medicinal, viii) ornamental horticulture, ix) and turf grass. The course will review site and soil selection, seed bed preparation, seed/seedling production, crop establishment, nutrient application, irrigation/moisture management, plant protection; plant/crop production and management in hydroponics and protected cultivation systems; harvest and post-harvest management, and introduction to crop value chain and marketing and research topics are also done

This course provides basic knowledge and skills to enable competence in the field ofagriculture health and safety.The essential elements of the course includes all majorsafety and health principles and practices including personal safety, first aid, CPR,environmental issues, and handling of hazardous materials.

This course provides an overview of the types of agro-forestry/forestry systems, their use, potential and the identification of challenges as well as proposing basic solutions. It introduces the concept of agro forestry, forests and their contribution to environment and climate change mitigation. It also looks at forest/agro-forest products, services, and potential value chains.

This course aims to provide learners with a brief exposure to post harvest management techniques as a means of minimizing losses of crop, fish and livestock products. The course is divided into two units. Unit one looks at the post harvest management of crops whereas Unit two reviews post harvest management of fish and animal products.

This course will introduce students to different nursery production systems, along withthe key nursery operations and associated practices and technologies.It also seeks tocreate an awareness of consumerpreference and encourage an appreciation of thepotentialcontribution of plants to human well-being.

This course covers environmentally sound crop nutrient and soil management strategies. It will focus on the effects of environmental conditions, soil degradation, soil and nutrient management on crop production and environmental quality will be outlined. In addition, the course is intended to expose students to theoretical aspects of plant mineral nutrition, soil health and quality with complimentary practical training in basic principles of fertilization and soil and water conservation.

The purpose of this course is to provide an understanding of food safety and its importance in the food supply chain which includes agriculture, and the food industry; and the control of food safety hazards.

The course will cover the core principles of horticulture with emphasis on plant taxonomy, thehorticulture industry,historical, current and future trends in horticulture globally and regionally.

This course is designed to provide students with an appreciation of the importance ofengineering to farm operations and management.It does so by introducing them to the range oftools and equipment used in crop and livestock production and their operation, plus providingknowledge and practice in the safe operation and basic maintenance of tools and equipment. It will also expose students to the range of buildings and other infrastructure used in agricultural operations.

This introductory course explores the fascinating field of genetics. Students are presented an overview of terms, principles, and research methods used in the study of genetics. Students learn about the transmission, distribution, arrangement, and alteration of genetic information and how it functions and is maintained in populations. Additionally, students will become familiar with the practical applications of basic theory to human, plant, animal and fish species.