Explore How Farmers Produce Food Sustainably (FutureLearn)

You’ll explore horticulture and arable farming, as well as meat, dairy, and egg production, as you examine different farming systems and issues that farmers face.
You’ll also look at the innovative technologies available to farmers that can boost sustainability. This knowledge will help you empathise with farming challenges, and better understand farming in relation to your food purchases.

What topics will you cover?

• What ‘sustainability’ means and how it applies to farming.
• How crops are grown in the EU - both arable and horticultural.
• How livestock is farmed in the EU to produce meat, dairy products and eggs.
• The challenges of feeding a rapidly expanding global population.
• The trade-offs involved in financially viable organic, environmentally sustainable and socially acceptable production methods.
• Which technologies are providing the most sustainable solutions.

What will you achieve?
By the end of the course, you'll be able to...

• Develop an informed and balanced understanding of the complexities of sustainable food production in the EU within the context of the global food supply chain.
• Investigate how food is produced by EU farmers and explore the trade offs required when considering organic, environmentally sustainable and socially acceptable production methods.
• Reflect on the challenges faced by farmers and how innovative technologies help them to provide a secure and sustainable food supply for a growing population.
• Evaluate the benefits of different farming methods and apply what you’ve learned to your food-buying choices and working priorities.