Study Guide

Objective

The student:
- will be familiar with the key concepts: Ecological Regenerative Agriculture,
Sustainable Food Societies, Diet for a Green Planet, Planetary Boundaries,
Agenda 2030, and Ecological Footprints.
- has the competence to describe, exemplify, and reflect on local food in season.
- has the competence to understand food products using the concept Diet for a
Green Planet.
- has the competence to understand and reflect on the ecological balances on a
farm using the concept Ecological Regenerative Agriculture.

Content

· Introduction to the concepts: Planetary Boundaries, Agenda 2030, Baltic Sea
Region Strategy, and Ecological Footprints.
· Introduction to the ecosystem on a farm - what makes it regenerative?
· Introduction to the Building Ecological Regenerative Agriculture and Society
(BERAS) concepts: Diet for a Green Planet, Ecological Regenerative Agriculture,
and Sustainable Food Societies.
· Tracing of food products from fork to farm
· Local food in season.
· Visit to a farm and description of a farm in a systems perspective.

Location and time

Online
Course introduction 25th of August 2022

Materials

Diet for a Green Planet in Practice (Available in English, Swedish, Lithuanian, Polish, Spanish, Catalan, and Russian). www.dietforagreenplanet.se Granstedt, A. (2012). Farming for the future: with a focus on the Baltic Sea region . Huddinge: Södertörns högskola, COMREC. Andersen, L.R. & Björkman, T. (2019). The Nordic secret: a European story of beauty and freedom. Lidingö: Fri tanke. More provided on the course moodle page: Books, articles, films, podcasts and other study materials according to the lecturer’s instructions.

Teaching methods

Lectures, individual assignments, literature studies, online meetings with group
discussions, and written discussions in the learning platform Moodle. Study groups
(national and based on interest) to support each other’s assignments and your
development as change agents.
Students need access to a computer or I-pad with internet connection, earphones,
and a microphone. A web camera is desirable.

Completion alternatives

Three individual assignments: 1) Tracing of a food product, 2) Local food in season,
and 3) Farm description. Initiatives to group work will be encouraged and awarded.

Student workload

27 h / credit

Assessment criteria, approved/failed

For approval, active participation, completed tasks, active co-creation, and projects
initiated by the student are counted towards the final grade. Points are awarded for
each accomplishment and the course is approved by passing a minimum of 100
points. This allows for different ways to prove that the competence requirements are
met

Evaluation scale

Approved/Rejected

Assessment criteria, approved/failed

For approval, active participation, completed tasks, active co-creation, and projects
initiated by the student are counted towards the final grade. Points are awarded for
each accomplishment and the course is approved by passing a minimum of 100
points. This allows for different ways to prove that the competence requirements are
met

Qualifications

No special prerequisites.

Further information

Diet for a Green Planet is delivered as part-time online studies

Students need access to computer or pad with internet connection, headphones, a microphone and a webcam.

The main language in the study unit is English. Other languages can be used in some in part of the discussions and in counselling, for example when focusing on specified issues for a certain region or country.

Costs: Read more about costs for Open UAS students: https://www.novia.fi/studies/open-uas/