93973 - Sustainable Monogastric and Ruminants Management

Academic Year 2021/2022

  • Teaching Mode: Traditional lectures
  • Campus: Bologna
  • Corso: Second cycle degree programme (LM) in Precise and Sustainable Agriculture (cod. 5705)

Learning outcomes

At course completion, the student possesses knowledge on: the use of innovative techniques for the breeding of monogastric animals and ruminants, aimed at improving their health, welfare and subsequent production and reproductive efficiency; the application of precision livestock farming technologies to increase the economic-environmental sustainability of animal production; the application of innovative monitoring systems, and the use of detection tools to control production and quality parameters. In particular, the student possesses the skills to: understand company management practices to safeguard and protect the quality of primary production and the finished product, identifying possible deficiencies or critical points and proposing solution interventions; manage technical-demonstrative training activities in the context of breeding monogastric animals and ruminants; organize and prepare fund requests on a regional, national and European level, backing zootechnical bodies and companies in finding resources for their adaptation to innovative production criteria.

Course contents

-Introduction: livestock, future food demand, ecological footprint, and biocapacity. Let’s introduce the frame we are working in.

- Review of concepts of animal husbandry and management of cattle, pig, sheep, and goat farms. Anatomy and physiology of the reproductive and gastrointestinal apparatus in ruminants and monogastric species.

- Principles and methods for the assessment of the environmental impact of livestock farming. Water footprint and Life cycle assessment.

- Macro and micronutrients excretion from livestock. Strategies for mitigation and turning wastes into “treasures”.

-Global Warming: Role of livestock. Adaptive mechanism of livestock to changing climate. Adaptation strategies to improve livestock production under changing climate. Management of livestock to cope with climate change.

-Present and future perspectives. Omics technologies and smart farming.

-Tools for data management and data analysis. Basics with R software.

Readings/Bibliography

Students are required to study using material created by the teacher and the lecturers (slides, graphs), download research papers, and access relevant audio and video material.

The suggested readings (scientific papers) will be stored in a folder in the online course space.

Suggested book:

“Sustainability in Ruminant Livestock” Authors: Rout P.K., Kumara Behera B. ISBN 978-981-334-343-6

The e-version of this book is freely consultable here from the Bologna University wi-fi network or with the proxy .

Teaching methods

The course will be held in English through a combination of:

-lectures: lectures will deliver the basic information, principles, and theories.

-seminars: seminars will be held by the teacher or guest speakers and involve a presentation, promoting open discussion around specific topics or theories.

-field trips: Fieldwork or field trips will help students to put their theoretical knowledge into practice.

-practical learning: learning by doing with free software for data mining and data analysis.

-learning through research: students will be given the chance to get involved in research.

Assessment methods

The assessment foresees a final oral examination in English. The student, in compliance with the University regulations, will be able to choose whether to take the exam in person or hold it remotely. The final examination will focus on at least four questions to cover the whole programme developed during the lectures. The assessment will take into consideration the competencies and skills developed by the students, the appropriateness of the language used during the oral examination, and the ability to discuss the possible interactions among the different issues developed during the course.

To pass the exam, the candidate must reach a mark of at least 18 out of thirty.

The evaluation will be assigned according to the following criteria:

- A very thorough knowledge of the topics addressed in the course, together with high skills of critical analysis, connection, and a sure command of specific terminology will be evaluated with the maximum score (30-30L).

- A thorough knowledge of the topics addressed in the course, together with good analytical and critical skills and the possession of a sure command of specific terminology will be evaluated with good marks (27-29).

- A technically adequate preparation and a sufficient analytical capacity, even if not particularly articulated, expressed in the correct language, will produce fair evaluations (23-26).

- Sufficient preparation and capacity for analysis, expressed in a language that is barely formally correct, will determine the sufficiency (18-22).

Training gaps, inappropriate language, lack of orientation within the study material provided during the course cannot be positively assessed.

The test lasts at least 25 minutes. Students diagnosed with Specific Learning Difficulties (SpLDs) will be allowed to hold the exam with conceptual maps and mind maps. The date, time, and location of the exams are published on the degree course website and the online platform, AlmaEsami.

Teaching tools

Slides, research and review articles, external experts/speakers' seminars, public software for data handling and data analysis, discussion, presentation by students, field trips in farms and plants.

Office hours

See the website of Martina Zappaterra

SDGs

Zero hunger Responsible consumption and production Climate Action Life on land

This teaching activity contributes to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals of the UN 2030 Agenda.