This course examines systems of food production from the capture of solar energy and atmospheric nitrogen to human consumption. Topics include human population growth and increasing affluence and their impact on global demand for food; energy flow through trophic levels; nutrition; world climate zones, the development of agricultural systems adapted to local climates, and the impact of perturbations in rainfall on food production; Hardin’s essay entitled: “The Tragedy of the Commons” and the parlous state of unmanaged resources, particularly seafood stocks; the use of livestock to enable non-arable land to be used for food production and the development of livestock breeds for more efficient production of food or fibre in particular environments; livestock production economics including the growth of trade and transport infrastructure; urbanisation, and income disparity and their impacts on local and national food security; storage of commodities and foodstuffs; and the role of food processing industries in converting agricultural commodities into human foods. Foods (eggs, meats and dairy products) of animal origin will be emphasised throughout.
- Because some knowledge of chemistry is necessary to understand nutritional requirements, additional tutorial assistance will be available for students who do not have a chemistry background.
- The course will be timetabled such that veterinary students have no clashes. However, students who are not veterinary students should check their timetables to ensure that they have no clashes with any other class, taking particular account of the timing of the field trips.
- Because the abattoir operates only at night, the abattoir field trip must necessarily be in the evening.
- Because the course includes a visit to a pig farm and because a condition of entry onto farms in Hong Kong is prior vaccination against influenza, students enrolled in this course must have evidence of such a vaccination.