2 March 2001 Lincoln organics teaching team brings together university and outside expertise

Industry and academia come together in the "team teaching" of organic primary production at Lincoln University this term.

In a unique teaching partnership which underscores Lincoln's applied "real life" approach to education, academics teaching the paper Organic Primary Production are joined by graduate staff members from Heinz Wattie's, Ravensdown Fertiliser Ltd, Agriculture New Zealand Ltd, BIO-GRO New Zealand and AgResearch.

The paper, which offers a critical study of the development and management of selected organic production systems in agriculture and horticulture, is organised by Lincoln University's Professor of Ecology, Steve Wratten and soil scientist Dr Leo Condron. Other teachers include Heinz Wattie's Agricultural Systems Manager and horticultural science honours graduate Bruce Snowdon; Ravensdown Fertiliser's Organic Product Specialist and agricultural science graduate Tim Lissaman; Agriculture New Zealand Limited' s Agribusiness and Business Development Group manager Jon Manhire, a science graduate and horticultural science postgraduate diploma holder; BIO-GRO auditor Bill Stevenson, a Lincoln University alumnus with an agricultural science degree in farm management and economics; and Mike Daly of AgResearch who has an agricultural science background working in systems research.

"The combination of university-based scientists and external industry-based practitioners and specialists gives our students a brilliant basis for a sound, practical appreciation of the subject," says Professor Steve Wratten.

"It could in fact be a world first in the way organics is taught at university level. I'm certainly not aware of any similar arrangement, and it really emphasises Lincoln University's determination to teach organics in a way which is soundly based in practical realities.

"Through this team teaching arrangement our students will get a unique appreciation of the subject from many perspectives. In addition, through exposure to those both inside and outside the University, they will get a head start in industry networking which will be very helpful in their careers."

Teaching the Organic Primary Production paper spans a full 12-week semester and includes lectures, laboratory classes, site visits and discussion sessions.

Other Lincoln academics involved include agronomists Associate Professor George Hill and Dr Bruce McKenzie and plant pathologist Professor Alison Stewart.

Organic Primary Production is one of four compulsory subjects for Lincoln University's Graduate Diploma in Organic Agriculture - the others are Research Projects in Organic Production, Biological Control and Advanced Soil Management. The eight-subject diploma may be completed in two semesters (one year) of full-time study.

The papers may also be taken individually as electives or papers of choice, within Lincoln's agricultural, horticultural and science degree programmes.

"In this way a science, agricultural science or horticulture student can build an organics component into their degree, which later may prove very useful," says Professor Wratten.

Lincoln University has provided leadership in teaching and research in organics for over 20 years notably within the Biological Husbandry Unit and since 1999 on Kowhai Farm, Heinz Wattie's Organic Farm at Lincoln University. This is a commercial scale, organic demonstration farm producing predominantly crops but with some livestock.

"Kowhai Farm has become a magnet for interest in commercial scale organic farming," says Professor Wratten, "and as a demonstration property it will be prominent in our teaching of the organics papers.

"Interestingly, figures show that the combined area of Kowhai Farm and the Biological Husbandry Unit means that Lincoln University has more land devoted to organic research than all the United States' land grant universities together. That's surely a strong signal of our commitment."

Ian Collins, Journalist, Lincoln University, Canterbury, New Zealand.