Water & Drainage in Agriculture

Wageningen University via edX Professional Certificate

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Details

This course may be unavailable.

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Provider

edX Professional Certificate
Pricing

$278.00
Languages

English
Certificate

Certificate Available
Duration & workload

15 weeks, 11-12 hours a week

Found in

Overview

At Wageningen University & Research we uniquely approach water management from not only the technical, but also the social and governmental perspective. Because, water technology can only be successful when it serves the stakeholders involved.

This programme consists of online courses, informative knowledge clips, case studies, interviews, and practical assignments through which you will:

Analyse the interrelations between institutional and infrastructural designs for sustainable water management in agriculture.
Explain physical and agro-hydrological principles underlying drainage of agricultural land.
Learn how taking the socio-technical approach on agricultural water management can contribute to climate resiliency and food security.

Agricultural Water Management: Water,-Society and Technology Interactions

We start by taking a deep dive into practical and technical aspects, from crop characteristics and irrigation water requirements to actual field practices. Subsequently, we explore the institutional perspective, from models of rural development to water management demands.

The case study videos and interviews from Morocco create the opportunity for you to directly apply your newly acquired knowledge in a real-life situation.

Drainage in Agriculture: controlling water and salt levels in the soil

It is clear that the food production mainly has to come from improvements in agricultural water management on existing agricultural lands. In light of the changes in water demand, supply and use, the role of (subsurface) drainage has changed from a single-purpose measure for controlling waterlogging and/or salinity to an essential element of integrated water management.

Join this course to advance your knowledge of the global importance of drainage, drainage systems and solutions, and to help securing a sustainable food supply.

So, whether you are a student or professional in agricultural water management, soil chemical, physical and biological processes, hydrology, hydraulics and irrigation, join us!

Syllabus

Courses under this program:
Course 1: Agricultural Water Management: Water,-Society and Technology Interactions

Would you like to meet the increasing food demands around the world by contributing to optimisation of water governance and technologies? At Wageningen University & Research, the No. 1 agricultural university of the world, we approach water management from both a technical and a social perspective. Because, properly deploying water technologies for successful water management requires social and institutional agreement. Join us and learn the fundamentals of agricultural water management.

Course 2: Drainage in Agriculture: controlling water and salt levels in the soil

Get prepared for heavier rainfall and the increasing demand for food! The #1 Agricultural University of the world will teach you how to design and implement effective drainage systems in agriculture. You will learn how to create a perfect soil profile for optimal growing conditions for a crop and help feed the growing world population. Enroll now and prepare for the effects of climate change by draining excess water.

Courses

1 review
5 weeks, 18-20 hours a week, 18-20 hours a week
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Increasing scarcity of natural resources
****The demand for safe and healthy food is rapidly increasing. The world population is growing and is projected to reach 9.8 billion in 2050. How do we prepare for this and how are we going to be able to feed all these people?

Global climate change raises the pressure on supply and demand for water. Changing temperatures and long-term variation in annual precipitation amounts and regional distribution patterns require more ways to control water levels. In addition to the changing climate, cropping patterns are diversifying and field irrigation methods are changing.

Relevance of drainage
It is clear that the food production mainly has to come from improvements in agricultural water management on existing agricultural lands. In light of all these changes in water demand, supply and use, the role of (subsurface) drainage has changed from a single-purpose measure for controlling waterlogging and/or salinity to an essential element of integrated water management under multiple land use scenarios.

Learn how drainage can contribute to sustainable food security
Join this course to advance your knowledge in drainage, drainage systems and solutions, and to help securing a sustainable food supply. In this course, you will work on different modules, apply the knowledge gained directly to your home country drainage situation. Furthermore, you will learn from other cases and learners worldwide, expanding your horizon on the global importance of drainage.

For whom
This course was developed for professionals and students from various backgrounds, especially those who are interested in agricultural water management and want to broaden their understanding of drainage planning, design, and management, and drainage-related research and training. Although specifically watermanagers and waterengineers, agricultural engineers, irrigation professionals, hydrologists, and agricultural policy makers join this course, the course is open and accessible to everyone.

Do not miss out on the opportunity to join this online course and upgrade your knowledge on drainage for agricultural lands.
0 reviews
10 weeks, 4-5 hours a week, 4-5 hours a week
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Increasingly scarce natural resources
Worldwide, a variety of processes puts more pressure on water resources every day. Global climate change causes temperatures to rise and precipitation patterns to change. A growing degree of urbanization causes people to move from the countryside to the cities. This results in increased competition over water resources, like rivers and groundwater, between cities and their surrounding areas. Furthermore, population growth and rising global welfare create an increased demand for food.

The growing demand for food must be obtained using existing agricultural land, since we are already dealing with scarcity of new farmland. Yet, the potential of increased production in the existing rain-fed agricultural areas is low.

Sustainable water management; various perspectives to consider
The combination of the processes described above create an urgent need for improved agricultural water management, agriculture being the dominant water user worldwide. In our search for sustainable solutions the management and governance regarding irrigation and drainage should take a number of water related aspects into account, among which:

• the different perspectives of involved uses and users
• including various spatial levels, from farm, to scheme, to river basin
• minding the effects on both upstream and downstream water users
• each of which must be combined with the right quantity and quality of water

Wageningen University & Research is actively involved in debates on water and food. Predominantly focussing on the combination of both water technologies and social factors, this creates a unique socio-technical approach.

Putting theory into practice
In this MOOC, we will focus on the role agricultural water management plays in this global context of sustainable water and food supplies. The online course consists of several learning modules, combined with a case study.
We start by taking a deep dive into practical and technical aspects, from crop characteristics and irrigation water requirements to actual field practices.
Subsequently, we explore the institutional perspective, from models of rural development to water management demands.
The case study videos and interviews from Morocco create the opportunity for you to directly apply your newly acquired knowledge in a real-life situation.

For whom?
This MOOC is for anyone with basic knowledge of social and biophysical sciences, ready to contribute to improving agricultural water management from where they are. Are you ready? Join us, enrol now!

Acknowledgments
We developed the MOOC: Agricultural Water Management: Water, Society and Technology Interactions in close cooperation with IAV (Institute Agronomique et Veterinaire Hassan II) in Rabat, Morocco. Specifically, professor Hammani (director of the institute) and researcher Ms. Kettani supported us greatly during the development of this MOOC. The case is situated in the Tadla irrigation scheme, where we were supported by the ORMVA-T. Special thanks go to Mohamed Saaf, chef of ORMVA-Tadla, for the support we received in the field.

Taught by

Petra Hellegers, Harm Boesveld, Alex Bolding, Dr. Ir. Henk Ritzema, Dr. Ir. Klaas Metselaar, Dr. Ir. Jos van Dam, Dr. Ir. Lodewijk Stuyt and Gerlo Borghuis MSc