Certificate in Organic Horticulture (Distance Learning)

Course details

This course in horticulture will be delivered via Distance Learning, 4 Modules are taken each year, commencing in October 2015.

Course involves 4 modules of self paced leanning per course

Course Content:

To obtain the full certificate you will complete eight FETAC level 5 modules over 2 years.

These are the four modules already listed and also Plant Science, Sustainable Development, Communications and Work Experience. You can take this over more than one year - you might like to sign up for 4 modules in the first year, then in the second year you just pay the difference in price - so if you plan to do the full certificate over more than one year you dont need to pay for it all straight away.

5. Plant Science

In order to grow plants well it is crucial to have a good understanding of how they grow. This module covers basic botany as it applies to Organic growing. Youll be amazed how much easier it is to care for your plants once you understand how they grow. Youll know more about when to water them, how best to care for them and their nutritional needs at different points in the life cycle. When you successfully complete the plant science module you will:

• have acquired a broad knowledge and understanding of plant structures, growth and development
• be familiar with the basic living processes of plants and their relationship with environmental factors
• acquire skills of observation, investigation and recording
• be familiar with the characteristic features of a wide selection of plant life

Topics for Plant Science include:

• Classification of plants
• Plant cells
• Plant Structure: roots and stems, leaves and flowers
• Plant Transport Systems, Respiration and Transpiration
• Plant Life Cycles and Reproduction
• Plant Hormones
• Genetics and DNA

Assessment for Plant Science is written exam at the college in February and 5 short assignments

6. Sustainable Development

Are you concerned about the future? Do you want to learn about how to live more sustainably? Are you interested in the global as well as the local environmental issues that face us? Do you want to take action? This could be through managing your own household and garden to achieve greater environmental, economic and social sustainability or it could be by seeking employment in the sustainable development sector where you could manage projects and influence policy.

This exciting module covers a lot of areas that will give you the skills to:

• understand how the production of Organic food fits into the wider national and global context of Food Production
• analyse the long term effect of mismanagement of resources on the environment
• understand how globalisation and trade liberalisation have affected millions of agricultural producers worldwide
• Be able to demonstrate how we cna make your home and our local communities more sustainable using exciting tools such as Permaculture, renewable energy, green building and traditional woodland crafts
• be capable of working effectively as part of a group to instrument change both at local, national and international level

Topics for Sustainable Development include:

• What is Sustainable Development?
• Ecological footprints and population
• Energy and peak oil
• Renewable energy and transport
• Waste and reduce, reuse, recyle repair
• Localisation and fair trade
• Permaculture
• Natural building
• Localisations and local food

Assessment for Sustainable Development is by written exam at the college in February. Project - practical/research on a sustainability topic e.g. Permaculture or renewable energy. 2 Short assignments

7. Communications

Communication skills are highly valued in the workplace but this module extends beyond exclusively vocational needs , recognising that the acquisition of these skills is a life long process and central to personal, social and professional development and fulfillment.

This module is a requirement for all FETAC courses and should be taken if you are completing the full certificate. You will need to do a presentation, write sample letters and create other forms of visual communication. This module does not normally require too much work and you will complete it quite quickly.

Topics include:

• The written word
• Non verbal communication
• Interpersonal Communication
• The Spoken Word (listening, speaking, dialogue)
• Interviews
• Giving presentations
• Groups and Meetings
• Communication technology (phone, computers)
• Mass communication - the media

Assessment for communications is:perform a short 5 to 10 minute presentation on a subject of your choice & produce a collection of work including written, verbal and technological aspects

8. Work Experience

If you wish to complete a full certificate you will need to complete a 10 day work placement. This can be with a grower or organisation that is near to you or of interest to you. We have contacts with some of the best organic growers in the business and can help with a choice of placement hosts. The placement can be 10 consecutive days or you could go every Saturday for 10 weeks - its up to you - you just need to complete 10 days in total. You would normally take this module if going on to complete the full certificate.A good time is overs the summer where there is plenty going on at farms and gardens. You will need to take photos and notes of what you did and hand in a report on how the placement went .

Assessment for Work Experience is to hand in a written report

Outcomes:

On completion of this work, you will receive a full certificate at Level 5 FETAC