Unit Synopsis
In this unit you will develop a detailed understanding of what constitutes a food production system and the key drivers determining its productivity. You will study the environmental factors and management options driving farming outcomes and examine new and emerging trends and innovations aimed at increasing productivity and improving sustainability of major agricultural industries. Various agricultural strategies and practices will be discussed and external factors such as government policy, market trends and access to infrastructure affecting food production will be analysed. Analyses of case studies drawn from a range of crop and livestock production systems will develop your systems thinking ability.
Details
| Level | Undergraduate |
|---|---|
| Unit Level | 2 |
| Credit Points | 6 |
| Student Contribution Band | SCA Band 1 |
| Fraction of Full-Time Student Load | 0.125 |
| Pre-requisites or Co-requisites |
There are no pre-requisites for the unit.
Important note: Students enrolled in a subsequent unit who failed their pre-requisite unit, should drop the subsequent unit before the census date or within 10 working days of Fail grade notification. Students who do not drop the unit in this timeframe cannot later drop the unit without academic and financial liability. See details in the Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework). |
| Class Timetable | View Unit Timetable |
| Residential School |
Compulsory Residential School View Unit Residential School |
Unit Availabilities from Term 1 - 2026
Term 1 - 2026 Profile
Attendance Requirements
All on-campus students are expected to attend scheduled classes - in some units, these classes are identified as a mandatory (pass/fail) component and attendance is compulsory. International students, on a student visa, must maintain a full time study load and meet both attendance and academic progress requirements in each study period (satisfactory attendance for International students is defined as maintaining at least an 80% attendance record).
Recommended Student Time Commitment
Each 6-credit Undergraduate unit at CQUniversity requires an overall time commitment of an average of 12.5 hours of study per week, making a total of 150 hours for the unit.
Assessment Tasks
| Assessment Task | Weighting |
|---|---|
| 1. Online Test | 35% |
| 2. Research Assignment | 40% |
| 3. Report | 25% |
This is a graded unit: your overall grade will be calculated from the marks or grades for each assessment task, based on the relative weightings shown in the table above. You must obtain an overall mark for the unit of at least 50%, or an overall grade of ‘pass’ in order to pass the unit. If any ‘pass/fail’ tasks are shown in the table above they must also be completed successfully (‘pass’ grade). You must also meet any minimum mark requirements specified for a particular assessment task, as detailed in the ‘assessment task’ section (note that in some instances, the minimum mark for a task may be greater than 50%).
Past Exams
All University policies are available on the Policy web site, however you may wish to directly view the following policies below.
This list is not an exhaustive list of all University policies. The full list of policies are available on the Policy web site .
Term 1 - 2025 : The overall satisfaction for students in the last offering of this course was 75.00% (`Agree` and `Strongly Agree` responses), based on a 20% response rate.
Feedback, Recommendations and Responses
Every unit is reviewed for enhancement each year. At the most recent review, the following staff and student feedback items were identified and recommendations were made.
Source: SUTE
The teaching team was outstanding, offering clear explanations, valuable guidance, and strong support throughout the residential school experience. Their dedication enhanced the learning environment significantly.
The teaching team will continue to provide support and incorporate hands-on experiences during residential schools to enhance the learning experience.
The teaching team continued to provide strong support and hands-on learning opportunities through the 2025 residential school, and will maintain this approach in future offerings to further enhance student engagement and learning outcomes.
Source: UC REFLECTION
Students enjoyed the residential school overall particularly the research project component.
The teaching team will continue to incorporate the research project component during residential schools, enhancing hands-on learning experiences.
The teaching team continued to embed the research project component during the 2025 residential school, enhancing hands-on learning. This approach will be maintained in future offerings to further strengthen applied skills and student engagement.
Source: SUTE
Students consistently noted that the lecturer was responsive and supportive, providing clear guidance and timely communication throughout the term. Feedback on the residential school was very positive, with many commenting that the practical activities were engaging, enjoyable, and highly relevant to their future careers. The hands-on components were seen as valuable opportunities to develop important practical skills.
We will continue to foster an engaging, supportive, and hands-on learning environment, ensuring students receive timely guidance and practical experiences that strengthen their skills and confidence for future industry pathways.
In Progress
Source: SUTE and UC REFLECTION
Students have commented that some learning resources could be further enhanced to improve clarity and support understanding.
The teaching team will take this opportunity to review and enhance learning resources where most needed, ensuring improvements are incorporated into future iterations of the unit.
In Progress
On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
- Analyse the main drivers of productivity in crop and livestock industries
- Apply a scientific approach to solve problems of plant and animal productivity
- Examine emerging global trends and innovations in various food production systems.
| Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| 1 - Online Test | • | ||
| 2 - Research Assignment | • | • | |
| 3 - Report | • | • | |
| Graduate Attributes | Learning Outcomes | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| 1 - Communication | • | • | • |
| 2 - Problem Solving | • | ||
| 3 - Critical Thinking | • | • | |
| 4 - Information Literacy | • | • | • |
| 5 - Team Work | • | • | |
| 6 - Information Technology Competence | • | ||
| 8 - Ethical practice | • | ||
| 9 - Social Innovation | • | ||
| Assessment Tasks | Graduate Attributes | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 10 | |
| 1 - Online Test | • | • | • | • | • | ||||||
| 2 - Research Assignment | • | • | • | • | • | ||||||
| 3 - Report | • | • | • | ||||||||