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Postgraduate Study in Agricultural Innovation

Sustainable strategies to feed an increasing global population.

Food production has increased by more than 300% since the advent of the Green Revolution in the 1940s. Nature has productive limits, so it has been necessary to develop alternative but complementary strategies to feed the world’s increasing population. The innovative technologies that produce alternative foods require natural resources that are renewable and sustainable.

The Agricultural Innovation programme is designed to develop future leaders in agriculture. The focus is on science and technology, but you will also gain an understanding and appreciation for agriculture in broader contexts including economic, social, cultural, and environmental aspects.

Government projections are that there will be 50,000 additional skilled jobs generated within the agricultural sector by 2050. Agricultural Innovation has been developed to produce graduates with specialist but diverse skills for a career in agriculture or the rural sector.

Why study Agricultural Innovation?

Agricultural Innovation focuses on the major issues in agriculture that impact food production, security, safety and quality. The programme explores the innovative changes in agriculture required to mitigate the impact of extreme weather events, greenhouse gas emissions, and degradation of soil and water quality.

Teaching focuses on the agricultural and industrial processes that drive food production systems necessary to guarantee food security in a world with ever-increasing demands for food.

You will learn how innovation is used to advance economic, societal, and ethical goals, such as increasing the monetary and nutritional value of food while reducing the negative environmental impacts.

Māori perspectives relating to agriculture and the importance of Māori throughout the primary sector will be woven into the fabric of the course, providing students with an ethical framework and guidelines for engagement.


Are you just starting uni?

Learn about studying Agricultural Innovation as an undergraduate at Otago.

Graduate Qualifications

Our graduate qualifications are crafted to transition students from foundational studies to advanced, specialised knowledge.

Papers

View a list of all related papers below.


Contacts

Professor Craig Bunt
Tel +64 3 479 8365
Email agri.studies@otago.ac.nz


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Regulations on this page are taken from the 2025 Calendar and supplementary material.

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