The agricultural sector has radically changed over the years. Cultivation of land has become more efficient because of advanced machinery, expanded scale and higher productivity of equipment. Yields have increased in all kind of sectors: from dairy farms to greenhouses. All kinds of smart technologies like robotics, vision techniques and machine learning help us further increase yields and improve efficiency.
However, the agricultural sector is not only focusing on yield and efficiency anymore. Sustainability becomes more and more of greater importance. For instance, a healthy soil is the foundation for ecological stability and, therefore, for sustainable crop production. And better knowledge of an animal’s behaviour and health status can improve its well being. Also protection of nature’s biodiversity, which is under high pressure of intensive agriculture and climate change, can benefit from sustainable innovations. Artificial intelligence and smart technologies can help us in challenges likes these and offer many opportunities to make the world a more sustainable and healthy place.
In this minor we will connect both fields of expertise. Together we will work on real-life challenges in the agricultural and environmental sector to become more sustainable with the help of technology.
You will collaborate with students and lecturers from two universities: HAS University of Applied Sciences & Fontys University of Applied Sciences. Students of both universities learn from each others expertise, learn together and develop themselves to be professionals with up to date knowledge, expertise and skills which fits current technological developments in the agricultural and environmental sector.
In a multidisciplinary group project an active contribution is made to real-life innovations in cooperation with students, lecturers and partners from both the agricultural and technological sector. Practice-based applied research is combined with literature study, stakeholder conversations and application of techniques in developing prototypes. Furthermore every student works on an individual study to deepen their knowledge on a topic of their choice. This individual study is dependent on the future job or study the student is are aiming for, focused on content (biology and technology applied in the agricultural or environmental sector), skills and attitude. Supportive to the performance of the individual study, the student receives coaching from lecturers (HAS & Fontys) and meets professionals from the sector during guest lectures and excursions. The student can proactively ask for guidance from the broad expert panel of HAS and Fontys Universities of Applied Sciences and the partners from the sector to come to a theoretical profound answer on the phrased research question.
So are you, for example, curious about
Than High Tech Agrosystems might be the minor for you!
Want to sign up for High Tech Agrosystems?
Here you find more information about the application procedure.