Issue No 5, January 1996.

NOTICE: Hard copies of the Australian New Crops Newsletter are available from the publisher, Dr Rob Fletcher. Details of availability are included in the Advice on Publications Available.

9. The Use of New Crops in Education

A course offered by the School of Horticulture at the University of Western Sydney, Hawkesbury is specifically aimed at Alternative Crops and is an interesting innovation, in itself. Dr Robert Spooner-Hart has forwarded us an introduction to the subject.

New crops have also been used by Dr Rob Fletcher in teaching in the Department of Plant Production at the University of Queensland Gatton College. Their use as the basis for a whole-subject problem-based approach to teaching Introductory Crop Improvement has been the subject of an Action Research project during 1994-5. The basis for the innovation and the outcomes of the research will be presented in the next issue.

Educating University Students in New Crops

Contribution from Dr R. Spooner-Hart School of Horticulture, University of Western Sydney Hawkesbury, Richmond, NSW 2753

The University of Western Sydney's Hawkesbury campus is located on the fringe of Sydney and provides undergraduate and postgraduate courses in a range of professions, including agriculture and horticulture. The horticulture offerings are based on a market-led approach.

There was a two-fold concern amongst academic staff. Firstly, there was concern about the inertia created by the generally conservative nature and vested interests of the traditional horticultural industries in Australia. Secondly, there was concern about the need to provide undergraduates with more than information on common or major crops.

As a result, a new course in Alternative Crops (new crops, new uses, new markets) was developed. This course, offered to final year undergraduates and masters students, integrates botany, ethnobotany, crop development and evaluation, postharvest processing and marketing. The course is taught in a case study format, with teaching from various faculty and invited presenters, and incorporates visits to ethnic and 'up-market' producers, suppliers and marketeers.

Topics include:

herbs and spices
medicinals
volatile oils
edible fungi
arid zone and desert plants
native bush foods
ornamental plants
Asian vegetables.

This course is the most popular elective course for undergraduates, and is also one of the most popular for the faculty.

It is suggested that courses such as this can provide a stimulating environment for university students. It does this by broadening their horizons, challenging their preconceptions and providing integration of scientific, practical and marketing aspects of crops.

As well, the School of Horticulture is currently supporting a number of research activities in Alternative Crops, including postgraduate projects.

The textbooks and references used in the course may be of interest to readers:

Cribb, A.J. (1987), Wild food in Australia (2nd ed.), Fontana/Collins Sydney.
Fletcher, R.J. (1993), Listing of potential new crops for Australia, RIRDC/GRDC Project UQ-33A, The University of Queensland Gatton College.
Janick, J. and Simon, J.E. (1990), Advances in new crops, Timber Press, Portland, Oregon.
Janick, J. and Simon, J.E. (1993), New crops, John Wiley and Sons, Inc., New York.
Phillips, R. (1983), Wild food, Orbis, London.
Sacchiola, S. (1990), Cornucopia-a source book of edible plants, Kampong Publishing.
Vietmeyer, N.D. (1986), Lesser known plants of potential use in agriculture and forestry, Science 232: 1379-81.
Vietmeyer, N.D. and Dafron, M. (1989), Lost crops of the Incas: little known plants of the Andes with promise for world-wide cultivation, Advisory Committee on Technological Innovation, Board on Science and Technology for International Development, National Research Council, Washington, DC.
Vilmorin-Andrieux, A. (1985), The vegetable garden, Ten Speed Publications, USA.
Wickens, G.E., Goodin, J.R. and Field, D.V. (1986), Plants for arid lands, George Allen and Unwin, London.

Any claims made by authors in the Australian New Crops Newsletter are presented by the Editors in good faith. Readers would be wise to critically examine the circumstances associated with any claims to determine the applicability of such claims to their specific set of circumstances. This material can be reproduced, with the provision that the source and the author (or editors, if applicable) are acknowledged and the use is for information or educational purposes. Contact with the original author is probably wise since the material may require updating or amendment if used in other publications. Material sourced from the Australian New Crops Newsletter cannot be used out of context or for commercial purposes not related to its original purpose in the newsletter

Contact: Dr Rob Fletcher, School of Land and Food, The University of Queensland Gatton College, 4345; Telephone: 07 5460 1311 or 07 5460 1301; Facsimile: 07 5460 1112; International facsimile: 61 7 5460 1112; Email: r.fletcher@mailbox.uq.edu.au

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originally created by: GK; latest update 6 June 1999 by: RF