AGRICULTURE AND
HORTICULTURE 2002
2
What are Agricultural
and Horticultural
Studies?
At the University of Queensland, we use the term
"agriculture" in its international context, where it refers
to the production, harvesting, postharvest treatment and
strategic marketing of broad-acre crops such as cereals,
grain legumes, sugar cane and cotton; the production and
management of pastures; and the sustainable use of land.
Horticulture, on the other hand, is about the produc-
tion, preparation and marketing of intensively managed
crops such as fruits, vegetables, nuts, spices and cut
flowers, as well as the landscaping, development and
management of parks and recreation areas.
Agribusiness is about the manufacture and distribu-
tion of farm supplies and the on-farm production
processes, as well as the storage, processing, marketing
and economics of farm commodities.
Agricultural and horticultural studies encompass the
science, technology, economics and management of these
processes and activities.
Facilities
Few Australian universities can match the comprehensive
facilities of the University of Queensland.
It has one of the best library collections of all
Australian universities, and by far the largest in Queens-
land. Its stock of around 1.8 million volumes is housed
in 12 branch libraries located on the St Lucia, Ipswich
and UQ Gatton campuses, and in several teaching
hospitals.
The UQ Gatton branch of the library holds about
90 000 books, 1 000 journals and videos on a wide range
of subjects relating to the courses taught on campus. All
libraries are open at nights and weekends. Agricultural
and horticultural students enjoy a range of specific
facilities which allows for the appropriate balance
between practical experience and theoretical learning.
q
a 1 000-hectare field facility (both dryland and
irrigated) at UQ Gatton producing broad-acre crops,
fruit, vegetables and flowers
q
farms at Redland Bay and Mount Cotton near
Brisbane
q
a nursery and tissue culture facility
q
research laboratories and greenhouses for areas
ranging from microbiology to field crops and from
genetic engineering to performance evaluation
q
postharvest facilities including a packing shed and
cold rooms
q
extensive range of modern horticultural and agricul-
tural plant and machinery
q
Centres for specialised research and industry
collaboration, such as the Centre for Pesticide
Application and Safety; the Cooperative Research
Centre for Tropical Plant Protection; the Agricultural
Mechanisation Centre; the Centre for Integrated
Resource Management; the Centre for Mined Land
Rehabilitation; the Rural Extension Centre; and the
Cooperative Research Centre for Sustainable Sugar
Production.
Welcome
to the Faculty of
Natural Resources, Agriculture and
Veterinary Science
Feeding the world's growing
population is one of the world's
greatest challenges and one that
will be faced by agricultural and
horticultural specialists world wide.
As issues surrounding the sustain-
able use of soils, water, air, plants
and animals become even more
urgent so too will the demand for
qualified specialists in these fields.
This prospectus has been designed
to help you select a program of
study that will prepare you for a
career in this exciting era for
primary production.
In the prospectus you will find
information about the Faculty's
degree, diploma and certificate
programs some of which are
available through distance learning
(external study).
I look forward to welcoming you
as a student to the premier natural
resource and agricultural faculty in
Australia.
Professor Roger Swift
Executive Dean, Faculty of Natural
Resources, Agriculture and Veterinary
Science
