Specialist Diploma in Agritechnology and Agribusiness

Agricultural Biology

This module aims to equip students with the knowledge of the fundamental role of plants in nature and their application to agricultural management. Students will study plant biology that encompasses plant morphology, function, growth, and development, as well as their relationships with other organisms and the physical environment.

They will study plant physiology, post-harvest physiology, and examine how the plant responds to biotic stresses such as bacteria and pests, and abiotic stresses such as heat and flooding. Students will also study crop cultivar development through the application of crossbreeding and selection, and the use of advanced breeding technologies in the development of breeding that results in improved crop varieties and cultivars.

They will be given an overview of the impacts of gene action, heritability, and genotype-environmental interactions on the outcomes from breeding and selection. This module will introduce students to the mechanisms for the interaction between plants and soil, nutrition from soil and symptoms of nutrient deficiency. The knowledge of plant tissue culture and its application, methods of producing genetically modified crops, will be presented.

Plant Production Principles and Technologies

This module aims to equip students with the core principles underlying sustainable plant production, cropping systems and practices used in modern agriculture particularly plant factory or vertical farming. An overview of the principles and concepts behind the role of modern technology in plant production, plant breeding and selection, crop modelling and soilless technique will enable students to explore issues posed by challenges facing agriculture, such as climate change and food security.

Students will be introduced to crop physiology, soil management, crop nutrition, pest and diseases management, growing media, microorganisms, soil-plant biology and good agriculture practices and standards to further enhance their understanding behind effective production of plant-based food.

Furthermore, students will develop skills to assess plant production practices, analyze plant production data and architectural designs; and integrate these disciplines into identifying farming systems best suited in the built environment.

Smart Farming Technologies

This module aims to equip students with the knowledge of advancements in agricultural technologies and their integration into farming practices to increase production efficiency and the quality of produce. Students will explore the use of engineering developments such as mechanisation and automation to replace human labour, sensor technology to better manage resources, and other advancements that enable precision farming.

Students will also be introduced to Information and Communications Technology (ICT) and the plethora of farming applications made possible, including connectivity of devices to the cloud via Internet-of-Things (IoT), and global positioning systems (GPS). The sheer amount of data collected also allows data-driven precision farming and smart agriculture.

Smart farming technologies are driving the 4th agricultural revolution; however, they should not be pursued at the expense of sustainability. Students will develop skills to assess and apply smart farming initiatives to support ecologically and economically sound agricultural management.

Agribusiness and Financial Management

This module aims to equip students with vital decision-making skills, leadership, and management qualities in the agri-business industry. Students will be introduced to fundamental business management principles and processes, including ethical and legal requirements, human resource management and project management in agri-business.

Students will also learn basic marketing principles such as customer behaviour, product, channels of distribution, promotion, and pricing. Core entrepreneurial know-how in setting up a business and the value creation process from generating and evaluating business ideas will also be incorporated. Students will also learn to apply cost-benefit analysis and business finance concepts for the management of an agri-business.

Agricultural Analytics and Productivity

This module aims to equip students with knowledge of the emerging phenomena of using data to achieve business objectives. Data analytics enables businesses to realise the full potential of data (generated from various business processes, primary and complementary sources), thus improving the effectiveness in generating business insights and intelligence for optimal decision-making purposes.

The module will demonstrate how data can be prepared and used in the agricultural industry for productivity and decision-making. Students will learn to use data analytics to unlock the value of data and make decisions. This technology can be applied in areas such as predictive maintenance, sales forecasting or supply optimisation.

Students will also be equipped with the foundational skills and knowledge required to get started with data analytics. This includes the ability to explain various data modelling techniques, data preparation techniques, perform modelling and prediction, and hands-on lab exercises on agriculture-related use-cases.

Agricultural Supply Chain Management

This module aims to equip students with the knowledge and skillsets required to handle perishable and time-sensitive products, keeping them fresh throughout the entire supply chain. The areas of coverage range from warehousing to distribution of products based on the various Singapore Standards for cold chain management.

Students will be introduced to quality management systems to ensure proper management of agricultural products from post-harvesting to retail. Packaging and traceability technology as well as new retail technology will also be covered. The module provides the framework to understand and manage production, sourcing, supply chain risks and the distribution networks that bring foods to consumers locally and globally.

Students will be initiated to methods to improve process efficiency in operations. It also introduces regulatory and funding frameworks that are relevant to agribusiness and new farming techniques.