Contemporary Canadian case studies will be presented at appropriate scales. This course explores the structure and dynamics of food production systems in advanced economies. Particular attention is paid to the interaction of farms with the environmental, economic, social and institutional forces that shape local types and regional patterns of agricultural activity. The concept of sustainability is used as a focus for the consideration of selected trends in agriculture and associated policy and planning issues. The evolution of resource use systems, settlement patterns and built environments, their interrelationships and contribution to the Ontario landscape.
Emphasis is given to the interpretation and analysis of source materials.
Emphasis is placed on processes of social and economic change in the context of the built environment. Topics include data input and output, map creation, analysis functions, data quality issues, data management and implementation. Students are introduced to a range of GIS applications, including those in resource analysis and management. This course requires some familiarity with numerical methods and computer operations. Emphasis is on the spatial, socio-economic and environmental implications of the relationship between recreational behaviour and resources.