The course provides students with the opportunity to: Study at an advanced level the techniques used for the production and postharvest handling of horticultural/tropical crops and the underlying mechanisms which determine and limit these techniques; develop a broad understanding of the national and international institutions and organisations which are actively influencing developments in horticultural trade; apply research methodology and information technology to horticultural practice; identify and critically evaluate important trends and developments within the international horticultural industry; identify the needs of national and international communities, and reconcile these with the aims and objectives of specific horticultural organisations.