Minor in Food Systems and Sustainability

The Food Systems & Sustainability minor will provide a formal educational structure and academic recognition for many current and future UC Berkeley students interested in agri-food related studies.

The purpose of the proposed minor is to foster an undergraduate learning community that critically engages pressing issues in modern food and agriculture. In both academic and non-academic settings, the proposed minor is designed to integrate theoretical and experiential modes of learning in order to educate students about the critical social, political, economic, environmental, and public health issues facing contemporary food and agriculture systems. The minor will allow students to critically engage with academic and popular discourses surrounding social and ecological sustainability in both the dominant and alternative agri-food systems. Coursework and individual research will provide students with a thorough understanding of the origins and evolution of US agriculture and the dominant social, political, and economic factors influencing the structure and functioning of the global agri-food system, while a service-learning component will immerse them in the everyday practice of working to advance greater food system sustainability.