New Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems Major being Developed 

UC Davis faculty and students are developing a new undergraduate major in sustainable agriculture and food systems. The major will include several innovative features designed to help students acquire the knowledge, skills and understanding needed to develop and work in more ecologically, economically and socially viable food and farming systems.  These include:

• Interdisciplinary Breadth: Integrating natural and social science knowledge and skills
• Systems Thinking:  Understanding connections among diverse components of farming and food systems, social institutions, and the environment.
• Skill Development:  Gaining practical skills including communication, analysis, problem solving, critical thinking, teamwork and leadership
• Experiential Learning:  Engaging in wide range of practical experiences in agricultural and food systems through laboratories, field exercises, internships and other means.
• Linking the Real World with Classroom:  Bringing practitioners into the classroom, sending students into the field, and discussing and analyzing these experiences.
• Community Building:  Being part of community that includes students, faculty, internship sponsors, and others enhances learning and reflects the reality of life after school.

Curriculum Design

The major is designed to help students gain a wide diversity of knowledge, skills and experiences using traditional and nontraditional teaching methods, including hands-on experiential learning techniques. All students will take courses in a broad range of disciplines but each will focus their studies within either the natural sciences or social sciences track (see Conceptual Model). There is substantial flexibility in upper division courses to allow students to pursue the diverse facets of sustainable agriculture and food systems.

At the heart of the curriculum model are a number of common preparatory, experiential, and core courses, which allow students to develop a shared knowledge base and social network. The common preparatory courses provide all students with disciplinary training in both natural and social sciences. The five common core classes (see individual course descriptions below) begin with lower division courses in sustainable agriculture and food systems (PLS 15, CRD 20), progress through upper division courses focused on the economics of sustainabilty and agroecology (ARE 121, PLS 150), and culminate with the senior capstone (ESP 191A&B).

Once the students have completed their preparatory and lower division core courses, they will continue their studies in either the social science or natural science track. The preparatory classes in each track provide basic disciplinary training, while upper division classes focus on specific areas of sustainable agriculture and food systems.  In both tracks, students will choose from a large menu of courses and internship opportunities to develop an individualized course of study that reflects their specific needs and interests.  The senior capstone helps complete the degree as individual students bring their unique knowledge and skills to group projects where they analyze and propose solutions to complex real world challenges.

The major places an emphasis on the development of practical skills that can be applied to career opportunities in sustainable agriculture. Widely useful skills, such as communicating and working with others, problem solving and decision making, will be integrated into the common core courses, as well in other courses in the major. All students will have direct experiences in food production activities through the applied production courses and possibly though other avenues.  Additionally, students’ internships will focus on off-campus experiences such as working on farms, or in food businesses, with  government agencies or non-profit organizations, working a very diverse segments of the agriculture and food system.

Core Courses

Developing a new major has required the creation of new courses to comprise the core of the curriculum.  These courses will utilize an interdisciplinary approach and include skill building activities.  The following comprise the core courses:

• Introduction to Sustainable Agriculture
  (PLS 15)  4 units. 3 hours lecture, 3 hours laboratory per week
  Prerequisites: None
  Course Description: Agriculture and food system sustainability. Evolutionary, historical, ecological, economic, social and political aspects of agricultural sustainability principles and practices; examination of the sustainability of various agricultural systems and practices. Laboratories provide direct experience with various agricultural practices and systems.
  Instructor: M Van Horn
• Food Systems
  (CRD 20)  4units  3 hours lecture, 3 hours laboratory per week
  Prerequisites: None
  Course Description: Social aspects of agri-food systems. Political economy of food, agriculture, and sustainability with an understanding of connections to power, labor, knowledge, new technologies, governance and social movements. Discussions of specific commodity chains – vegetables, grains, meat – in comparative global context.
  Instructor: R Galt
• Sustainability and Agroecosystem Management
  (PLS 150)  4 units.  3 hours lecture, 3 hours laboratory per week
  Prerequisites: SSC 10, CHE 2A and PLS 2 or BIS 1C or 2C
  Course Description: Interdisciplinary analysis of agricultural production and food systems with primary emphasis on biophysical processes. General concepts governing the functioning of temperate and tropical agroecosystems in relation to resource availability, ecological sustainability, and socio-economic viability. Comparative ecological analyses of agroecosystems.
  Instuctor: J Six
• Economics of Agricultural Sustainability
  (ARE 121)  4 units. 3 hours lecture, 1 hour discussion per week
  Prerequisites: PLS 15, CRD 20, ECN 1A
  Course Description: Application of economic concepts to agro-environmental issues relevant to agricultural sustainability. Market efficiency, production externalities, government intervention, agricultural trade, and product differentiation, as related to sustainability issues. Case studies include genetically modified foods and geographically differentiated products.
  Instructor: P Merel
• Senior Capstone – Workshop on Food System Sustainability
  (ESP 191 A & B)  3 units & 3 units, 3 hours of lecture/discussion per week.
  Prerequisites: Upper division standing. Open to students in the major only.
  Course Description: Senior capstone course featuring user-oriented, multi-disciplinary projects and other experience-based learning activities. Synthesis of previously-gained knowledge and skills through team projects addressing specific problems and opportunities of sustainable agriculture and food systems.
  Instructor: T Tomich

Further information for students and prospective students:

The core courses for the major are starting to be offered in the 2008-2009 year.

• Food Systems (CRD 20) is being offered Fall 08.
• Introduction to Sustainable Agriculture (PLS 15) and Sustainability and Agroecosystem Management (PLS 150) will both be offered Spring 09.
• Economics of Agricultural Sustainability (ARE 121) and the Capstone courses (ESP 191 A&B) will be offered in 2009 or 2010.

Although the major is still in the revision and approval process, information about the major and what current options there are for students who may be interested in choosing it can be obtained by contacting Mark Van Horn: mxvanhorn@ucdavis.edu.

Conceptual Model: