Currently, more than three-quarters of the arable land mass of the planet is influenced by human needs and desires for food and fiber. There are competing visions for the future of our agriculture and food systems. A global, fossil fuel-based system provides large quantities of inexpensive food along with significant environmental and social impacts. Another vision is a local, community-based system that produces higher quality, but more expensive food while seeking to minimize environmental and social impacts. Critical questions that will inform our inquiry include: Can we grow high-quality food that is available to everyone? What kinds of agriculture, as Wendell Berry and Wes Jackson ask, will “meet the expectations of the land”?  Are local, sustainable, alternative food systems best? Can Native American agriculture inform us? What is the role of the small farm and urban agriculture? How did we get into this current agricultural predicament?  What local, state and national policies need to be changed to create a more sustainable food system?  How can an individual make a difference?

This program will provide a broad, interdisciplinary study of agriculture in the context of food systems. We will explore competing ideas from a critical perspective of social and ecological sustainability. We will emphasize the development of ecological and holistic thinking, which will be applied in hands-on laboratory and field exercises, expository and scientific report writing, quantitative reasoning, as well as community engagement. Lectures will focus on ecological principles applied to agroecosystems, soil science and fertility management, crop and livestock management, traditional indigenous agriculture, permaculture and regional to global food systems, as well as an examination of history, policy, and the social, political, and economic context of agriculture.

Fall emphasis: The agroecology portion of fall quarter will emphasize energy flow and biodiversity in agricultural systems. Labs will focus on ecological principles applied to agriculture. The social science and policy portion will emphasize agricultural history, geography and the development of the modern industrial food system and be complemented by seminar readings and discussions.  A multi-day field trip to local farms, livestock producers, Native American resource use system and urban gardens will familiarize us with the reality of farming and the local food system. 

Winter emphasis: The agroecology portion of winter quarter will focus on soil science, particularly soil ecology and nutrient cycling in lecture and lab. The social science and policy portion will examine the impact of current farm and food policy on agriculture and opportunities for pursuing sustainability at the local level. Seminar will critically examine potential futures for agriculture.  Farm visits and an extended field trip to attend the Eco-Farm conference in California are planned.