Socio-ecological Systems: Feeding Mod Us

NST2090/ECN2690 Socio-Ecological Systems: Feeding the Modern United States
4 Intermediate Liberal Arts Credits

The sustainability of local, regional, national, and global food systems hinges on the full scope of the system's environmental resilience and safety. Climate change, and ongoing human contribution to climate change via industrialized agricultural practices, has resulted in increasing food insecurity and shifting agricultural priorities in the US and around the world. Using interdisciplinary frameworks, we will explore food and agricultural practices, the pursuit of policy goals, and the impact of government interventions. Considering the food system's many stakeholders, we will examine food production, trade, manufacturing, safety, nutrition, and waste. We will investigate hunger and food security, access to food, and the impact of demographics such as location, economic disadvantage, gender, age, and race/ethnicity. We will analyze social and environmental stressors across the food system, focusing on policies and practices that have the potential to alleviate poverty and inequality.

Prerequisites: NST1 and FCI1000 and WRT1001