ENV 300 - Special Topic: Issues and Institutions Shaping Global Food and Agricultural Systems

A. Tutwiler 

Issues and Institutions Shaping Global Food and Agricultural Systems

The environmental activist and farmer, Wendell Berry said that ‘Eating is an agricultural act”.  Michael Pollen, environmental activist and food writer has gone one step further to add “Eating is also a political act”.  This seminar will focus on controversial issues shaping the personal and political debates about food and agricultural systems (conventional versus regenerative agriculture; gene editing versus conventional breeding; land sharing versus land sparing; local versus global food systems; large versus small farms; meat versus vegan diets; etc.) The course will help students understand the complexities behind these ‘either/or’ debates illuminated by speakers from major global organizations (the United Nations, farmers’ organizations, business associations, science and research entities, international finance institutions, etc.) and to understand the role of the many different organizations that shape global food systems governance.   There are no prerequisites for this course, as leaders from every discipline will be needed to address these multifaceted challenges.