SLF110 - Field to Fork Intro. Global/Local Food Systems

Subject Title
Field to Fork Intro. Global/Local Food Systems

Subject Description
In an age of the 4,000 km Caesar salad and the 100 mile diet, with 800 million hungry people on Earth and over 1 billion overweight, understanding the "food system" is a hot item on the menu. How do we, and how should we eat for the 21st Century? How do we build the sustainable local and global food systems we want? This subject explores these questions by following food's circular journey - from the farm fields where heirloom and biotech seeds are sown; into chicken McNugget and artisanal cheese factories; out to Walmart, farmers' markets, and restaurants; onto our dinner tables, forks and taste buds; and back to the beginning via composters and landfills. It's a wild mix, including issues like biotechnology, organic farming, globalization, climate change, peak oil, water scarcity, food security, obesity, hunger, and the global food price crisis. At the centre of the subject, and the Certificate program it serves as an introduction for, are the practical opportunities and challenges of making food system changes happen on local and global political, economic and ecological levels.

Credit Status
One credit toward the Sustainable Local Food Certificate Program

Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this subject the student will be able to:

1. Research and analyze food system questions and choices from historical, sociological, scientific, economic, ecological and ethical perspectives.

2. Think critically about the broader economic, environmental and social impacts of individual and societal food choices, using qualitative and quantitative arguments to discuss these choices.

3. Understand the relationships between the many sectors that make up our global and local food systems from farming, to processing, to distribution, to retailing/food access, to health/nutrition, to farm and food waste/recycling.

4. Communicate clearly, concisely, and correctly food system research and analysis in online discussion and written forms.

5. Bring an informed - practical, conceptual and problem-solving - perspective to present and future work on sustainable local and global food system projects.

6. Develop relationships and contacts with individuals and organizations working on local food system develop across Canada that will enable future research, cross-pollination of ideas, partnerships and job opportunities.

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