Future Food: Sustainable Food Systems for the 21st Century Course - University of Exeter
Online United Kingdom
Course
DURATION
4 weeks
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Part time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
EARLIEST START DATE
STUDY FORMAT
Distance Learning
Key Summary
About: This online course from the University of Exeter explores what sustainable food means and why food systems matter. You'll define key terms and examine diet, health, production, food security, land use, freshwater and fisheries pressures and the role of culture, technology and transnational firms in global grain supply. It covers climate change, agroecology and options for feeding nine billion by 2050. Start now; learn at your own pace.
Career Outcomes: You can move into roles such as sustainability analyst, food policy advisor, supply chain officer, agriculture consultant, food systems researcher; these span NGOs, government, industry, research and social enterprise.
Find out what sustainability means for food and explore the challenges of our journey towards a more sustainable food future.
Learn to define key terms related to sustainable food
What are sustainable food systems? And why are they so important for the future? With this course, you can explore these questions and more.
You’ll learn about how our understanding of diet, health, and food production is changing, why food security and sustainable agriculture is essential, and how we can make positive future steps.
Learn how culture, sustainability, and technology is changing the future of food production
Food production has transformed our planet. Currently, 40% of the land’s surface is used for agriculture, meaning soils and freshwater are under threat, and fisheries are overexploited.
With this sustainable food systems course, you’ll discover why this means that millions of smallholders are facing economic uncertainty, and how just four transnational companies control the global grain supply.
Explore the challenges of climate change and the proposed solutions
Ultimately, by 2050, we must feed 9 billion people in the face of a changing climate. You’ll find out how agroecology sustainable food systems can help through economic, social, and environmental incentives. In this course, you’ll learn about some of the obstacles facing the future of food production, as well as some potential solutions.
Find out how changing and sustainable food systems can impact you and the planet
You’ll also learn about the global food system as a whole, as you explore everything from individual food choices to the impact of agriculture on climate change.
The future of food will be shaped by a change in our attitudes towards consumption and production. With this course, you can find out how sustainable agriculture and food systems can play a part in creating this future.
When would you like to start?
Start straight away and learn at your own pace. If the course hasn’t started yet you’ll see the future date listed below.
- Available now
Who will you learn with?
| Natalia Lawrence I am an Associate Professor in Psychology who studies human eating behaviour and develops novel interventions to help people eat more healthily and sustainably. | Dan Bebber Dr Dan Bebber is an ecologist with an interest in the impacts of climate change on diseases of agricultural crops. His current research focuses on diseases of tropical crops like bananas and coffee. | Bethan Stagg I am a botanist and science educator. I work for a project developing diverse pastures on UK farms. I'm also a keen allotment grower. |
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Who developed this course?
University of Exeter
The University of Exeter is a Russell Group university. It combines world-class research with very high levels of student satisfaction.
What topics will you cover?
| Diets and Health
| Impacts of Production
| Food Security
| Food Governance
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What will you achieve
By the end of the course, you‘ll be able to:
- Investigate global patterns and trends of food consumption and production.
- Discuss what sustainability means with reference to food.
- Explain where and how to find reliable information about food.
- Debate the main issues related to food.
- Discuss how individuals choose their food and what effects this has.
- Explore how technological advances are changing the food system.
Who is the course for
The course is designed for anyone interested in food sustainability.
