Geography of Agriculture, Food & Sustainability

Catalog description

Human beings eat food daily and this necessity has led to conversion of half of the Earth's land surface to agricultural use. This course introduces students to the spatial patterns of agricultural systems on the planet, the physical geography related to them. Students will investigate the impacts of modern agriculture on the environment, and human culture and health. This will be followed by an introduction to sustainable alternatives including local small scale organic agriculture, urban gardening, and resilient diverse food cropping systems. Students will choose a region of the world to study sustainable agricultural systems and prepare a regional food dish to share with the class.