ENV 854a () / 2025-2026

Food Systems Transformation and Accelerating the Sustainable Development Goals in the Global South

Credits: 3 Fall 2025: Time and location TBA

This course will provide a helpful framing to understand both why and how food systems transformation can accelerate the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the global south. The course will focus on drivers of unsustainability and obstacles to sustainable food systems that meet food security in terms of food availability, accessibility and utilization. The course will take a solutions-oriented approach to illustrating the ways in which food systems transformation is uniquely positioned to holistically address the social, economic, and environmental dimensions of sustainable development. It will examine the multiplicity of entry points that food systems transformation offers for fostering inclusive and sustainable economic growth, reversing harmful environmental trends, and enhancing the resilience of the poorest and most vulnerable populations. The course will explore tensions at play notably how small-scale farmers often practice unsustainable agriculture so that they can continue their livelihoods while their sustainable future is threatened. We will explore the effects of climate change and how to build resilience in agriculture and food systems. Through weekly readings, discussions, and problem- solving sessions, students will be equipped with the knowledge and tools required to apply systems thinking to complex food systems challenges in an integrated manner for people, the planet, prosperity, and peace.
Limit to 12