Academics

Courses in food systems and agriculture at the graduate level are offered across the University and vary between semesters and academic years. For the most up-to-date list of courses, visit YSE’s course directory, search by keyword at https://courses.yale.edu/, and visit the Yale Sustainable Food Program’s Graduate and Professional School Courses.

Courses regularly offered at the Yale School of the Environment related to food systems and agriculture include:

• ENV 618: Anthropology of Smallholder Agriculture in Developing Countries
• ENV 639: Food Systems and Climate Services
• ENV 646: Regenerative Agriculture Systems
• ENV 649: Food Systems: The Implications of Unequal Access
• ENV 653: Maple: From Tree to Table
• ENV 692: Science and Practice of Temperate Agroforestry
• ENV 709: Lectures, Discussions and Applications of Soil Science
• ENV 712: Water Management
• ENV 725: Water, Energy, and Food Interconnections in a Changing Climate
• ENV 965: Regenerative Agriculture & Just Food Systems Lab
• ENV 990: Climate, Animals, Food, and Environment Law & Policy Lab

Examples of Academic Projects for Credit

• Bennett Olupo — Master of Environmental Management ’24

  Bennett Olupo worked with Plant, Grow, Share and Project Sweetie Pie to promote food sovereignty in Minneapolis through the construction and maintenance of community gardens. In addition to this, Bennett interviewed community members involved with food justice to preserve and share their stories to uplift Black and indigenous voices in the community. He will use this experience to shape his thesis focusing on food sovereignty in Black and Indigenous communities in Minnesota.  

• Gino Rivera Bulnes — Master of Environmental Science ’24

  Gino’s research aims to shed light on the interplay between smallholder farmers, agribusinesses and wild carnivores in the Ica Valley, a hub of agricultural development in Peru. Using mixed methods, Gino is studying how farmers and carnivores interact and where these interactions happen. Not only will this help us understand how the agricultural systems—whether it's traditional small-scale farms or industrialized large estates—affect the carnivores that coexist in the landscape, but the study will also look into how they are impacted by these interactions and why it matters.

• Lily Fillwalk — Master of Environmental Science ’24

  Over the summer, Lily studied soil carbon sequestration on Brooklyn Grange’s flagship farms. In the face of New York City’s Climate Mobilization Act, green roofs will expand throughout the city with new construction, making their study more important than ever. Lily is also analyzing green roofs using an environmental justice framework within the city, looking at access and benefit inequalities.

   

• Karam Sheban — Doctor of Philosophy

  Karam Sheban is a doctoral student and co-director of the Northeast Forest Farmers Coalition (NFFC). With funding through the USDA's Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education program, the NFFC conducts research and provides education around the practice of forest farming—the intentional cultivation of commercially understory herbs under a forest canopy. The goal of the Coalition is to build and support a community of practicing forest farmers across the northeast region and to build an applied research pipeline that connects practitioners and researchers around shared, relevant questions.

• Dane McKittrick — Master of Forest Science ’25 

  Dane McKittrick is conducting research on New England silvopasture systems with Dr. Joe Orefice. Specifically, Dane is studying how thinning forest to incorporate livestock grazing (silvopasture by subtraction) impacts soil bulk density (a key component of soil health), above and below ground carbon stocks, and invasive plant species communities. This research is made possible through cooperation with local farmers and a partnership with the USDA's National Agroforestry Center. 

  “We hope our study provides critical insight into how this agroforestry practice contributes to building a more sustainable and perennial agricultural landscape.”

• Sophie Roberts — Master of Forest Science ‘25

  Sophie’s research aims to expand and improve the adoption of agroforestry systems. While deforestation continues to pose environmental threats, agroforestry is increasingly recognized for its potential in restoring ecosystem services while meeting the needs of local people. To fund the conversion of monoculture farms to agroforestry systems, the concept of Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES) is gaining traction as a means to support and incentivize agroforestry. However, there is a greater need for these programs to highlight biodiversity which has thus far been a challenge. One organization that provides PES to farmers is Third Millenium Alliance (TMA) in the Pacific Forests of Ecuador. To enhance biodiversity monitoring approaches, Sophie plans to develop a tree species classification model for the farms at TMA, leveraging high-resolution satellite imagery and deep learning techniques. Sophie will then explore how socio-geographic factors influence tree diversity across farms to hopefully help guide PES initiatives and ultimately uplift farmers who need greater support to restore the environment.