Overview of Course

The Sustainable Development Goal 2 calls for an end to hunger, access by all people to safe, nutritious and sufficient food all year round, and sustainable agriculture systems. There is enough food produced today to feed the world population, but hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition continue to persist in many countries around the world. At the same time, as incomes are growing around the world, so is the demand for meat and processed foods that have a greater environmental and health impact than many traditional plant-based diets. More than two billion adults, teens and children are now obese or overweight, with consequences for health, wealth and quality of life. These trends occur with in the context of urbanization, diminishing land availability and extreme climate change events. This course uses a food systems approach to explore the interactions between agriculture, the environment, the economy, nutrition and society to reduce poverty, hunger and improve health and well-being. Students will learn about the patterns and causes of change in worldwide population and food production and consumption, underlying food production, urbanization, changes in tastes and preferences and global interdependencies that affect all aspects of the food system.

Through course material, students will compare differences in food systems, food security and policies, food loss and waste, and environmental and economic issues in various countries. Students will observe and participate in food systems as part of Semester at Sea. Each country visit will a provide a real-world opportunity to examine the main systems of production, processing, marketing, consumption, trading and food waste in countries in Europe, Africa and Asia.