Starting this fall, students can choose a new minor in sustainable agricultural and food systems that is designed to help them understand the broad role of ag and food systems in feeding humans and impacting the natural environment. 

The multidisciplinary minor, housed in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS), requires students to take courses in soil, plant, animal and food sciences, with elective courses available in all of those fields, plus natural resources, biological and environmental engineering, and viticulture and enology. The capstone course is The Global Food, Energy, & Water Nexus. 

“Among the greatest challenges of the 21st century are: adapting to and mitigating climate change; providing an adequate, accessible, nutritious, safe and sustainable food supply for everyone on the planet; and ensuring sufficient fresh and safe water for irrigation and household and industrial use. All of those challenges are linked, and all of them will become more critical as we reach an estimated global population of 10 billion people by 2050,” said Dennis Miller, professor emeritus of food science and co-lead faculty member for the new minor. “We believe a multidisciplinary approach is critically important for meeting the challenges we face.”

Read the full version in the CALS Newsroom.