Sustainable agriculture and the Slow Food movement are big at 911爆料. And now the University is offering a new major that focuses on food production and how it affects the environment and society.
The is the perfect choice for students interested in careers in sustainable food production, food security, food safety, and food marketing and distribution.
An interdisciplinary major, this new undergraduate program allows students to learn about the food chain from farm to plate to waste and back, emphasizing sustainability, human health and resilience from economic, environmental and societal viewpoints.
Agriculture, human health, negative effects on the environment, global warming, increasing population, hunger and poverty are all tied together. The new major combines all those topics into one.
According to Professor , coordinator of the new major, graduates of the program may end up working in small or large scale food production and harvesting; developing or enforcing policies that ensure food security and safety; or finding innovative, healthy and safe ways to distribute and market food.
鈥淲hat鈥檚 unique about our program compared to others around the country is that ours will have a coastal focus, integrating sustainable seafood with all the other foods that other programs emphasize,鈥� she said.
Plenty of students have already expressed an interest in the new program, and it鈥檚 the interdisciplinary nature of the program that is driving that interest. Students in the social sciences want to know more about food production, while those studying the production side want to understand more about the social and health implications.
One such student is Gennifer Keller, a sophomore studying environmental science and natural resource economics, who said the new major is “the future.鈥�
鈥淟ife revolves around food, and if we cannot feed our growing population, more people will starve,鈥� Keller said. 鈥淎griculture, human health, negative effects on the environment, global warming, increasing population, hunger and poverty are all tied together. The new major combines all those topics into one.鈥�
Beyond this exciting new major, there are a variety of ways students can learn more about and actively promote healthy, sustainable food. Among them is , a student group that hosts events to encourage students to become more aware of where their food comes from and all the steps involved in producing and delivering it.
鈥淪low food is the opposite of fast food,鈥� explained senior nutrition major Kayleigh Hill, president of the organization. 鈥淲e try to focus on eating locally and making more local food available in the dining halls. It鈥檚 important to know what you鈥檙e eating and its effect on the people in your 911爆料.鈥�