During this module, we will discuss land use, human nutrition, and their contributions to future food systems.

Week 11: Rural, Peri-Urban, Urban Food Systems, Evolving Nutritional Concepts [Apr 5-11]

Week 12: Global and Local Integrated Food Systems [Apr 12-18]

Learning Objectives

How can we identify underutilized land and encourage its use for food production to meet increasing demand in the U.S. and elsewhere?
What options do rural communities have to add value to their natural and human resources through specialty crops and local processing, and thus maintain viable businesses and local infrastructure?
How will evolving nutritional awareness, plus concerns about the environment, impact individual and family diets, and choices based on where and how food is produced?
How can ecosystem services be recognized by society and adequately rewarded for those who own farmland and follow agroecological practices to promote ecoservices?

Reading and Activities

Week 11

- Food systems interview is due April 11 at midnight.
- Please read: Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program, U.C. Davis, California https://sarep.ucdavis.edu/sustainable-ag/urban-agriculture and https://edepot.wur.nl/448784. Write a Yellowdig post about these readings after April 3 at 10 PM and before April 5 at midnight. Specifically compare and contrast how the concepts of urban agriculture and food sovereignty are presented in these readings.
- On Friday, or ahead of 10:00 PM Saturday, write a post on Yellowdig about what you have learned this week, 10 points, Due April 10 at 10 PM.
- Be sure to read several of the Yellowdig posts of your class members and respond to any that pique your interest.

Week 12

- Individual written report for your semester project is due April 14 at midnight.
- Team written report for your semester project is due April 18 at midnight.
- Please read Agroecology: a global paradigm to challenge mainstream industrial agriculture, H. Valenzuela, 2016
  https://www.researchgate.net/publication/298736580_Agroecology_A_Global_Paradigm_to_Challenge_Mainstream_Industrial_Agriculture and https://civileats.com/2021/01/05/does-regenerative-agriculture-have-a-race-problem. Write a Yellowdig post about these readings after April 10 at 10 PM and before April 12 at midnight.
  - Optional reference: Explore the Kantar drivers of change materials (see access instructions here). How might each of these drivers impact the future of agriculture, the food system, and agroecology?
  - Optional reference: Review the report "Biting into food access: A view of Nebraska's food system". What connections can you make between the information in this report and the various systems we've discussed this semester? What would a future food system look like that is accessible to all?
  - Optional reference: Farming for the Future: A Forum Exploring Ecosystem Markets. This webpage contains links to a fact sheet, presentation slides, and recorded webinar about ecosystem markets. What are your thoughts on ecosystem markets and their potential to place value on ecosystem services provided by agroecosystems? What are some potential benefits and drawbacks for farmers and others in the food system?
- On Friday, or ahead of 10:00 PM Saturday, write a post on Yellowdig about what you have learned this week, 10 points, Due April 17 at 10 PM.
- Be sure to read several of the Yellowdig posts of your class members and respond to any that pique your interest.
- Notice that Yellowdig cycles the period for postings on Saturday at 10 PM. Your score will drop to 0 to reflect that you have not posted yet for the new week, but your points do not go away.

PowerPoints and Lecture Recordings

The PowerPoint presentations and lecture recordings will be posted here after classes.

April 5 PowerPoint, recording

April 7 PowerPoint (same as April 5), recording

April 9 recording

April 12 PowerPoint, recording

April 14 PowerPoint, recording

April 16 recording (Guest lecture by Stephanie Feltus)