OAAG 1015 - Sustainable Development of Agriculture and Food Systems

Food systems around the world are responsible for nearly 30% or all anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases, and their functioning is the main driver of biodiversity loss. At the same time, over 1 billon persons suffer from food insecurity because they can’t access the food they need, while enough food is produced to feed a growing population. Massive transformations are thus required to tackle these interconnected challenges. Against this backdrop, this course offers:

• a wide panorama on the interconnected challenges that need to be addressed to transition towards truly sustainable food systems;
• an introduction to current policy debates surrounding these issues at international, regional (with a focus on the EU) and national levels;
• an introduction to research methods aiming at identifying trade-offs and synergies in the design of policy solutions.

LEARNING OUTCOMES:

• Students will acquire a basic knowledge about food systems functioning: biophysical & socio-economic basis, food chain organizations, consumption patterns, type of policy frameworks under various contexts
• Students will acquire an in depth knowledge regarding how to assess environmental and socio-economic sustainability of agrifood systems; and what the choice of a set of criterion over another one entails for the assessment of current trends and future scenarios. They will in particular be able to apprehend trade-offs and synergies between environmental and socio-economic sustainability levels, focusing on the issue of a just transition.
• Sudents will develop skills regarding the design of socio-technical transition pathways and the management of sustainability transition at a sectoral level – focusing on the agrifood sector: what is the role of public policies, public and private finance, social movements, or private sectors’ actors, in the unfolding of transition pathways?
• Students will develop skills regarding the critical analysis of controversies and how they influence the political agenda, using the field of sustainable food system as an example (looking for example at issues like GMOs, trade, food sovereignty)

PROFESSIONAL SKILLS:

• Students will know the political landscape surrounding

None.

Twenty-four hours of course, among which two sessions will be based on presentations by the students.

Assessment will be based on the following:

• Participation in the course, assessed by the professor. 10% of the final grade
• A mid term essay (1,000 words max), based on a critical analysis of a paper chosen by the students in coordination with the Instructors. This will account for 20% of the final grade.
• A final essay dealing with a key controversy in the field of sustainable development of food systems. The essay should be 3,000-3,500 words long, backed by at least 8 academic references (no maximum!). This will account for 70% of the final grade.

FEDBACKS:

Critical feedback will be given to students orally after their oral presentation, and a short written comment will follow based on the slides sent to the instructor In preparation of their final paper, students will have the opportunity to exchange with PM Aubert to frame their essay, identify the key resources to deal with the chosen topic, get feedback on a provisional outline.

• In Class Presence: 2 hours a week / 24 hours a semester
• Reading and Preparation for Class: 2 hours a week / 24 hours a semester
• Research and Preparation for mid term essay: 2 hours a week / 24 hours a semester
• Research and Writing for Individual Assessments: 3 hours a week / 36 hours a semester