Modern agriculture is one of the largest contributors to environmental degradation in the United States. We all eat, and yet the disproportionate environmental footprint of agriculture is rarely discussed or understood. This interdisciplinary, field-based course explores the connection between the environment and agriculture, provides a first-hand experience of food systems, and analyzes the environmental, economic, political, social and cultural issues that define modern farming. Utilizing the lenses and tools of sociology, economics, philosophy, ecology, and agronomy we will critically examine the notion of sustainability as it applies to the food system. Through lectures, in-class discussions, reading seminars, written assignments, and field study, students examine a variety of farms and rural communities as case studies. The course uses an action/reflection model to equip students to critically analyze the environment and agriculture from a variety of different perspectives.
The Environment and Agriculture program is framed by reading and discussion seminars that take place at the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy in Minneapolis. At the heart of the program are intensive field experiences that include on-site study at research laboratories, agricultural policy institutes, meat-packing plants, creamery operations, conventional farms, and small-scale community supported agriculture farms. In addition, each student will prepare for and conduct a three-day immersion experience on a sustainable farm outside the Twin Cities. Students will be integrated into the busy routine of farm life, helping with planting, milking, and caring for animals. During the farm stays students will use critical frameworks to observe and interview those on the farm about the environmental, economic, and quality of life issues that contribute to decision-making. The farm stays will conclude with a community gathering and forum that brings together farmers, students, and experts in the field of environment and agriculture. The class will reconvene at the University of Minnesota-Morris to debrief the farm stay and prepare group presentations comparing and contrasting their experiences. The program will visit research facilities in the Morris area and consider the role of research and funding in sustainable agriculture, and students will spend a day in the Montevideo area exploring the role of culture and the arts in creating sustainable communities. Lastly, the class will participate in a workshop with the Land Stewardship Project on whole farm planning, and students will create and present plans for a sustainable farm operation.
Logistics
Class meets for one full day on a Saturday in May to prepare for the two-week intensive session that runs in the first few weeks of June. Students will be in class or conducting field study every day, all-day during this two-week period and must not plan any other commitments during this time. In addition, extensive time during this period is devoted to reading, writing, and preparing an oral presentation. The first section of the two-week intensive is in and around the Twin Cities, with site visits within a 90-minute drive. The group then spends three to four program days on a sustainable farm, which may be at a distance from the Twin Cities, working with the farm family and completing a series of interviews with family and community members. During the second week of the program the group will be stationed at the University of Minnesota-Morris. From that base, we will visit a number of farms in the central region of Minnesota. Details about each year's schedule are available closer to the program start date.
