The Food Systems major and minor are now the Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems major and minor (effective Fall 2021). Students admitted for Fall 2021 or later will use this new name, as will currently enrolled students. The designator for Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems courses will remain FDSY.
The Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems major addresses - within a systems framework - agroecology, sustainable production, consumers, markets, policy, food justice, and community engagement, all of which are hot topics among students and in the evolving job market. The interdisciplinary curriculum committee for the major, along with CFANS admissions advisors, noted that the new name more clearly conveys this focus to potential students than the prior name, and is less likely to be confused with Food Science (our primary source of internal transfer students). The title Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems is used by two other land-grant institutions, the University of California Davis and the University of Rhode Island, and shares similarities with these programs. We received positive feedback from current students, who indicated that the new name better described the major to their potential employers.
“The new name really reflects the program’s versatility while also communicating to future employers the vast range of knowledge the students learn during their time in the program,” explained Associate Professor and major coordinator, Mary Rogers.