Find out what sustainability means for food and explore the challenges of our journey towards a more sustainable food future. Learn how culture, sustainability, and technology is changing the food system. Food production has transformed our planet. 40% of the land’s surface is used for agriculture, soils and freshwater are under threat, and fisheries are over-exploited.
Class Deals by MOOC List - Click here and see FutureLearn's Active Discounts, Deals, and Promo Codes.
Millions of smallholders face economic uncertainty, whilst four transnationals control the global grain supply. And, by 2050, we must feed 9 billion in the face of a changing climate.
On this course, you’ll learn about these challenges in detail and discover potential solutions. You’ll consider the global food system as a whole, as you explore everything from individual food choice to the impact of agriculture on climate change.
What topics will you cover?
Diets and Health
- Changing food cultures
- Diets for personal and planetary health
- The drivers of eating behaviour
Impacts of Production
- How crops have changed the planet
- Over-fishing and fisheries
- Livestock farming and the environment
Food Security
- Adapting to climate change
- Conserving our soils
- Novel technologies
Food Governance
- Empowering farmers and smallholders
- Food as a commodity
- Ecosystem services
What will you achieve?
By the end of the course, you'll be able to...
- Investigate global patterns and trends of food consumption and production
- Discuss what sustainability means with reference to food
- Explain where and how to find reliable information about food
- Debate the main issues related to food
- Discuss how individuals choose their food and what effects this has
- Explore how technological advances are changing the food system
