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.

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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