Johnson & Wales Sustainable Food Systems- Program Partnership
The Ayers Foundation has partnered with Johnson & Wales University to support and provide mentorship, internships and hands-on learning experiences for students completing a degree program specializing in Sustainable Food Systems. The Ayers Foundation/JWU collaboration dates back to 2012 when the Ayers Foundation commenced hosting a number of learning workshops at both Hillandale Farm and partner Wild Harmony Farm, for students involved in then-nascent Sustainability and Wellness Concentration within the college's culinary arts degree program. These workshops provided experiential learning opportunities in animal husbandry, livestock farming, row cropping, and greenhouse growing. In the years since, Ayers Foundation has continued to provide learning workshops and individualized internships in these areas for JWU students, and the concentration has mutated into a full- blown degree program with highly innovative courses to help students connect with the world of food outside of the classroom. Students utilize Hillandale Farm and the Ayers Foundation's partner farms for experiential learning opportunities as well as individually tailored internships.
"The bachelor’s degree in Sustainable Food Systems is designed for ecologically-minded students who want to join the wave of change to transform industrial food systems into more resilient, self-renewing, dynamic networks for local to global communities, economies and environments. The program explores the local food web through farm and dock visits and cooking in the professional kitchen while investigating food literacy, culture, public health and food policy. Emphasis is placed on examining the local food web, social structures, and supply chains in relation to the economic realities of food production. A host of free elective credits give students the ability to focus on and further explore areas of environmental sustainability, policy and advocacy, culinary sustainability, public health, supply chain management or writing for development. This experientially-based program takes place at the intersection of social food justice, environmental protection, economic sovereignty and policy, and provides an interdisciplinary framework for students to explore their local food web from diverse perspectives.
Upon the completion of the program, graduates are expected to:
"The bachelor’s degree in Sustainable Food Systems is designed for ecologically-minded students who want to join the wave of change to transform industrial food systems into more resilient, self-renewing, dynamic networks for local to global communities, economies and environments. The program explores the local food web through farm and dock visits and cooking in the professional kitchen while investigating food literacy, culture, public health and food policy. Emphasis is placed on examining the local food web, social structures, and supply chains in relation to the economic realities of food production. A host of free elective credits give students the ability to focus on and further explore areas of environmental sustainability, policy and advocacy, culinary sustainability, public health, supply chain management or writing for development. This experientially-based program takes place at the intersection of social food justice, environmental protection, economic sovereignty and policy, and provides an interdisciplinary framework for students to explore their local food web from diverse perspectives.
Upon the completion of the program, graduates are expected to:
- Analyze the effects of change and policy on food systems.
- Apply agricultural food production, sustainable food practices and cuisine concepts to food system issues.
- Advocate for sustainable food systems to various audiences.
- Propose solutions to issues related to the sustainability of food systems." JWU B.S. Sustainable Food Systems degree description
Please use the links below to view talking points for past JWU/Ayers Foundation workshops:
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Are you a local farm interested in hosting a JWU/Ayers Foundation workshop? Contact us here for more information.
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