FDSY1016W: Growing Food & Building Community: Urban Agriculture in the Twin Cities

The capacity and support for urban agriculture is expanding globally. It is estimated that 25-30% of urban dwellers worldwide are involved in agriculture. In the future, we can expect that more of our food will be grown in urban centers. Urban farms and food businesses, food hubs, neighborhood community gardens, schoolyard and residential gardens are all part of the current urban food movement. As the first year colloquium for food systems majors, this course will integrate academic and orientation learning objectives and allow students to gain practice in systems thinking-- exhibited through in-class discussion and writing-- using urban agriculture as a framework. In this course, we will evaluate the direct and indirect benefits and challenges of urban agriculture by looking through environmental, political and social lenses. Class field trips and a service learning activity are used to demonstrate the various ways food is grown and how food may be used as a vehicle to achieve social goals. We will discuss a broad array of topics including horticultural production practices, soil health and environmental sustainability issues, social justice and food access, and public policy and regulations constraining urban farms, with an emphasis on the Minneapolis/St. Paul metro area. Students in this course will deepen their understanding of the complexity of urban food systems, while also recognize social differences of race, ethnicity and class; improve intercultural competence skills as a foundation for positive cross-cultural relationships; and gain an awareness of how urban agriculture can be a force for change.

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