Bachelor of Science - Sustainable Food & Bioenergy Systems - Agroecology Option

The Sustainable Food and Bioenergy Systems (SFBS) program offers an interdisciplinary, hands-on curriculum focused on the ecological, cultural, economic, and health aspects of food and bioenergy systems from production through consumption.  The degree plan is intended to prepare and motivate students as agents of change to address society’s most pressing food and bioenergy issues towards sustained environmental and human well-being. Students of the program are provided with broad interdisciplinary training founded on a core SFBS curriculum while gaining disciplinary training by selecting one of four program options housed in either the College of Agriculture, or the College of Education, Health and Human Development: (1) Sustainable Food Systems, (2) Agroecology, (3) Sustainable Crop Production and, (4) Sustainable Livestock Production. The SFBS program seeks to enhance students’ practical and critical thinking skills to approach food systems through service-based learning internships, hands-on production, training on research methods, independent and group projects, story-telling, and community engagement.  Students must receive a grade of "C" or higher in all required courses as outlined in the major.

Agroecology explores how crops and pest organisms interact with their environment, and the application of technology to efficiently and sustainability produce crops. Agroecology focuses on application of population principles and community ecology, environmental science, and cropland ecosystems. The curriculum is based on the philosophy that to be able to successfully predict management outcomes and thus make informed recommendations, one must understand fundamental principles of evolution, ecology, soil science, agronomy, and pest management.

The curriculum originates from a base in biological science which includes a broad knowledge of organisms (including plants, animals and microorganisms), and the physical and chemical characteristics of environments. In the Agroecology curriculum, students will develop a knowledge of the diversity of organisms and how they interact in natural and managed ecosystems. Furthermore, the curriculum will build on this knowledge in courses that demonstrate the application of ecology and environmental science principles. Students will also learn how new technologies like remote sensing and geographic information systems are modernizing agriculture. In later stages of the curriculum, students may select from an array of upper division courses in natural ecosystems, cropping systems, pest management, applied ecology, soil and water science, biochemistry, and policy and planning courses that enable them to specialize in food or bioenergy-related areas best suited to their own career vision.