EXPR 240 Food, Farming, and Resilience: Integrative Learning on the Antioch Farm
Why do we eat what we eat? Where does our food come from and how is it produced? What are the costs and benefits- human, environmental, social, economic, political-of food production and consumption today? Are our methods of food production and distribution sustainable? What are positive solutions to the global food crisis? Using the Antioch Farm as a learning lab, students will engage directly in sustainable food production and integrative learning. Topics will include seed-saving, bio-char, soil health, pollination, wildcrafting, permaculture, farm-to-table, bio-dynamic farming, urban farming, food access and stewardship. This course will take place predominantly outside, rain or shine. "While industrial agriculture has increased humanity's ability to feed itself dramatically, it has also caused many problems for human health, culture and the environment. The model and practice of industrial agriculture is a, if not the, primary contributor to climate change, global warming, deforestation, chemical and organic pollution of aquatic ecosystems, depletion of aquifers, soil degradation, disappearances of species, human wars and conflicts, human health problems, the abolishment of cultural heritage, the disappearance of genetic diversity in human crops, and political upheaval throughout the world." (Union of Concerned Scientists).