Sustainable Food

3. Sustainable Food Systems

‡This module explores the opportunities and challenges for environmental justice and sustainability through critically examining the constitutive relationships, practices, politics and ideals of global food systems. Food offers a shared and critical lens through which to analyse key questions on resilience, resource distribution and availability, environmental pressures and development.

Drawing on the perspectives of diverse actors throughout food systems from producers to distributors, retailers, consumers, regulators and campaigners, the module explores the scope for, and limits to, developing and maintaining sustainable and just food systems in a context of multiple connected socio-ecological crises. In addition to understanding the complexities of food systems, these offer insights to more general challenges in seeking to shape sustainable futures.

The module draws on perspectives from academia and practice, including empirical examples of action seeking to transform food systems, investigating both conceptual and practical limitations.

On completion of the module a student should be able to:

1. Demonstrate in-depth knowledge of how and why complex socio-ecological systems are relevant in food production, consumption and waste.
2. Demonstrate a critical understanding of why food origins, production methods and consumption patterns are at the forefront of debates on sustainable development and climate emergency.
3. Appreciate the role of different actors in transforming food systems, and critically consider the impact of varied pathways and actions working towards food sustainability.
4. Evaluate the potential impact of changes in contemporary food systems on academic debate and assess the prospects of sustainable food systems in practice.