Sustainable Agriculture & Food Security, AAS

Program Description

The Sustainable Agriculture & Food Security AAS Program provides students with practical hands-on learning that the agricultural industry demands, while giving special attention to the ecological and social justice aspects of the discipline. At its core, the program focuses on organic and sustainable agriculture systems as a way of introducing students to premium markets, the importance of land stewardship, and to demonstrate techniques that can be used to adapt to a changing climate.  With the primary focus on land preparation, crop production and post-harvest business opportunities for small scale urban plots, the program will provide an overview of the ecological and social justice elements that are impacted by the changing landscape of agriculture and food production. Special attention is given to providing access to the prominent demographics surrounding the college through use of English language support, heritage foods, and seminars in both regional/seasonal recipes and medicinal uses for native plants.

Learning Outcomes

Graduates of the Sustainable Agriculture & Food Security program will be able to:

• Describe the ecological principles that support agroecosystems at different geographic and economic scales, including the significance of plant diversity and soil properties and processes to terrestrial ecosystems and human societies.
• Select and grow bioregionally appropriate vegetable, bush, and tree crops according to their site-specific growth and cultural requirements within polycultural intercropping, succession planting, crop rotation, and season extension systems.
• Apply agroecological and permaculture design practices to sustainable agriculture systems and food security challenges to then develop and implement whole farm management and business plans from greenhouse seeds to local direct market sales.
• Discuss how the emergence, growth, and practice of urban and small farm agriculture affect the sustainability of local and global food systems, and how those systems, in turn, relate to associated fields in natural resource management and environmental science and conservation.
• Demonstrate a synthesis of existing and new knowledge and skills and the ability to work as part of a team and independently within a sustainable agriculture internship, practicum, or research work environment.
• Communicate responsively and effectively about topics and content related to sustainable agriculture, food access and security in multicultural settings and with individuals who are learning English.
• Discuss concepts and practices used in sustainable farming systems and the parameters of food security.

Requirements