MAJOR CURRICULUM OBJECTIVES TARGETED
This class is intended for students with a general interest in sustainable food production systems. There are no pre-requisites. We will discuss a variety of ecological, social, and economic topics within the framework of environmental sustainability. Students from a variety of backgrounds are welcome. The course will be of interest particularly to students from the biological sciences, environmental studies, nutrition and health sciences, international relations, political science, sociology, and business.

This course is one of required courses for the Agroecology Certificate program at FIU Environmental Studies program.

COURSE OBJECTIVES
At the end of this course, students will:
" learn how issues at various levels--farm, community, regional, national and global--influence agriculture sustainability and future food supply.
" gain a basic understanding of agricultural practices at the farm-level, including agro-ecological management principles and practices used to reduce environmental degradation.
" learn to think critically about where their food comes from, and be able to analyze the environmental, economic, and social costs and benefits involved in delivering food from farm to market.
" report on three crop commodities in detail, including their production systems, environmental impacts, and future economic outlook.
" become knowledgeable of agro-environmental policies used to keep farmland in production as well as integrating farming priorities into the urban and rural interface.
" gain knowledge about the pros and cons to global trade, and what forms of sustainable agriculture will best suit the needs of a growing global population.

TEXTBOOK
World Agriculture and the Environment       Clay, Jason
Island Press, 2004                                      ISBN: 1559633670