Master of Science Sustainable Food Systems

Sustainable Food Systems are essential to ensure that all people across the world have access to safe, nutritious and affordable food. There are many current challenges to ensuring this food security and hundreds of millions of people experience malnutrition and the health issues associated with insufficient food. These challenges will intensify over coming years in the face of global population growth, climate change and increased demands on land, water and energy. Intensification of agriculture to meet these challenges must be achieved in a way that is sustainable, preserves biodiversity and does not damage the environment. In contrast, the planet is experiencing, at the same time, a different global health crisis arising from over-consumption of food, but often also malnourished, with rising levels of obesity and associated increases in ill health and death.

Tackling this global challenge requires an understanding of the entire food system, from farm to fork, and all of the intermediary stages associated with human-, animal- and plant-health, operations and supply chains, consumer behaviour, waste management and national and international food practices, policies and strategies. Students will also learn about carbon and water footprints and the need for sustainable intensification of agriculture in terms of energy and land use, and decreased use of agrochemicals such as fertilizers and pesticides to protect biodiversity. The aim of this programme is to introduce students to these food systems, the current issues and problems, and to prepare them for careers addressing these issues.