Agronomy and Horticulture, Department of

 

ORCID IDs

Charles Francis http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8007-0329

Document Type

Article

Date of this Version

2023

Citation

Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems (2023)

doi: 10.1080/21683565.2023.2253186

Comments

Copyright © 2023, Taylor and Francis. Used by permission

Abstract

Agroecologists understand that farming and food systems are more complex than the aggregation of their components. This realization drives our choices of learning strategies and activities that will prepare students for complexity and uncertainty. Our quest for a just, sustainable, and nutritious food system adequate to equitably serve everyone on the planet today and into the future is an enormous challenge. An undertaking of this magnitude will be met only with major adjustments informed by thoughtful teaching and practicing problem solving skills through a new educational lens. The principles of agroecology help us focus this lens on the wicked problems of today and the future, and prepare students for navigating uncharted territory. The dimensions of such education are broad, transdisciplinary, and long term. In this commentary, we explore agroecology as an emerging platform to understand the holistic nature of systems, to navigate the complications of unpredictable change, and to deal with how we can frame relevant questions for ourselves and our students in a rapidly changing biological and social environment.

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